NEED SOME HELP FOR MY MOM ON African Cichlids

[Goingpoor]

OK SO MY MOM DECIDED TO GET THIS FISH THAT ALREADY HAD SOMTHING WRONG WITH IT SO SHE COULD TRY AND FIX HIM ..LOL...SHE FELT BAD FOR THE FISH AND WONTS ME TO FIND OUT how to treat it ; )..THESE ARE THE PICTURES AND WHAT SHE WROTE ME..

Get on forum and find out if anyone knows what it is, get on cichlid forum, cant stay submerged, back stays out of water and his dirsol fin look like its melted . Iam treating it with bakto tabs and melafix that I pour on his back daily. See if anyone has any suggestions for me!!!!! Please you are good at it thanks mom
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Im going to try to find something out about this on the web but she said she has already looked and couldnt find anything i really dont wont to find a forum about cichlids to join so hopefully someone on here can help me : )

[Gilraen Took]

Probably swim bladder problems. Try putting aquarium salt in the water(don't remember the concentration off hand, sorry. should have it on the box) or epsom salts. The fin is probably torn up because it's been out of the water. Don't feed him for a few days and then after that few days give him blanched peas. SHOULD clear up any constipation with that.

Also, you should find at least a profile for him. They've got really varying needs depending on species. Some are carnivores, and others are herbivores, and most of them need salted water, plus different ph than most freshwater fish do.

[b16drag]

I believe its a frontosa. When they get that big they usually go for BIG money. Not exactly sure whats wrong with it, but my money is on the swim bladder as well..

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/c_frontosa.php

[aquawolf]

I don't know if it would help at all or not, but they do sell Cichlid Lake Salt that is supposed to buffer the water to the conditions that they require. Hopefully someone else will chime in that knows much more about Cichlid diseases for you.

[b16drag]

Decided to do some reading...

I think this thread will help you. Includes a nice video too...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...a_floating.php

[Jesstheveg]

Definitely check out the link posted above! I just lost a fish to it a couple weeks ago and couldn't figure out what was going on until after the fact. It lost most of its colour from the stress of the situation, started hanging around at the surface of the water. For a while, I told myself it might not be anything too serious because he was still eating quite a bit. I thought maybe he was just being picked on which caused him to take respite at the top of the tank.

Putting suspended screen in the water seems to be a popular way of fixing this and it makes sense that it would work. Good luck to your mom

[Goingpoor]

thank you all for your help..she is treating the tank with epsion salt now fro 3 days and hes looking better and not floating as much..