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URGENT! Strange apisto behaviour

Jtropical

New Member
Messages
5
Location
Uk
Hi guys, this is my first post and unfortunately its a negative one.
My Male apistogramma agassizii is in displaying very strange behaviour.
I bought a young male and female from a trustworthy lfs 11 days ago and the colours of the male are spectacular. he was fine last night but today i have hardly seen him, he has been hiding and when i see him he is against the glass looking up, like a man standing straight up against a wall? The female is doing absolutely fine and there behaviour has been postive up till this point.
only tank mates bigger than them is one leopard danio and 3 pearl's which were used to cycle the tank orginally. The tank is planted with lots of cover. I use alder cones and almond leaves to condition water and PH is at suitable levels
I would like urgent help, thanks guys :)
 

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regani

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
429
Location
Brisbane, Australia
Difficult to say from just that single behaviour and picture. He could just be hiding after loosing a battle with either the female or one of the other fish. How big is the tank?
On the picture it looks like he has a hollow stomach, which could be a sign of worms. Or it may just be the angle the picture was taken
To rule out a water problem (which different fish may respond differently to) I would test the water parameters. What is your pH, GH, KH, conductivity (or TDS), ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?
 

Jtropical

New Member
Messages
5
Location
Uk
Hi Guys, the apisto i mentioned above sadly died shortly after this post. About a week ago i purchased another female and male apisto and so had 2 females for the new male. At first he was lively, full of colour and displayed his fins to both females.
I say his tail was no longer spreading wide like it was and got a little worried, for the last 2 days he has barely been seen and is only eating very small amounts, he doesnt appear to move and is currently nestled between an amazon sword which has formed a little cacoon almost. All other fish are doing perfectly. Nitrate, Nitrite and ammonia are all perfectly fine, The Ph is a little high at 7.2. However this isnt damaging the two females, any suggestions?
 

Duffmanj

Member
Messages
117
Have you noticed any difference in appearance on his fins i.e. if he's been nipped? Also, do you have pictures of the femaleS?
 

Jtropical

New Member
Messages
5
Location
Uk
wow.. im so pleasantly surprised by everyones eagerness to help. The fins are still clamped and the fish stays in the same corner constantly, i acclimate them slowly using the standard methods. No the breathing seems normal
 

Duffmanj

Member
Messages
117
I would certainly suggest worming them, Kusuri wormer has been recommended in other posts, have used it myself. Whats the temp in the tank?
 

bludfire

Member
Messages
47
Location
Witney, Oxfordshire
Sorry to hear the original male died.
For next time/anyone else who's apisto looks like the photo - his body looks exactly like mine did when full of worms (head almost looks enlarged in proportion to the body and wafer thin in width). Kusuri wormer and fluke worked wonders for mine and he went on to be a successful dad.
 

abrooks12376

Active Member
Messages
201
What are your water parameters.. clearly something is amiss in your tank.. that dude looked miserable. .
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
It's comforting to think that if we provide a fish's "preferred" (by-the-book) water conditions, diet, tank structure, and keep up with frequent maintenence, that fish will stay healthy and stressed fish will recover. But unfortunately that's not always true. There are diseases that can sicken and kill fish in aquaria even when we do everything seemingly "right" and our measurable water parameters appear "perfect". There may be bacteria or other infectious microorganisms in our tanks or water supply that newly-acquired fish have no immunity to. And there's infections that wild fish may carry their whole lives without symptoms, but that cause disease when those fish are captured and held in tanks.

What are your water parameters.. clearly something is amiss in your tank.. that dude looked miserable.
 

abrooks12376

Active Member
Messages
201
It's comforting to think that if we provide a fish's "preferred" (by-the-book) water conditions, diet, tank structure, and keep up with frequent maintenence, that fish will stay healthy and stressed fish will recover. But unfortunately that's not always true. There are diseases that can sicken and kill fish in aquaria even when we do everything seemingly "right" and our measurable water parameters appear "perfect". There may be bacteria or other infectious microorganisms in our tanks or water supply that newly-acquired fish have no immunity to. And there's infections that wild fish may carry their whole lives without symptoms, but that cause disease when those fish are captured and held in tanks.
That's all good and true... but... if the tank is reading amm. and nitrites or even some crazy nitrates? That's going to send a fish south fast.. or even if the acclimation process was not done properly and the Lil guy shocked out..
 

Duffmanj

Member
Messages
117
If the OP is competent enought to understand and complete a fish in cycle, I think we can all assume they understand the impact of water parameters :) I still vote worms.
 

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