Experience with GBR's please weigh in

beetlebz

Do you have a reason to suspect parasites other than odd behavior?

GwenInNM

I read that spitting out food can be a symptom if this. I fed them live bloodworms, and now I'm completely paranoid. The female, in hindsite, I noticed never grew from when I got her (just figured females are smaller than males), and this is my best guess of a possibility. Saw the male spit out food yesterday. He also was frantically swimming last night, and isn't now. Water parameters are 0 across the board.

I wish I knew for sure, but with one dead Cardinal (and I've seen a few with big bellies, just thought they were fat), and I once say the male rub on the sand, but never saw ich, figure I'm going with this best guess.

Happily, the fish are showing no signs of problems with the meds, and it does not effect live plants, so I'm trying it. I hope it doesn't harm my ammano shrimp, but the packaging doesn't say anything about inverts.

Do you have any ideas beyond mine?

Gwen

Byron

I don't weigh in on health issues because I have very little knowledge or experience. I would just say that all of these "symptoms" in and of themselves are not indicators of any issue per say. Fish frequently take in food, chew it, spit out some or all, take it back in, sometimes spit it out completely--who knows why. And cichlids are frequent at doing this.

Bloodworms should only be fed once or twice a week, as a treat. They are very high in protein (if I've got that right) and fats but little else.

Water params sound fine to me. Cardinals like rams are not the hardiest of fish. Many aquarists cannot keep them past a year or two, though this is usually from inappropriate water parameters. They will live ten years, but I'll bet no member here (including me) has ever had this occur. I've had them last for 8 years.

All this doesn't mean something isn't wrong, and you may have caught it. Just offering general cautions for everyone. When I have a fish die, which happens, I try not to jump to conclusions.