Strange Cichlid Problem

[LisaTheWhiteWolf]

I recently bought a eureka red african peacock cichlid, but I discovered that he has issues swallowing his food. Even the soilent green repashy I tried has to be chewed for quite a while before he gets it down. He tries to eat the peewee cichlid Xtreme, but just ends up spitting it back out after several seconds. None of the other cichlids in quarantine with him are doing that. I looked in his mouth, but nothing was obviously wrong (though I haven't really done that with a healthy one, so I have no frame of reference.) Any ideas on what might be causing that and what I might do about it? I've been target-feeding him, but he's pretty slim. The quarantine is well cycled, 0 ammonia and nitrite, I got him last weekend, and it seems he had this problem before he came to me. He seems to be the low guy on the totem pole, if that might tell you anything. I don't think I have a KH test, but pH is 7.8.

Edited December 23, 2021 by LisaTheWhiteWolf
Added information

[Colu]

If he's spitting out food and losing weight it could be internal parasites

[quikv6]

I don't know Cichlids, but apparently they do get wasting disease/sunken belly, which sounds like a possibility, as Colu said.

The recommended treatments are Levamisole (Expel-P) or Flubendazole. With spitting, I have had better luck with flubendazole, personally. Levamisole is great in the food, if they are eating. Just my experience.