Parrot Cichlids: Spinal Curvature

Q: My parrot cichlid fish has been sinking or lying sideways at the bottom of the tank for the past month. Each time I feed it, it would swim up for food but afterward sink back to the bottom. Otherwise, it looks healthy to me. What is the problem?

It seems like your parrot cichlid fish has a swim bladder problem. If the swim bladder is not functioning, the fish will have buoyancy problems and not be able to swim properly. It will then have to make huge efforts to reach for food at the surface, and then sink back down.

This dysfunction can be a result of an infection or developmental anomaly. Since your fish shows no signs of infection, it should be developmental problem.

Spinal curvature is common among parrot cichlids. A small percentage of parrot fish had compressed organs within the body cavity, resulting in the swim bladder being so compressed and its normal functions are affected. Sometimes, this may not be evident in small fish, but as they grow, the problem may get more pronounced.

Chances of recovery are slim. However, you can try reducing the water depth to an acceptable height so the fish can maintain some buoyancy. As your fish becomes more acclimatized, slowly increase the height of the water a little at a time until it feels comfortable and can hopefully be buoyant again.

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