Heckel came down with a cold

Hi Yah!

I am kinda new to this thread. Pics are
forthcoming. I have been following the
topic regarding Heckels and have set
up a biotope similar to the information
I found here. I have 5 Heckels in a 60
gallon tank with driftwood and white sand.
I have had these Heckels for about two
months. That have recently broken their
shyness and have come out for food.
One Heckel though I think has gotten a cold.
He or she is not really interested in swimming
or eating. And he huddles in the top corner
starring at the side wall. What can I do
to perk him up and get rid of this cold?
I was thinking about adding some salt.
Should I quarantine him and use some
meds for caution? Or should I just
wait it out and see if he gets over it?

Thanks

Jeff

O.K.

I guess I'll have to reply to my own message,
that I posted a week ago. Obviously my fish
don't have a cold. Fish don't get colds.
But I was hoping to get some feedback on
why my fish is huddling in the corner.
Is he sick or is he still adjusting to the
new aquarium life and settling in on the
pecking order. My concern is that he
is showing darker colors and I want to
take precautions. I read here that it
could take up to six months for them
to settle in to their environment.

Hi If you've read from a reliable poster that heckels take a long time to settle in then that's probably what's going on.

Having said that it may be a fluke problem, or possibly hex.... any flashing or white feces. It's really hard to say why a fish is being lethargic

Thanks Graham,

I have followed a lot of your posts.
No, no white feces, or dashing.
I have been reading about their
behavior while eating. I am
concerned. They certainly don't
attack the frozen bloodworms
as soon as I dump them in. It's
a funny thing, they start eating
when I walk away or out of the
room. Very interesting behavior when
it comes to eating. I gave them
some live worms to get them
more interested in eating. I know
it's going to take awhile. They
are not in their natural habitat.

Hello Wannafish,

Can you give some more details like water params, lighting set up, tankmates etc. Photos aswell.

Dan

Hello,

There have been some changes for the better.
I am going to move my tank, so waiting to do
pictures then. I think the fish that was in the
corner, was picking out his territory. He has
snuggled underneath a powerhead near an
amazon sword. Also with the current of the
flow of water the food settles in that corner.
I think he is the dominant male, and he makes
sure nobody comes in that corner. I added
a netted feeder to the tank to hold the frozen
worms, ( like the one that Larry(Apistomeister),
demonstrated on how to feed frozen worms.
Don't have the link. And it works really well.
I have noticed that the Heckels like to retrieve
floating food, so this might be why they feed from
the netted bag. The three remaining fish really
don't get a chance to sift through the sand when
the food sits in the one corner. They are settling
down more to eat food. And getting their fare share.

jeff

Heckels do take a little longer to settle compared to domestics. They are also somewhat shy. So give them some time to settle in. As Graham suggested if they are not flashing and no stringy white poo. Then they are healthy. Be patient and they will come around.

Jeff,

in my limited experience with discus I have found that every time I had 5 fish or less in a tank, one or two of them would take over and the others do not do well. I have had some very nice greens for two years and this has been a problem ever since I got them. The dominant pair are beautiful but the others are stressed.

So when I started up my 120 gallon heckel tank I decided to take another tack. I got 11 fish ( and would have got more if I could have ). This could become a bit tight when they grow up but for now the fish have settled in without the hierarchy becoming a major issue. Three fish have already staked out parts of the tank but there are so many fish left to school that they feel secure and no one fish can be picked on for too long.

I do not know if your problem has anything to do with this but if you think they are healthy, the water is good and they are eating well you could think of adding a few more fish. Your 55 gallon can handle it until they grow especially if you have good filtration. The fish behave more naturally in larger groups and the stress levels seem to reduce.

Aaron

Thanks Aaron,

This makes sense. From what I have read in
these posts and most of what Larry writes,
Heckels do a lot better in crowded
situations. They socialize better. I am just
guessing here, but maybe there is more
jostling for dominance between the
aggressive males in the pack,
and it creates more rivalry in the
pecking order. Not one male
becomes dominant, because there
are more than one other male
to compete with.