Apistogramma with clamped fins/tail - Can someone please help correctly identify the problem and the best solution(s)

[verejacob]

Can someone please help identify correctly what’s wrong with my apistogramma cacatouides pair.

Until a couple of days ago, this guy (along with a female Apisto) was perfectly fine. Both were in fact starting to show breeding/mating behavior and the female was coloring into a bright yellow.

The past couple of days, however, he went into hiding and today he emerged like this (see photos of after and before). Same for my female apistogramma. They’re housed in a 40G breeder tank with a few guppies, loaches, corys, and cardinal tetras. Only these two apistogramma have clamped fins/tails and keep darting in and out of their various hidings/caves. The rest are all behaving normally.

I tested the water and the parameters seem fine. High range pH 7.4, Ammonia 0.50, Nitrite 0.25, and Nitrate 5.0-10.0. Temp is 79F.

Out of abundant caution, I dosed the tank with API General Cure yesterday and today I’ve started API Pimafix and Malafix treatments.

Not sure if I’m doing the right thing though. There are lots of mixed suggestions/opinions (ranging from precursor to Ich, to fin and tail rot, to aging) all over the Internet and the more I read/watch I get confused. I’m getting desperate. I'm praying someone can help me identify the problem correctly and suggest the right treatment/solution.

TIA!

 

[Apistoguy52]

I don’t have the slightest idea what the exact problem is, but with ammonia and nitrite reading anything higher than 0 I’d be inclined to change a bunch of water right now, change a bunch of water tomorrow, and probably do the same on Monday before throwing random meds/fixes at the tank.

 

[MacZ]

Out of abundant caution, I dosed the tank with API General Cure yesterday and today I’ve started API Pimafix and Malafix treatments.

This is more likely to kill the fish than anything else. As Mike correctly pointed out in another thread, your two Apistos might be quite old. They were recently moved to a tank with conditions a bit removed from ideal. It looks like a opportunistic bacterial infection, which is typical for this situation. Even if the meds might work (I doubt it) the fish will relapse again and again because the stress factors are not removed.

I don’t have the slightest idea what the exact problem is, but with ammonia and nitrite reading anything higher than 0 I’d be inclined to change a bunch of water right now, change a bunch of water tomorrow, and probably do the same on Monday before throwing random meds/fixes at the tank.

Fully agree.

 

[Eddy. E.]

This is more likely to kill the fish than anything else.

Absolutely correct.

I seriously wonder why you are using such medication WITHOUT even knowing what the problem is. On top of that metronidazole and praziquantel and then a day later the second medication hammer. True to the motto, a lot helps a lot? I very much doubt that the cacatouides will survive this treatment. If they did, it would simply be luck. Any further treatment suggestion would most likely be doomed to failure because you already have a massive amount of medication in the water. Regardless of possible interactions. Don't forget, your medication doesn't disappear with two or three water changes.
I would be interested to know what you fed days before. Because I have a suspicion.

 

[MacZ]

Eddy, it's quite a common thing in North America to just do the shotgun approach. Either something will help or the fish is dead anyway. That's a cultural thing and many on the other side of the pond take offence if criticised for it. Thankfully not everyone and especially not the really experienced people, but a majority just puts in whatever fix-in-a-bottle they are told could possibly help. Often resulting in the user not coming back or going berserk immediately. Or first the one then the other.