need help with fish laying on bottom tank?

Question

i have a 55 gallon tank i have 3 african cichlids 1 alge eater they have all been at very bottom of tank will not move hardly even when i feed them i keep my water at 80 degrees every thing test right but someone threw a couple of pennies in my tank ive taken tghem out cause i heard copper kills fish well if anyone could help me let me know if this is normal behavior or are they dying thanks

Answer 1

Dustin,

A little additional info here would be helpful. The penny probably would have had to been in there quite awhile before any exposure would have done any damage. Copper pennies are zinc coated for one, and by the time it'd take for the water to seep in and oxidize with the actual copper itself, it'd have to be in there many months. Also copper is actually more deadly first to the plants then the fish. I ain't saying to just go feed copper to the fish, but plants would be more my worry then the fish when it comes to copper. I had to dose my tank with a copper sulfate treatment a couple months ago to kill off a parasite, and my plants are still recovering from that.

Being on the bottom and hardly moving, I'm not greatly concerned at this point as long as the water parameters are cleared. But when you tested, what exactly did you test? Checking your ammonia and nitrites are the first two things I'd check. Take a peek at your nitrates too while you're at it. Very long outside shot here, but you're ph, just check it to see if it is what it was when you first set the tank up. MAYBE there's been a big enough shift to stress them. If they are not discolored, or showing marks on thier body, that's a good sign. It could be you don't have enough caves and rocks for them to be comfortable. Being they are cichilds, territory is an issue with them sometimes. Keep watching for now and keep in mind, lack of appetite and sluggishness is a couple signs of high nitrite exposure.

JV

Answer 2

Yes, pennies will kill fish (though here they aren't made of copper anymore). What kind of 'Africans' are these, you've described a group of fish that can vary immensely in every way.

Do you have lots of hiding spots for them? Are you feeding the the right diet (some 'African cichlids' are herbivores - are yours?) Is your PH alkaline, or at the very least neutral? Is the water free of toxins (ammonia and nitrite)? Are they the type that should be kept in more crowded conditions (many are)?

I'd need to know what kind of fish you have to be of any real help, but I can assure you almost any African is endlessly active and should not be lethargic.

Lower your temperature a bit - I know this isn't the problem, but the African rift lakes actually sit closer to about 75, so you may as well.

Answer 3

It might be normal for a pair guarding eggs, but it's not normal for all four fish to be doing this, or not coming to eat right away.

What water tests are you doing? High ammonia and nitrite will cause this behavior, especially if the tank is less than 2 months old, or you've recently used antibiotics in your tank. High nitrate or low pH can cause this as well as gill parasites.

If you're using test strips, these aren't known to be highly accurate, and they can start to go bad if exposed to too much moisture (including humidity) or if they're handled incorrectly. Liquid reagent kits are better, but the chemicals are only good for 4-5 years. If in doubt, try a 25% water change to see if this helps.

Answer 4

that happened to me one time, they got over it in about a week and then went back to normal, be sure that ur giving them enough food and the water is at good temprature

Answer 5

theyre prolly dying