Sick Flowerhorn

Question
I have a Flower Horn (which i guess is also a cichlid species) who was completely normal until 2 days back.
He was the most active fish ive ever seen. He always followed my finger and always knows when someone's watching him....so tries do something funny.


Small white specks started appearing on the tank glass......when looking at them closer they tend to move(some sorta worms i guess).
Did water change yesterday and cleaned some of those worms out


So the main issue here is .......my Flower Horn, has completely lost all interest in food and does not responed to any of my hand gestures(like he used to). He is slimming down by the day (that scares me big time.) Instead the only thing he does is have a slow movement and takes pauses at certain areas in the tank. Sometimes rests at the bottom......which he never did before.

Could someone pls let me know whats goin on and urgently in need of a solution before something bad happens.

Thanx

Answer
Hi Ariane;

It sounds like something with the water quality or chemistry. Have the water tested for the levels of the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. PH is okay in a range of 6.5 to 8.0. Ammonia and nitrite should be "zero". Nitrate should be below 40 ppm. Anything abnormal can be helped by doing a simple partial water change, and continuing to do that at least once a week. Every tank needs a 25% water change once a week anyway. Yours may need it more often for a little while if there is a problem. Just don't replace more than 25% at a time so your fish doesn't go into shock.

You didn't mention the size of the tank, size of the fish, how long it's been set up, etc. That information is very important in giving me clues as to what the root of the problem could be.

The little worms are harmless to your fish but they are a sign of overfeeding. They thrive on excess waste. Once the excess waste is gone, they fade away. Cut back on food and clean your tank weekly with a gravel vac to starve the little critters out. The worms will not harm your fish but the cause for their appearing in your tank is very harmful...excess waste that pollutes the water and makes your fish sick. You may see more of them at first but it's only because they are out more trying harder to find food and it's going away. (They usually hide during the day and come out at night in the dark.) They will decrease in numbers very soon as you cut their food source back.

I hope your fish feels better soon.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins