Cichlid, swimming problem, pond clarifier

Question
I have had a large three-year-old cichlid and a small clown loach, two small cichlids, and two small gourami in a 44 gallon tank.  The tank got unusually murky, so I completed a 50/50 water change, but unfortunately one of the gouramis died before the job was complete. After a day, the water was not much better, so I changed the filters and added a small amount of pond clarifier.  That day, one of the small cichlids died (losing all its color), so I suspected the pond clarifier was acting as a toxin and flushed the water of the tank. However, by this point my three-yr-old cichlid was having trouble swimming and spent most of its time lying on the bottom of the tank.  I moved it to a clean bowl, while I continued working on the tank, but I didn't expect it to last the night. This morning, he is slightly better, swimming for a short bit, but then resting at (sometimes falling towards) the bottom of the tank. Please tell me if there is any way I can save this fabulous fish.


Answer
Hi Catherine,
  That is very strange.  I can't think of why a pond clarifier would be toxic but you never know.   As for the cichlid, time will tell.  I would not introduce any more chemicals into his environment.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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