After 10 yrs of having and enjoying blood parrots I have something wrong with my 2 that are in a 75 gallon tank.
They are in a Tank with 2 other fish (bumble bee's and one pelco.
These 2 blood parrots i have had for a little over a yr and they are approx 6-8" in size each.
They rule the tank they are in. Or they did till 2 weeks ago when I added the small bumblebee. (2"). He has taken over the blood parrots caves, and rocks they play and sleep in daily and this is when the problem started.
Of these 2 parrots one is solid orange, and the other is orange with a blk back and black tail.
The one with the black back and tail has always selpt upside down. I used to think it was just her personality, I have another real large one in a different tank who does the same thing once in a while. So I thought nothing of it.
After adding this bumble bee who came out of a 250 gallon tank, cuz he was being a jerk and terrorizing my sharks, (who was, is healthy and nothing wrong with my big tank) to the 75 gallon the one started sleeping upside down, up in the far corner. She eats but not like she used to, sh has gotten very pale, I have tried a couple different things inculding wter changes and nothing.
No better no worse. But this morning my other parrot in there the solid orange one has black spots about the size of peas all over his sides.
This is just this morning? What do I do?
I recently changed their big rocks to a crushed shell rock mixture.
The big rocks appeared to be bothering, upsetting them as they like to dig and they couldn't move the big rocks around and they were there in one spot day in day out trying to move these rocks, so I switched the rocks so they coud dig a bit as they seem to enjoy doing that.
This is also a new (used tank). I bleached it and went thru alot of making sure it was safe before I moved the fish into it. I used there filters off of there old tank, the rocks, and I cycled the tank with 5 goldfish for 2 weeks just to make sure it was safe first. Nothing else in the tank but there rocks was used.
I am running 2 auqa clear 110's on the tank. I keep the heat at 82 usally but I did turn down a hair cuz The hood has reef lighting set up on it and it gets pretty darn hot in a short time. I recently added 2 small fans and that really helps but I have yet to turn the heat back up.
So what am I treating for? Black spot? Or what?
How much salt goes in the tank? Do I use the epson salt or just get the salt they sell at the fish store?
Water cchange? 25%, 50%?
Meds?
I just noticed that my other bumblebee charlie whos about 8" in size has been very pale since last night and he didn't eat last night.
Oh I recently added blood worms to their diet. Good.. Bad???
They have the cichlid gold pellets, alge chips, and sometimes the granules. and shimp pellets daily.
So any help would be appreiated.
Thanks, Paige
Comments
stress?
sounds like they might b stressed, how are they today? I had a few affricans with mine for a few mo. and all was fine. but that changed over night and they had so be removed. it took over a month for my bps(starburst,frank,pumpkin,cupid) to get back to them selves. you can put in some salt but I would stay away from chemicals if you can and keep doing small water changes, remember to readd proper amont of salt for the water you add.
Howe are the fish doing today. I will check back in at my dinner break if I can other wise when i get home tonight.
mike
update: 9:03 am
I did a 1/4 water change, removed the new bumblebee and put him in a 45 gallon to himself. I broke up 4-5 alge disks and put them in for the blood parrets and charlie, and I turned the heat back up, to 84 I set it on. I had forgot to turn it back up after installing the 2 fans on the lights to keep the light temps down. I also put some cure all in the tank, removed all the carbon from the filters and the white bio (I forget what they call them). I cleaned out one filter but put back in the same sponge. I partially cleaned the 2nd one, wanted some bateria in there, I also quickly vacumed the gravel, and I added a 3rd filter, a internal one good up to 30 gallons, figured it couldn't hurt.
Then I sat down and watched.
My orange BP discovered there cave empty and hung out for a few then she went up to the top and nugged her buddy the other BP, till she got her to go down into the cave. But as I was watching closely I could see she wasn't able to hold herself upright. And she used to do fine.
She does have a big fat belly always had.. These guys were a rescuse when I got them, and I tried to keep them in my big tank with my 2 big ones but one of my big ones and the orange one fought all night long so I put them in a tank alone, which they quickly outgrew, and I had no wheres to put them but in with charlie. That got crowed fast so I purchased the 75 gallon for them.
Does No one have any ideas? I haven't seen any replies, and I've truly never had a sick blood parrot before. My first one died in 05 after owning her for nearly 9 yrs. and she never got sick just woke up one day and she was dead. I forgot to mention the orange BP has what looks like a white spot on her head but it looks like a piece of cotton not like the hole in the head looks. and it has gotten smaller. I sure could use some advise here as I really don't want to loose any of these fish not to mention charlie who I got in a 5 gallon hex tank while I was very sick in the hospital for a extented period of time, he's my pal I guess u could say..He comes out when I talk to him, takes alge chips from my hand and i would just hate to loose him, but I really have no wheres to move him cuz he is a meat eater when it comes to smaller fish.. I seen him open his mouth after that little BB and it must have opened 2" big, that little BB learned to get into small hiding places fast. I really didn't think he would live this long but he has, . Anyways I have to go out to the barn now, I left my top off of the 75 gllon, later today I may do another water change.. I need to buy some salt.