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I've been unfortunate enough to gradually watch one of my C. perugiae deteriorate since yesterday afternoon. At first, I just thought it appeared a little faded, maybe because of some sort of stress or something, but I have kept an eye on him. Last night, he moved several inches from one of my PVC pipes to the base of a plant. He hasn't moved since and has only lost even more color, fading from the belly up. It also appears that its side is caved in or something. It's breathing very rapidly, but not as rapidly as yesterday. I've included a picture. I haven't taken water parameters, figuring if anyone has experienced this before, they could tell me. The others that I can see seem to be doing fine...

As of a few minutes ago:


Thanks,
Adam

Did it have a fuller belly and/or eat when you got her? It looks so skinny that I truly wonder if it's still able to keep food inside. Of course when she can't do so anymore, it's beyond repair.....
Keep a close watch over the remaining specimens.

Marc van Arc wrote:Did it have a fuller belly and/or eat when you got her? It looks so skinny that I truly wonder if it's still able to keep food inside. Of course when she can't do so anymore, it's beyond repair.....
Keep a close watch over the remaining specimens.

They all seemed pretty healthy (in terms of eating) when I got them. However, I must admit that I never saw them all feed at night. It seemed like there were always a couple missing. They all had some sort of external parasite when they arrived (as did nvcichlids' perugiae), so they were treated accordingly. The others seem to be doing well.

Is there any way I can encourage feeding here? I really have no idea what to do. I don't want to disturb her, but at the same time I should somehow try to get food to her...

Thanks, Marc.

Personally I'd focus on the healthy specimens; in other words see to it that they remain healthy. Pls note that the last thing I intend to do is cause panic. What you have is very likely a case of bad luck. This one reacted worse on the treatment than the others or perhaps it also had internal parasites, who knows? Although I understand that people want to know why a fish dies, sometimes it's better to accept that there can be various reasons. When looking at the pic I would be very surprised if it lasts for another day or two.
You could try putting some mosquito larvae in front of it and see if it eats AND keeps the food in!
Again, try to keep a close watch on the others for a couple of days. Just for reassurance. Don't blame yourself if you don't see them all; being an Auchenipterid fan myself I know that's quite impossible.
If you have any other questions or remarks, pls ask.
Good luck.

Marc van Arc wrote:Personally I'd focus on the healthy specimens; in other words see to it that they remain healthy. Pls note that the last thing I intend to do is cause panic. What you have is very likely a case of bad luck. This one reacted worse on the treatment than the others or perhaps it also had internal parasites, who knows? Although I understand that people want to know why a fish dies, sometimes it's better to accept that there can be various reasons. When looking at the pic I would be very surprised if it lasts for another day or two.
You could try putting some mosquito larvae in front of it and see if it eats AND keeps the food in!
Again, try to keep a close watch on the others for a couple of days. Just for reassurance. Don't blame yourself if you don't see them all; being an Auchenipterid fan myself I know that's quite impossible.
If you have any other questions or remarks, pls ask.
Good luck.

Thanks again for the advice. You were right on her dying soon- she already has. I will definitely keep a close eye on the others - they definitely get no shortage of food and I've been keeping up very well on all tank maintenance. I have no doubt that this was a transportation/ parasite issue. I understand that it happens- I will just work on minimizing the chances of the others developing a similar problem. Again, thank you!

Adam

I agree with Marc, that this particular specimen had an internal parasite or other disease that has been at work for some time.
I doubt there is anything you could have done differently that would have prevented this out come and I feel it is unlikely something you need to worry about affecting your remaining perugiae.