Urgent! Leopard ctenopoma lying on its side

**OddFishKeeper** · 03-07-2012, 07:15 PM

I looked in my tank and found my largest leopard ctenopoma (of 5 months) lying on it side. It still draws breath but doesn't move. It seems to have difficulty breathing. It manages to upright itself from time to time. I did a water change, anything else I can do? I first found him upside-down pinned by some plants. I really don't want to lose this fish.

**OddFishKeeper** · 03-07-2012, 07:42 PM

Update: He managed to swim to the surface where he took a gulp then crashed back to the bottom. From the looks of it he is trying to swim, but appears heavy ...?

**smaug** · 03-07-2012, 08:32 PM

We need much more info about the tank. Gallons,tankmates,temp parameter readings and what do you feed him.

**OddFishKeeper** · 03-08-2012, 12:45 AM

55 Gallon
6 Fish: 4 ctenopoma, 1 angel, 1 dwarf pleco
78 degrees
0 amnoia
0 nitrate
neutral ph
I feed them on forzen/freeze dried bloodowrms, and guppies I grow.

**smaug** · 03-08-2012, 10:01 AM

The only issue I see is there food. If what you stated are there only foods then there will be some serious gaps in all your fishes nutritional needs. My bush fish gets very few live feeds and is fed mostly on hikari pellets. I don't think that is ultimatly what is wrong with your fish but it would be beneficial to start feding better foods and forget the live feedings except for just a few times a year.

**OddFishKeeper** · 03-08-2012, 06:19 PM

Oh wow, a few times a year, I was averaging once a week. Sadly, my fish passed away last night. Strange, how my largest of the four and seemingly healthiest was the one who died. What are the nutritional facts on the hikari pellets I'd like to compare them to my foods.

**smaug** · 03-08-2012, 06:30 PM

Go to hikaris web site. I feed mine on cichlid gold pellets [he is tankmate with blood parrots] and hikari carnivore pellets. You state you feed bloodworms and feeders,there is very little nutrient value to either. Even heavily predatios fish don't actually need live food,if it will eat good pellets then feed it that. Sorry about your loss,I would hate to lose mine he is about 3 yrs old and bigger then my hand.

**nikelodeon79** · 03-08-2012, 08:01 PM

Freeze dried foods are generally very, very low in nutrient content and can lead to constipation and bloat.

Sorry about your fish!

**DeadSulphurhead** · 03-09-2012, 02:28 AM

I've had my Spotted Climbing perch (Leopard Cteno.) in my Malawi tank for around a year now, so they have the same diet as everything else in the tank.
I only feed frozen meats like brine shrimp or blood worms once a week. The Archer fish gets crickets a few times a week, but nothing else cares for them.

So my Cteno. have been healthy for a while on a staple diet of spirulina flake, mixed with high quality cichlid crisps and pellets. I also see them now and then pecking at the algae tabs I put in for the omnivores and herbivores in there.

I mainly don't feed a bit more protein because of the yellow labs. They don't understand they should only be algae grazing lol

**OddFishKeeper** · 04-30-2012, 07:51 PM

So, I am back agian with the same issue ... I think. In the past weeks I lost my large leopard fish and then another. Both had the same symptoms. I thoguht I was going to lose another, but it has managed to survive for some time now. It had the same symptoms as the others, minus the respiration issue. The fish now spends his time sitting on the bottom all day, and only moves when there is food. The 4th leopard fish swims all over the tank. Do I just have a lazy fish, or is there something more sinister going on?