hop2jr

Hi all. I have a 35gal planted african cichlid tank. had 7 fish but I lost 2 to unknow illness. Water checked out fine o ammonia, 0 nitrites, and under 10 nitates pH 7.4. did 2 water changes since then and now my Acei is showing signs of fin rot and is doing tail stands with no signs of ICH. Then last night my Livingstoni started freaking out tail stands rubbing the sand and jumping out of the tank an hitting the glass top of the tank. dosed the tank with Mardel Brand Maracyn first day Acei stopped tail stands but Livingstoni still freaking out. I know the ph is alittle low and going to add some Barnacles to rise it up to 7.6 7.8. Is there anything else I can do?Would a drop in temp from 76-78F to 74F cause this? (Heater quit working, went i caught it it was 74f for I think 1 day).

Shawnie

oh no!!!!!! sorry for your losses
sounds like a combo of things...the lower ph of course and temp shock....as well as maybe them fighting in that size tank? africans are just notorious for agressive fish...
make sure you raise the ph slowly..you dont want to stress them anymore....and keep a close eye on the cycle as most meds will kill it...whats the ph in your tap?

hop2jr

PH from tap is 7.6 to 7.8. The first 2 I think was a fighting issue but I don't want to lose my 2 favorite fish.

Shawnie

with the higher tap ph, a couple of small water changes should help allot..crushed coral in the tank to add to the stability as well....dont do large ones tho..id do 2 20% changes a day with the prime added...good luck!

hop2jr

Thanks Shawie. Should I do water change while I'm dosing the Maracyn or wait till the 5 day treatment is over? 3 more days to go with that today is the second dose.

whats up with the time on the post no daylight saving at fishlore lol its 1 hour off.

Shawnie

hopefully some other members will help with the maracyn..im not a medicine fan whatsoever and never have used them so cant suggest what to do.most issues can be fixed with more natural means (water changes , prime, fresh garlic juices etc) but in the meantime, get that crushed coral in there asap as that takes time to regulate the ph...again, im not a med person but if it were me, id do the parital changes to try to deal with the ph issue and regulate the temps at the same time..fin rot from fighting or other means, can be fixed with proper water changes , stress coat, and some fresh garlic in their diet.. so hope a maracyn user comes along with help!

hop2jr

Thanks again. I'm not a med or chem fan either.

hop2jr

Ohh how much crushed coral should I add for a 38gal tank?

Shawnie

Id add one 20lb bag.....I have 60lbs in my 75g...good luck !

btate617

If your PH is 7.6 from the tap and only going down to 7.4 I wouldn't worry to much. You can add crushed coral like Shawnie said but your concern about the PH being too low for your Africans really isn't an issue. Those fish are so far removed from what PH they should be at, keeping them at 7.4 really isn't an issue. Now if your PH dropped say a full pont, 7.6 down to 6.6, then I would be concerned as it will move around too much at every water change. But .2 isn't a big concern IMO.

Your tank size will be an issue though, in case you don't know take your Livingstoni for example, can get up to about 7-8". Just something else to think about.

Brian

hop2jr

Ya I've read up on everyone I own and have a 75gal tank in mind for the future it will take a few years to get them there. Right now I don't think he's going to make it keeps on going crazy and jumping up into the glass top.

PetCentralNotObsessed

Sorry for the loss of your 2 cichlids. I recently lost one and have another one struggling. I know you worry about them and feel stress. When I do use meds or treatments, I continue on water change schedules, adding the appropriate % of the medication to the new water in the bucket.

I'm new to this site, so sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but you may have to temporarily remove charcoal in filters while treating (if package directions state) or it will filter the med right out. Also, I'm not familiar with Maracyn, but if it has antibiotic properties, keep in mind that it can kill the bacteria in your biological filter along with the bacteria you are trying to kill. I have temporarily removed the bio-wheels (keep them in a bucket, they have to stay wet or damp) when using a treatment that kills bacteria.

Good luck! I hope your favorite fish get well.