I have this mated pair of cichlids that I’ve had for several years now. I think that I got them when Mary and I were living together on Delmar, so January of 2004, but it might have been earlier. The female has gradually lost the use of her air bladder, just since school let out, and so she is spending more and more time on the bottom of the tank, increasingly on her side. I am facing fish euthanasia issues. She is obviously dieing, but is still strong enough to right herself and eat whenever I feed them. It is very sad to watch. The male hovers around and tries to help right her. He literally noses her into an upright position and digs sand out of her nesting area. There isn’t really anything we can do other than try and make her more comfortable.