# Cichlid throwing up?



## Fatfool (Apr 1, 2010)

Good day, 

I have been having a certain problem with my Cichlid (yes its just a single one in the tank) that has been throwing up its bloodworms for the last 4 days or so. It attacks them but after swallowing, it seems to chew (but it doesn't have molar teeth so I'm not sure exactly what it's doing) and then spits it out.

Pretty weird. I've doused the tank with methelyne blue and beFuran for the last 3 days but it only seems to be getting more hungry (but still doesn't swallow). I've been doing daily 20% water changes with tap water and topping up the meds after each change. Before flames come in, i'm not living in the US. I live in Singapore, a tiny Island in south east asia. The water from the tap is potable. I've been doing tap water changes all these years and this fish has always been fine with them. It can survive 100% tap water changes. I don't do it often but when the push comes to the crunch say after I'm back from a holiday and taking the fish back home after its been in my grandparent's home, I do so. Pretty hardy I tell ya!

Other than that, it looks fine externally. No bloatedness or white spots. 1 eye has what looks like a cataract though that appeared at the end of last year.

In fact, I'm not entirely sure its a Cichlid. Grey and pretty small for it's age. I got it as a fry that was about 0.75cm and it grew for 2 - 3 years till it was about 15cm long (It came alone. funny how I never expected it to last that long) . Can't quite remember when it arrived but I wasn't even a teenager back then. I'm 22 now so I'd reckon its about 10 years old. It's female.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

2 things come to mind, something stuck in its throat, or an internal parasite. A had a fish one where I had to pull out a rock with tweezers, but you can usually see that.


----------



## Fatfool (Apr 1, 2010)

well, since there aren't any rocks in the tank, I'm gonna guess it's a parasite. What would be recommended for it?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Well, medicated food, but that not likely to happen. try Prazi-pro of jungle fizz-tabs in the water and if the fish starts eating, add medicated food.


----------



## Fatfool (Apr 1, 2010)

dang.. those aren't sold here.

as for medicated food, would spiking the worms with beFuran work? (as in soaking it in solution)

on the upside, it seems the fish has eaten a little yesterday. It's excreting today too. and I found two fleshy globes (they were quite 'fresh' yesterday, they've faded today) of something in the filter. about 3mm in diameter. I've checked the fish for injuries but it doesn't seem to have originated from anywhere external. yucky!

also, should I continue with the 20% water changes daily now?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

soaking thawed worms or shrimp in drug solution works for medicating food. metronidizole is more normal for worms. I've also heard of using dog 'dewormer' for fish. Can you look at the globes under magnification? Are they balled up threads like a worm, or solid like an egg? Do you have a pic of cichlid. If she's a mouthbrooder, she may be holding her own eggs in her mouth and thats why she's not eating. Even without a male, a female may sometimes lay and carry, like a 'hysterical pregnancy' in a dog.


----------



## Fatfool (Apr 1, 2010)

Ah sorry, i meant the worms are thawed bloodworms.

as for the globes, here's a pic. they were fleshy red in the morning but they've sorta loss their colour now. I picked em' out of the filter with tweezers.








that's not algae. its just the methelyne blue breaking down in the water I think. had to use an LED torch to penetrate the cloudiness.

I prodded them and they seem to be more solid as if they're eggs. but past experience with the fish seems to suggest that she lays them in a corner, turns agressive and defends them vigorously while still eating. She eats those which float away though. I'm not sure if she even has any eggs left. her Egg tube fell away some time ago instead of the usual retraction after egg laying and she hasn't laid any eggs since.

the fish itself:

























The eye afflicted by the cataract is pretty obvious. It's other eye is still good though. The somewhat folded dorsal fin happened when it was much younger... it used to hide under a plastic bridge in a shallow tank. Ah well, it's old now.....


----------

