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Sick agassizii alenquer

Kymmys442

New Member
Messages
23
Location
Miles City, Montana
Hi guys,
I noticed a whitish spot on my Agassizii Alenquer about 2 weeks ago. Im not sure what it was. See attached pics. I have had him, and all his tank mates for almost a year. Nothing added or moved. I feed a mix of plant and meaty dry food, and occasional freeze dried blood worms. I was told it looked like an abrasion or the start of Ich. Nothing else in the tank has any symptoms. I do water changes weekly. My tap water tests good. The tank parameters are great. 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, 0 chlorine, 0 amonia, good ph, slightly hard water. I treated a full round of Ich med, melafix, and pimafix. After the treatments, the spot looked slightly better. Then 2 days ago, icouldnt find him. Turns out he is hiding way in the back, on the bottom of the tank. He will not come out. He will not eat. I have 3 Rust Cories, and 6 variety Endlers. Nobody else seems effected. The thought crossed my mind that maybe one of my cats reached in and possibly hooked him. He is normally very friendly and comes right to the glass to greet me and beg for food. He was like a little puppy. Now hes scared of everything. Hiding and not eating. I cant even get a good look at him. From what i can see, his colors are a bit dark, but fairly normal. His fins look good. I just dont know what to do. I have Metroplex and Kanaplex. Should i use them? To me, it looks like he will be passing soon. Im sorry the pics are grainy. But this is how he looked before i started any treatment. About a week ago. I cant get a pic of him now. Any suggestions please.
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Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Looks like he lost a flank scale to me. If you are really worried I would put him in a hospital tank and keep a close check on him there. It is possible that playing 'chemistry set' with the tank from all the medications has affected his feeling of well-being.
 

Kymmys442

New Member
Messages
23
Location
Miles City, Montana
He is in a quarantine tank now. I understand that some folks dont agree with using medications, and some recommend them. I did what was recommended to me first. Asking for opinions and second opinions shouldnt be painful. I love my fish. I am a 4 x cancer survivor and patient that lives alone and isolated. These guys are very important to me. I have read through many posts here and other sites. But it would take forever to read them all. I just used the products as i was told and as per the instructions. I assure you i wasnt haphazardly "playing" chemistry set. I did waterchanges after treatment stopped. In his hospiral tank he is still hiding and not eating. Do i do water changes in the hospital tank? If so, how often? If its safe to ask.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I have nothing against using medications as a prophylactic on new fish or for a disease problem that I can recognize. Otherwise I just make sure that the tank is clean and water values stable and close to optimal for the species. Over the decades that I have kept apistos I found that when an apisto suddenly goes 'down hill' it is usually too late, so don't feel too bad if your aggie dies. They, like many wild animals, are good at hiding illnesses; a survival mechanism. You did the best that you could. In the meantime, definitely do regular water changes to keep things optimal. Your feeding IMHO leaves a lot to be desired. Feeding only dry foods is like living on only processed boxed foods. I suggest adding live/frozen foods to the diet.

On another note, I am proud of you for having the fortitude for surviving 4 bouts with cancer. Few can do that. Keep strong.
 

Kymmys442

New Member
Messages
23
Location
Miles City, Montana
Thank you, so very much. I know he absolutely LOVES the bloodworms. He would always come to the glass, stare at me, stare up at the hole. Lol. Back and forth until he got some. It was cute to watch. Cichlids have personalities that are so pronounced compared so many other fish. But i am afraid he probably will not survive. Still no change today. Definitely saddens me. I will purchase some fresh or frozen foods. Any you recommend? I know it may be a bit late on Big Als part, but i have no doubt my other fish would love it. I hate talking about him that way. But it may be inevitable. I am able to observe him more in the hospital tank. His color is decent and his breathing seems fairly normal. But his fins are all down, he refuses to eat still, and will only move if startled. The whitish spot on his flank is all but gone. Thank you again, for your help. It really is appreciated. I obtained my second degree in Wildlife Biology 2 years ago, but my expertise is in the feline category. Even applying what i know, does not make up for experience with these guys. So i thank you again. I will update with any changes.
 

Kymmys442

New Member
Messages
23
Location
Miles City, Montana
Update:
My beautiful Al has passed. I examined his body. His coloring was way off. Very dark. His stripe gone, and filmy looking. And the wound or missing scale on his flank, looked infected. Almost oozing. Im still wondering if my cat didnt happen to poke him when he would come up to see things. The tank is covered, minus a small, square hole for feeding. I have caught my cat with her paw in it before. I fashioned a cover for it, but took it off one day and forgot to put it back. None of the other fish seem affected at all. There are 3 black bar Endlers, 3 emerald Endlers, and 3 Rust Cories. My ph is about 6.8, nitrites and nitrates are 0, water is slightly hard, no amonia, no chlorine. 4 part filter with 2 mechanical and 2 biological filters along with a carbon pack. Ive had all the same fish in the tank for months. Nothing added or removed. Im so devastated. He was such a great, fun fish.
 

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