Hello all...
Looking for some advice/info on why I had to euthanize my 2" Electric Blue Acara today.
Setup,etc: 110g w/ Eheim2017 cannister + Aquaclear110 + internal polisher w/powerhead.
50-60% weekly water changes + polisher floss change, weekly. Nitrates 5ppm..Ammonia 0...Ph 7.4 Temp 78F
Mixed malawi african/s.american + 4 plecos + 2 yoyo loach... 19 total fish. Majority of fish have been in this tank for 5+ yrs.
Fed once daily with Aquacarium veggie flake + occasional NLS sinking pellets. Occasional cucumber slice for plecos &
two severum.
Purchased the EB Acara on March 4th...adapted quickly, very active and wasn't picked on. Perfectly normal behavior, full fins and normal appetite up until 6 days ago when he stopped eating and stopped interacting. No clamped fins or heavy breathing...no flashing or visible sign of disease or bloating, just isolated behavior. (This began approx. 2 days after a water change). All other fish in tank appear to be healthy and acting normally. Dosed the tank with 1.5 teaspoon dissolved epsom salt the day after noticing the behavior. No change in behavior or sign of feces, but looked hungry...still no interest in eating. Began showing some difficulty staying in place and breathing last night. Woke up this morning and he was semi-drifting around the tank unable to swim and my small flowerhorn was going after him pretty aggressively.. Euthanized by placing him in small cup of ice water for 5 min.
This is the SECOND Electric Blue Acara I've lost this way in the last 6 mos. No other health/behavior problems with any of the other fish (yet?) to speak of.
Any clues as to why this happened..twice with this species? Is this an early indication of a developing problem within the tank or filter system? I've successfully kept and bred cichlids for decades, but these were my first experiences with E.Blue Acaras. Would love to keep one of these into large adulthood.
Any feedback would be appreciated. Cheers.
