# Found a diseased fish, need help identifying the cause!



## zombilex (Jul 26, 2013)

Hello everybody! My husband and I are somewhat new to aquariums. We've had our 75-gallon freshwater tank with only cichlids (population 11 as of this afternoon) for a couple of months. Today, we found one of our little guys at the bottom of the tank, vertical, and covered in a translucent white film/slime stuff. None of the images I found in an online search seem to match him.


We do a 30% water change every month, and all the other fish appear healthy. We've had 4 die in the last couple months, but none of them seemed unusual since we just started our aquarium. The first one acted very odd from the beginning (never socialized, didn't eat much, hid most of the time). The next 2 who died just kinda stopped eating healthily, but again, we didn't think too much of it since our aquarium is new. This fish has been acting a little funny for a few days, not eating as much and being anti-social. This is the first fish we've had die with an obvious disease, but we don't know what it is.

I took a quick picture before we removed him from the tank. Sorry if this is disallowed, but I've posted it at imgur: the simple image sharer since I don't know if my gallery image on here will show up. Note: The image I uploaded here needs rotated - it's showing him horizontally, but he was floating near the bottom vertically.







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If anybody here can give us suggestions, we would be eternally grateful. We'd like to prevent this from happening to the rest of our little guys! Thanks in advance. 




Edit: Oops, I just read another thread asking people like me to include this kind of info in our requests for help...

Tank size: 75 gallons
Ammonia: ?
NitrIte: ?
NitrAte: ?
PH/GH/KH: ? No current test available, but when we tested it initially it was fine
Cycled,yes or no: Yes
Number of fish: 12 until this one passed
Acclimation process: Brought home from aquarium store 45 minutes away, put into tank still in bags from store for 30 minutes, added water from our tank every 10 minutes, then released from bag into our tank population
Physical signs of illness(IE spots,shimmer,ECT): None
How often between fish additions: We just started the aquarium, so there were a lot of additions recently, but none in the last month
Waterchange schedule: 5-7 gallons weekly
Tank temp: 77 degrees Fahrenheit


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

Water changes are the most important aspects of fish keeping. Once a month is not enough. 
The choice of fish and their source is the second. Quarantine in a small tank before addition into a community is absolutely necessary to prevent spread of parasites.

THe fungus covering the dead fish is usually due to Nitrite excess after something else killed the fish. The most likely is ICH. 

No real identification. But the best thing you can do right now is ti change out 50% of their water and change the filter medium.

Charles H


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## zwanged (Nov 4, 2012)

What type of cichlids? Run your list of fish + filter through AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor , it will recommend a water change schedule. Also make sure you vacuum the substrate weekly if waste tends to accumulate on the substrate.

If you're fully stocked (100%) then I would do a 30-35% water change weekly.

-Zeke


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I would really listen to inkmaker. You can find no other that can give you better advice than him.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

In your post, you said you do a water change once a month, then said you do weekly water changes. Also, you say the tank is fairly new, but you also said you have had it for a while and is cycled. So which of those is correct? 

1. With african cichlids, you really should overstock the population. Just 12 fish in a 75 gallon could prove not enough to spread out the aggression. Whenever you can, I would buy more fish to add to the tank(be sure to QT them first of course)
2. You do not have your Ammo, Nitri, and nitrate levels. These factors are actually very important for us to diagnose what is going on, and to see if your tank is really cycled. You should look into getting a liquid test kit for your personal use. In the meantime though, you can take a water sample to your LFS/PFS and they will test your water with test strips. Whatever you do, don't just let them tell you your water is 'fine' ask for the actual values that they get from the tests. 
3. I would increase your water schedule to 25% every week(that is a good general amount to start)

I'm sure that the fuzz growing on the fish is just the body decomposing. Do any of your other fish act funny? What color is their poop?


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

inkmaker said:


> Water changes are the most important aspects of fish keeping. Once a month is not enough.
> The choice of fish and their source is the second. Quarantine in a small tank before addition into a community is absolutely necessary to prevent spread of parasites.
> 
> THe fungus covering the dead fish is usually due to Nitrite excess after something else killed the fish. The most likely is ICH.
> ...


+1 to all of this.

The fungus (as it appeared to me) most likely is a factor of a dead fish floating in nitrogen rich water , its the first faze in breakdown of waste(assuming some other fish doesn't eat it ) also note most fungal infections and parasites can not affect fish if they are healthy .
Iv seen that fungus on feeder guppies . It happens because they live in filthy overpopulated water.
You need to spend 25$ and get a good test kit so you can maintain your water.
A 30% once a month is not a whole lot of water change. Remember the fish eat poop and breath in there water so new water is a must.
You may find it much easier and better to do say 10-12 gallon a week rather than 25g once a month.
Good luck with the cichlids with whatever rout you take , but know this cichlids require some dietary supplementing (vegetation) there algae eaters in the wild , also they require ph adjustment to there naturally occurring ph depending on there type AMD where in the world there from even down to the lakes the come from , without a test kit you can't know in any way. What needs to change. 
Cichlids are fun rewarding ans have a ton of personality , practice of good husbandry will keep them with you for years to come (thats correct years plural ) 
I hope things get better for the tank soon
-T


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