Hi all,

So I have a new 500l tank with a number of Cichlids and someone just isn't right!

A few had sunken bellies and the two original fish I moved to a different tank when I noticed they started getting really bloated. These are dragon's blood peacocks.

I thought this could be constipation rather than bloat so I soaked their food in epsom salt and added a little to the tank, fed them veggies for a few days and it seemed to subside.

But then I noticed a lot of the 14 fish in my main aquarium had sunken belly so straight away true to source a dewormer to add to their food, but seems you can't source anything decent in the UK!

In the end I went for Octozin and treated the whole tank for 3 days (20 tablets each day). About 6 days overall and only one loss (it was a very young fish so maybe didn't have the strength). Another is very ill and in another tank, again a very young fish, and Azureus F1 :(

Some of the fish look OK, I removed some sand, cleaned it well, did a 60% water change. However the 3 sciaenochromis still have sunken bellies, but their shape is a little different.

The dragons blood peacocks just look an odd shape to me, a little bloated with sunken belly as the same time!

Can anyone help with what to do? Is it most likely worms? I've just treated with fluke-solve which treats tapeworm but again this is straight into the tank.

They don't look right, do they? I would personally treat with Kusuri Wormer Plus which is a broad-ranging treatment that works for tapeworms, leeches, gill flukes, body flukes, and internal helminths such as roundworms, pinworms, nematodes, hydra, ick, velvet and protozoa plus a host of other pests

Hey Fishlady, thanks for that I will buy some.

Is this much different to Fluke-solve? I assume so considering the list of pests you have that it treats, but it comes up in the same search results.

I've already treated with Fluke solve and some of them seem a bit better, not sure if that's just a placebo effect if you know what I mean.

Does this product go into the tank as well or food? Would it be OK to use with flukesolve being put in a few days ago?

Thanks

This product uses a different active ingredient (Flubendazole) which kills more parasites than Flukesolve. It's dosed straight into the water and is very effective. Do a large, (50% or more) water change before using it.

Also, if you use carbon in your filter, remove it before treating as carbon will absorb medication.

Thanks, yes I have removed carbon and purigen before using any of these meds.

I will do a large water change before but can I ask what is the theory behind this?

Just to remove the previous medication before trying a different one.

Hi, I wanted to ask if worms are contagious do they sit in the water?

I'm buying a new grow out tank and was going to use a tray if media and 50% water, maybe even some sand.

Is this a bad idea?

The wormer should deal with them completely. You only really need the filter media to kickstart the cycle in a new tank - sand holds little bacteria and water virtually none.

Hi, so I've used the wormer plus and a lot of the fish seem better, no flahsing and all eating apart from two which I've now quarantined.

However the two dragons blood peacocks are very bloated, any ideas? Is this just their shape or something else

Thanks,

That one is female so may just be filling up with eggs.