Help! Apisto Cockatoo sick?

[huntermac]

Hello, I am not sure what happened but my apisto caca male that I have had for half a year is acting strange. He is usually very active swimming all over the tank and coming up to me every time I walk past the tank. The past 2 days he has been staying at the bottom of the tank under a piece of drift wood like in the photo attached. He looks a bit pale and he would only come out to eat then go right back down the past 2 days. This morning (when I took the pic) he would not come up for food at all and seemed to be breathing heavy and his fins and tail were kind of curling to the side and tense. Does anyone have any idea what can be going on??

-Tank is 20g long
-80 degrees F
-lives with a school of rummy nose and a GBR

Only thing I have changed recently was re-scaped some background plants and added 6 otto cats about 2 weeks ago.
All other fish look fine and healthy.

 

[huntermac]

Update; He is still in the same spot....wouldn't eat again today. Seems to just be breathing hard and flaring his fins and gills and shaking every once in a while. Anyone have any thought on how I can help him?? All other fish still look fine.

 

[ButtNekkid]

Hi,

No idea what could be causing this. Have you considered moving on? He looks really sick.
My experience with apistos is that they rarely come back if they get sick like that.

 

[huntermac]

Hi,

No idea what could be causing this. Have you considered moving on? He looks really sick.
My experience with apistos is that they rarely come back if they get sick like that.

Of course I would want to help him, but I understand he may be past saving. Just sad he was my favorite fish and only about a year old. Sounds grim, but should I put him out of his misery? I feel bad he looks like he is suffering. I don't know what to do.

 

[MacZ]

A. cacatuoides have been bred a lot commercially and that has taken a toll on their general health.

It looks like a bacterial infection. You could either nuke the tank with pricey meds that can potentially kill the fish (and I would estimate more than 50% likelihood it will die from the meds) and whack the whole system out of balance or put him down. I would actually tend to the latter option.

 

[huntermac]

A. cacatuoides have been bred a lot commercially and that has taken a toll on their general health.

It looks like a bacterial infection. You could either nuke the tank with pricey meds that can potentially kill the fish (and I would estimate more than 50% likelihood it will die from the meds) and whack the whole system out of balance or put him down. I would actually tend to the latter option.

Thank you for the response. I am considering just putting him down. Do you think this bacteria will affect the other fish in the tank?? As for putting him down, I read clove oil is most humane, is this true?

 

[MacZ]

Usually such cases only affect the fish with weakened immune systems. If there is no other fish showing signs you are fine. Usually only frequent high volume waterchanges and leaf litter help in my opinion. (That said, I live in a country where you can't just buy antibiotics and vets won't prescribe for fish. But I'm also against the use of antibiotics in such cases, they rarely can be used in time. When the symptoms are obivous to the untrained eye it's most often too late anyway. That way too many people have used the stuff too frequently in wrong dosage or too late. Ultimately that lead to many multiresistant bugs, that are a real menace in the trade.)

Clove oil is one possibility, and a very safe one. Back in the day we would also use the freezer method of putting the fish in the freezer in a closed container. That way their metabolism would slowly shut down until death. Other methods are not for the faint of heart. Meaning not for me, that's why I won't recommend any of them.

Right now I have a male A. hongsloi that seems to have burned out courting and displaying nonstop over the last 4 weeks and was injured in the eye by the female quite severely when she was guarding the first spawn.
He is down with similar symptoms since about noon, I did an extra waterchange, added oak leaves, can only wait and see. It's not as if I didn't know the situation. The LFS I got it from is off my list now.

 

[huntermac]

Usually such cases only affect the fish with weakened immune systems. If there is no other fish showing signs you are fine. Usually only frequent high volume waterchanges and leaf litter help in my opinion. (That said, I live in a country where you can't just buy antibiotics and vets won't prescribe for fish. But I'm also against the use of antibiotics in such cases, they rarely can be used in time. When the symptoms are obivous to the untrained eye it's most often too late anyway. That way too many people have used the stuff too frequently in wrong dosage or too late. Ultimately that lead to many multiresistant bugs, that are a real menace in the trade.)

Clove oil is one possibility, and a very safe one. Back in the day we would also use the freezer method of putting the fish in the freezer in a closed container. That way their metabolism would slowly shut down until death. Other methods are not for the faint of heart. Meaning not for me, that's why I won't recommend any of them.

Right now I have a male A. hongsloi that seems to have burned out courting and displaying nonstop over the last 4 weeks and was injured in the eye by the female quite severely when she was guarding the first spawn.
He is down with similar symptoms since about noon, I did an extra waterchange, added oak leaves, can only wait and see. It's not as if I didn't know the situation. The LFS I got it from is off my list now.

I see. I guess I knew something was wrong about 4 days ago when he is usually coming right up to me and begging for food, but he would dart away and hide until I shut the lid to go up and grab some food at feeding time. since then he has just been hiding, panting heavily and very pale. I had a female in with him about 2 months ago but he chased and displayed to her all day everyday for a few weeks till she died of stress. Since then he has been calm and swims around by himself. I bought him at about an inch and a half in size about 7-8 months ago. He turned out to be my favorite fish in the tank. It is sad but I guess I would rather stop him from hurting or stressing though. I will do a water change tonight after work and if he doesn't show signs of getting better I will use the clove oil method.

 

[yukondog]

I have never had any recover when they start the rapid breathing, sorry to say but putting him down might be the option I would go, I know some people have a hard time doing it but as keepers of fish it must be done sometimes, we all have our on way of doing it, my way is fast and instant but not for everyone. Good luck

 

[huntermac]

I have never had any recover when they start the rapid breathing, sorry to say but putting him down might be the option I would go, I know some people have a hard time doing it but as keepers of fish it must be done sometimes, we all have our on way of doing it, my way is fast and instant but not for everyone. Good luck

Unfortunately he got worse last night so I put him down. Felt bad doing it, but felt worse to see him struggling. Thank you for the help guys I appreciate the responses.

 

[MacZ]

You're welcome. Hope next time for a more pleasant reason.