# My orange cichlid is sick



## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

I cant find good info. She/he is in the plants...looks likeusing them to keep steady. Just in there all afternoon, not moving much at all. If bugged will swim just fine but go right back in the plants again...not sure whats wrong.

Any ideas? What should i do, we live an hour away from the nearest pet store, roads are bad from heavy snowfall..and i work tomorrow.


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## SGT Z (Jul 7, 2010)

Orange cichlid? You mean a blood red parrot?









If so, it's looking for a place to hide. They like to hide. If the answer is no, I'm still guessing it's a fish that likes to hide and that plant is the best place you've given it since you didn't mention if you already have some caves.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Could be cold, sick, or injured. Chewed fins make for funny swimming and hiding. Are other fish chasing it? Bloat is a another possibility, esp. for blood parrots. Does it end up at a funny angle if its not in a plant? Try feeding cooked, skinned, chopped peas. Pic?

Could also be a holding mbuna mother, is there a bulge like a chin?


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

Doesnt look like a bulge, altho the bottom of her from the chin down her belly she is darker and sorta reddish kinda? I dont know. She does a lot of tag with spike, one of my other cichlids. Hmmm...
Apparently she is fine today. She is swimming fine and it took a lot to get a picture of her/him. Fast beyond belief. First pic I have gotten so far. Should have taken a pic when she was in the plant last night but I wasnt thinkin straight. Was she just tired? Do fish get tired?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

A non-dominant male or a non-interested female will tuck into a bush just to get out of the dominant male's sight. Clamped fins are a sign of unhappiness. Could be sickness or stress from an abusive tankmate.

Call it a 'red zebra'.


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

Wow...a red zebra? I could not find out what they were. It just said african cichlid at the store. I have a black and white striped one, spike, he does bug her and altho they play together he doesnt know when to quit so maybe that was it. I turned the lights out early last night to give her some down time. It helped. I have a pic of him in the photo section.

Thanks for the info


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

One looks sort of like a 'pindani', Pseudotropheus socolofi. But they are usually described as 'pink', 'lavender' or 'blue'. Not black and white. I would guess its a 'elongatus' complex pseudotropheus or a hybrid of one and something else.


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

You just never know sometimes, a lot of times here they have teenagers working and they really dont know anything other than what is on the tag of the tank. Dont know where they come from or what they really are.

you have been really helpful to me. Much thanks

I looked both these up and my cichlids look like cross between both. Sigh.. Makes sence the female being orange yellow cause spike loves my daughters orange one named "Flower". And of course my 2 bblue guys one looks like one the other looks like the other. Man i sure have a mix..at least they are all roughly the same type. I just love them!


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

I would watch her, the dominant male might be picking on her/him (no way to tell gender unless you vent the fish). Try moving the decoration around or put in a few caves or two, watch for nipping, I used to keep cichlids for awhile until one of mine got so aggressive it killed all my fish including a 14inche pleco.


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ok I will. I think he is beautiful, but i want to keep my fish. I do have caves, logs and walls in my tank along with many different plants live and plastic to hide in. I am hoping to be able to keep them all here. I am new and I know angelfish are bad too for this kind of community. 

I did read if you had lots of hiding places it is possible to keep them all together. My tank is big.

Thanks for everything, my little Flower is doing great, just the one day. Thank god she wasnt sick sick. But I am watching them all. ;-)


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Just giving you a heads up in case you wake up one morning to find that youre big tank only has 5 fish in it, also how big is the tank?


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

I think its 55 gallons. Its 16inch/19inch/36inches. I have a lot of caves, logs, live and plastic plants and tall walls that provide a lot of cover and hiding places. I have pics in the photo section.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

I saw its a beautiful tank... still though it just depends on your cichlids, I had oscars with small tetras and nothing happend... Best of luck keep us posted


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

Once my pandas started to play dead I knew it was time to choose. I did give away my cichlids and am keeping the rest. We shall see how things go. It was a hard choice because those cichlids are so beautiful. darn.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

sorry to hear that... Well you have a good set up, you can get some rams (also cichlids) rams look great but are really docile


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I really like to see those fish in 4' (the 18" depth is better than 12") or longer tank eventually as they will often get meaner as they get older and bigger. Lots of hiding places will help. And by lots, I mean lots, tanks full of rocks, piles of cut pvc, those hollow 'cichlid stones' etc. Have a hospital plan for emergencies (I would keep an empty 5-15 gallon tank on hand and have an extra sponge filter going in the big tank that I could move with an injured fish). 

I still don't know what your 'black and white' fish is. Does it have horizontal stripes?


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

This is him


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Ok, so Spike is a pindani. He will be meaner than the rest. Do you a pic of the blue ones? My first guess would be blue zebra. The same fish as the red zebra.


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

This is one of them, the other one has the vertical stripes.


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## Apple8 (Jan 9, 2011)

The orange one doesnt like spike cause he bugs her too much, right now she is with the one with stripes and is fine. When all together spike is king but the blue not striped one goes after everyone nipping bad. So now spike and him are together and so far its evened the odds. I have someone who would like them, but I dont think all 4 should stay together. Thinking of keeping them separate to keep them happy.


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