sick jewel cichlid

Question
QUESTION: I have a beautiful red jewel cichlid. I have a 120 gallon tank. I had a high nitrate problem that arose from feeder guppies. I have since corrected the nitrate problem by dilution. I changed both canister filters. Tank water is clear and chemistry tests ok. My jewel had since been hiding and not eating. His mate passed away today and he was out of hiding. His "lips" have become very swollen and I have noticed a white "wormy" looking object on the upper left corner of his mouth. Can you please advise me as to what this is and how to treat before I lose him too?

ANSWER: Hi Jeanette,

Get rid of the canisters.  They're nitrate factories. That's my very first advice.

Second, increase heat to 80F.

Recheck water parameters.  I would be willing to bet they're bad again.

White wormy thing could be mouth rot.  Let's take the fish OUT and put him into a hospital tank and heat it to 80F.

Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of marine salt per gallon to that hospital tank.

Filter it...make sure he has a good filter.

Watch him closely.  After 5 days, you can return him home.  The fungus will be gone off the mouth.

I certainly hope you email back with any further questions.

Happy fish-keeping,

Renee

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So, what filtration system do you recommend? What makes the canister a nitrate factory? I was told it was best filter ( it was certainly the most expensive)....

Answer
Hi Jeanette,

I answer this question about 20 times a week.  

What makes them a nitrate factory is that is how they are designed to work.  They are always misrepresented by store personnel and sometimes by the manufacturer themselves.  They always claim they don't need cleaned more than every 3 months.  The fact is, they need cleaned MONTHLY.

The way a canister filter works is brilliant and it is the most efficient filter there is, if everyone followed proper fish-keeping, proper feeding and proper water changing habits, but nobody does it.  So, the filters are notorious for feeding the very poop they filter right back into the tank and the poor fish end up swimming in poop soup.

How do they work?  They suck the poopy water from a fish tank through a lot of media trays inside.  In those trays, bacteria forms.  That bacteria is what is called Nutrificial Bacteria.  It breaks waste down and it uses chemicals formed by the poop to reproduce.  All this is THE best way to filter, at first.

Then, with time, the poop keeps filling up and up and up, and the nitrates rise, and ammonia begins to form.  There are a ton of bacteria, and they just fly back into the tank...and into the water.

You won't see it, but your fish will be sick constantly, the water cloudy at times, the water will smell, have a yellowish tinge, and etc.  All this is a very, very bad sign.

Fish at the top are the first sign in most cases.  They are usually being poisoned by the nitrates feeding back into the tank, which cause ammonia.  Ammonia causes death, brisk breathing and burns on the skin.

With your fish, he's got mouth rot.  He should be treated separate from the rest of the fish with salt in the water.  

Long story short, if you keep your canister filter, more power to you but please increase cleaning habits, as the manufacturers are not honest regarding the cleaning necessity of these filters.

Happy fish-keeping.

Renee