# Need help! Geos!



## default (May 28, 2011)

So I have a school of 8 geophagus surinamensis around 3" in a tank to themselves and suddenly today one started acting up. They sift sand all day, get fed small portions 2-3 times a day and they love pecking at each other, sounds jolly right?
Well one is acting strange, as they all normally hide when I walk by this one does not - and when I look at it, it just looks like it's trying to swallow something mixed with a little gasp, fish looks healthy and still tries to catch any food, but dosent sift with the others..
Any ideas or advice?


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Have you tested the water lately? what temp are you running. Have they had any parasites or gill flukes etc. What type of food do you feed?


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Tropicana said:


> Have you tested the water lately? what temp are you running. Have they had any parasites or gill flukes etc. What type of food do you feed?


I haven't tested it lately, but I've been doing water changes every 3 days, and all seems well, tanks sitting at 25-26C and they have been fed different new life spectrum pellets+garlic, hikari pellets, and omega one algae wafers.


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Everything seems fine, temp could be a tad higher 80 but that wouldn't cause this at all. I would observe him for another day, if it persists quarantine the fish. 

Try some frozen brineshrimp, maybe it will pick up some softer food.

Ive had Geos tapajos for the last year and a half, while raising there fry I had the same symptom in one fish. I noticed it was a bit smaller and obviously was not getting as much food. Anyways it seemed to be fading for a while and I moved it to a tank with my rams where is was able to graze a bit better. It eventually recovered a bit in there but as soon as I placed it back with its larger siblings it was out competed. I ended up Culling the little guy as I didn't have space for a single fish while consistently needing attention as I was breeding the rams also.

Sometimes the weak dont make it, and obviously natural selection would have taken its course and he would have starved to death with its disorder. Perhaps if I had room it could have recovered after a while. 

Anyways not sure if that helps but that was an experience I had with a geo that had the same issue.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Tropicana said:


> Everything seems fine, temp could be a tad higher 80 but that wouldn't cause this at all. I would observe him for another day, if it persists quarantine the fish.
> 
> Try some frozen brineshrimp, maybe it will pick up some softer food.
> 
> ...


Yea, that was what I was also leaning towards, but the fish looks the same size and looks just as good as the others, which makes no sense. And regarding the temp, it's in artificial winter mode  that tank reaches 82-86F in the summer, hopefully that'll trigger spawning when they're big enough.
I'll also gonna try adding frozen foods into their diets now, got tons of brine, cyclops, mysis, and bloodworms in the freezer.
Thanks for the help.


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

I dont know if you're fish are of breeding age, but maybe shes a female and is holding young in her mouth? Is the fish eating/sifting at all? I have my red hump female holding babies at the moment and she acts the same way.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

They are definitely not at breeding size, and unfortunately I found the particular fish dead amongst some wood. Body looked healthy - with a full belly, perfect fins and scales as well. This was the strangest thing.


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## Dis (Apr 16, 2010)

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it's an isolated event, good luck with the rest of your group.


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