Please help me sick green severum

**Nikkijas** · 02-03-2018, 04:01 AM

Hello,
Can anyone please help me? My Severum was fine when I left today, I came home 7 hours later and he is acting like he is going to die. Looking up and seems to be breathing a little hard. He is in a 29 gallon with a fire mouth who seems fine. He is about 4” long and the fire mouth is about 2”. I check the water ASAP. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20, ph 7.2.
I have a gravel substrate but this tank is just to house him until my LFS delivers and sets my 210 gallon tank. He will not be in there long. I have had him for 3 weeks. The only thing that I thought was strange was he always hid. The LFS said he was just getting used to his environment. I fed him live black worms last night and before I left today I put in a few pieces of a medium raw shrimp. I removed it when I got home. I saw the fire mouth eating it before I left. Temp is 79 and I have an aquaclear 70 and a sponge filter. I have been putting some extra bags of media in the tank for the new tank.
PLEASE HELP ME WITH NY NEW BABY

**Nikkijas** · 02-03-2018, 04:04 AM

CD94CFE8-9EDB-40CB-B3DB-7266E5A02EF8.jpg CD94CFE8-9EDB-40CB-B3DB-7266E5A02EF8.jpg CD94CFE8-9EDB-40CB-B3DB-7266E5A02EF8.jpg

**Nikkijas** · 02-03-2018, 04:09 AM

0F58B3D6-5B0F-4881-A27F-135E13AD98F3.jpg 9DEAFDCD-D17D-4BE2-8B3C-1117D718060E.jpg

**Nikkijas** · 02-03-2018, 03:36 PM

He is still hanging on this morning! Please help, I want to help him

**Slaphppy7** · 02-03-2018, 03:40 PM

What test kit do you use?

How often do you perform water changes?...what water conditioner do you use?

I know nothing about cichlids, any chance the fire mouth is harassing him?...they are the only fish in the tank?

**Rocksor** · 02-03-2018, 05:38 PM

He has battle scars from the firemouth. The firemouth owns the whole tank.

**Slaphppy7** · 02-03-2018, 05:49 PM

That's what I was afraid of.

**Nikkijas** · 02-03-2018, 05:55 PM

Ok I would totally agree it would be the fire mouth but why have I never seen it and why does the firemouth act like he is scared of the severum? I will send a picture of them. I use an API master test kit. They are still small so they are in a 29gallon alone. I do a 50% water change every week. I use prime for a water conditioner and I am on a natural spring well. When I test my water it is 0 across the board. I just fed some black worms and he ate as he normally does.