Wobbly Jack Dempsey :(

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 01:50 AM

I have a male JD who has been acting as if he has Parkinson's disease. He is between 3-4 years old. He is not interested in eating. I cannot see anything visibly wrong on the outside other than the way he swims. He does do some weird things with his mouth at times. he is by no means acting normal. He doesn't seem bloated.

We had a problem with green water for months and after trying and trying to cure it, we bought AlgaeFix, which worked like a charm. It has been over a week since we used it. I didn't notice the JD acting funny until Saturday... could the AlgaeFix be the culprit? I have done, in all, probably a 90%-100% wc trying to rid of the chemical since Saturday. My water perimeters are: pH- 7.0, Ammonia- 0, Nitrites- 0 and Nitrates- 5.0. I added new carbon filters yesterday. The tank has been established since 2006

My tank setup is a 36g bowfront with a cobalt blue cichlid and a pink kissing gourami. There is also a pleco who minds his own business. Don't yell at me yet... My JD and Kisser are soulmates and are by each other night and day- I love it!!

Does anything seem to ring a bell?? I am at a loss on what to do. Oh! I use Stress Coat when adding new water.

**Aeonflame** · 03-13-2012, 02:20 AM

36 gallons is on the small side for a JD. Your parameters are good though. I am always cautious about using algaecides in a tank with fish and that could be the cause of it. Internal parasites can also cause fish to become listless and refrain from eating.

You could try soaking the food in garlic to stimulate the fish into eating.

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 02:36 AM

Originally Posted by Aeonflame

36 gallons is on the small side for a JD. Your parameters are good though. I am always cautious about using algaecides in a tank with fish and that could be the cause of it. Internal parasites can also cause fish to become listless and refrain from eating.

You could try soaking the food in garlic to stimulate the fish into eating.

Do I need to try anything on the medicine scale? I do have Maracyn/Maracyn 2 & MelaFix on hand. Can I soak the food in minced garlic or does it need to be a certain way?

I would love a 75g tank but cost is an issue. We are transferring to Baton Rouge soon and hope to have a bigger tank once we are settled in.

**Aeonflame** · 03-13-2012, 02:42 AM

You can simply mix the food around with the minced garlic and let the juices soak in. I would try this first before medicating with the maracyn. I would suspect that the green water issues that you had were in part caused by your parameters being off, likely from the stocking. Keep up the water changes

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by Aeonflame

You can simply mix the food around with the minced garlic and let the juices soak in. I would try this first before medicating with the maracyn. I would suspect that the green water issues that you had were in part caused by your parameters being off, likely from the stocking. Keep up the water changes

Sounds easy enough to me. Will try and see what JD thinks in the AM. He is picky but likes cichlid crisps and frozen bloodworms as a treat.

The parameters are not usually bad.... ammonia & nitrites are always 0, nitrates generally stay between 10-20 ppm but never over 40. I have a feeling the green water came from me tossing some algae wafers into the tank for the pleco and I never fished out the uneaten ones.

I wish I could upload a video so you all could see how he is acting. I hate it! He can't seem to get away from himself :(

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 03:31 AM

Something else I have noticed but cannot explain it... He is still covered in his gorgeous turquoise specks, etc. but, he doesn't seem to have a shine to him. His coloring is normal with whatever mood he is in but the shiny glossy look is gone.

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 02:06 PM

I woke this morning to find our Kisser dead :( Our JD is sitting in the back corner, he's exhausted. He has a coating of some sort all over his body. I feel it may be Velvet and I also feel its too late for him.

I never thought about this but, we did buy a new Peacock cichlid from the LFS but it died after a few days. All of this started after... I think it would be inhumane to keep him suffering, he can't swim or eat.

**Aeonflame** · 03-13-2012, 02:15 PM

Im sorry to hear about your fish. If you think he's too far gone then euthanasia may be the best option.

**rnj79** · 03-13-2012, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Aeonflame

Im sorry to hear about your fish. If you think he's too far gone then euthanasia may be the best option.

I did the ice water way but it wasn't as instant as I hoped it would be. He is a gigantic fish... bigger than the net!! I feel absolutely horrible, he was our favorite guy.

Thanks for all the help. This place is great considering.