Hi Mandy. Welcome to the boards.

I'm so jealous you have a jack dempsey. I just love them! Sadly, I have no room. Anyways, it sounds like your convict may have a slight case of swim bladder disorder. How often have you been feeding them? I think convicts can live for around 10 years (like jack dempseys), but I'm not completely sure. I will try to ask my cichlid expert. Perhaps the convict has always had to pump harder on one side or the other. You can try giving him frozen peas (the kind you would eat), maybe just like 3. Your ammonia is high though, so it could be a combination of things working against him. Cichlids are quite hardy fish in general, but you may want to do another 10% change perhaps one today and one in like 4 days. The feeder fish do add to the ammonia levels while they are still living, as well as any left over pieces (if there are any) contribute as well.

Fish should be fed once a day maximum. If you feed them more than that they can develop swim bladder disorder which is a fancy way of saying they're constipated. Basically food backs up in their digestive system (more specificially their intestine) which is jam packed next to their swim bladder.

Try the peas and keep me posted.
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Phishie
Site Coordinator

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

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