General Newbie Questions?

by **miami754** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:06 am

What are the symptoms of the Ahli at the moment? Still eating? White feces? Sluggish?

Clout is not something you can just dose once and be done with. There is a very strict regimen to go through in order for it to cure Bloat (if that is what your fish has - hence, the reason I asked the questions above).

A1 is right, loss of color is a sign of stress. What temp are you running your tank? Did you move anything over from your old tank to seed the bacteria? PH?

Is the OB being pseverely icked on? You don't have a lot of rock for the fish to hide so that is why I am asking.

Once we know more, we can help you out.

by **bigwillcast** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:55 am

The PH is high, it's always high, that's how the water is up here, somewhere between 7.8 and 8.4.

The temperature is a steady 76 degrees.

Nitrites and nitrates are at 0.

all the rock that was stacked and the fake plant, as well as the sponge filter and powerhead from the previous tank are in this tank.(as well as an additional new 600 powerhead and sponge filter) And the bubble bar.

yes, miami that is his symptoms. and the OB is one of the more agressive fish in the tank, he is def not picked on.

I think I'm just going to take the blue ahli back and it's such a shame cuz he's such a damn pretty fish. (unless you guys can come up with a way to make him quite being such a puss? He is the BIGGEST fish in the tank and from what I hear, they're supposed to be agressive. What's this guys problem?!) BUT, he is so scared and stressed in this tank that he just hides in the corner. And if he comes out, the OB makes sure he quickly goes back. Also, the OB and the ruti island seem to want to square off, stare at each other, look like they're gonna strike, then they back off. (kinda weird)

What about the following species for my tank (for the future, not now):

-Bumble Bee
-Red Top Zebra (by far a favorite of mine)
-Red Zebra
-Aulonocara Fire Fish
-Lemon Jake
-Convict
-Lawanda

by **a1k8t31524** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:56 am

i belive that convicts are new world ciclids, but o could be wrong here i am sure maiam knows better than me but if it is that is a def no. i really dont quite know about the others though. unless you are talking about a bumblee bee gobie then that is a def no..... it will just become a tasty treat for the fish.
On the ph..... from 7.8 to 8.4 is a huge difference i know that it seems small that is almost 10x more alaki( or 10x more acidic, how ever you want to think about it) than eachother, so i would suggest also trying to find a way to stabllize your Ph this could be the cause of that stress in the OB bigs swings in PH can cause stress or even death

by **miami754** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:00 am

Is the Ahli eating? If not and you want to keep him then I can give you the curing process.

It sounds (and looks) to me like you simply don't have enough hiding places in your tank. You have to break the line of sight in your tank and provide places for the others to hide. There will always be a dominant one in your tank and the others need places to hide or they will become stressed.

In terms of your fish:

-Bumble Bee - nope, too freakin mean
-Red Top Zebra (by far a favorite of mine) - yeah these would be fine
-Red Zebra - yep, these would work. The males are some of my favorite. It is hard to tell online, but if you get a male in a nice environment, he will get thie amazing blue in his fins. It is amazing.
-Aulonocara Fire Fish - I think these are peacocks. Peacocks are much less aggressive than mbunas so you generally shouldn't mix them.
-Lemon Jake - Again, I think this is a peacock so no
-Convict - This is a new world cichlid. Can't mix Africans and New Worlds
-Lawanda - I don't know anything about this guy

by **miami754** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:02 am

The pH swings are brutal on fish like A1 said. Having a somewhat constant pH is much more important than a particular value. That could very well be your problem for the OB. I also think they need more rock.

by **bigwillcast** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:02 am

the OBs color is slowing coming back. Could it be the clout? I know that clout removes the oxygen from the water, but i have a bubble bar in there. I did a 30% water change today and he seems to be doing MUCH better now.

the blue ahli is def going to have to go back. The ruti island, OB, and the white top afra are all picking on him.

by **miami754** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:09 am

Clout is powerful stuff so it could be stressing him. That's why I wanted to be 100% sure of what your Ahli had before I told you to use it.

It is fine to take the ahli back, but just know that you may find similar problems with whatever else you put in there unless you make more hiding spaces.

by **bigwillcast** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:15 am

Miami, there is a LOT of little places for them to hide. Pictures don't do justice, I bet there's atleast twenty hiding spots for 7 fish.

by **miami754** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:04 am

No, cichlids don't work that way. You can't line the bottom of your tank with twenty caves and then say there is plenty of space for them. It's not like each fish picks out a home and just lives there. The other fish can still see them. What you have to do is break their line of sight so the other fish in the tank cannot see from one side of the tank to the other. That is what I am talking about. There needs to be stacks in the corners or on one side of the tank or something where fish can get in behind them and hide. Cichlids do not generally just sit in one cave the whole time. They need areas that are blocked off from the sight of the other fish when they are hanging out. Cichlids require a lot of rock for this reason. They also prefer it because that is how they eat in nature (and they will do so in your tank after you establish a nice bed of algae on the rock. Trust me. I'm not being rude. I'm just telling it how it is. As long as you don't supply adequate rock, there will be aggression issues in the tank. If you can live with these issues then fine, but don't expect them to go away until you follow my advice.

by **bigwillcast** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:42 am

it'll have to wait until next week when I can afford more rock. I can't find this stuff for cheaper then 2.00 a lb, therefore, it needs to come slowly.

This lace rock stuff is reallyyyyyy irritating me. I know these places probably buy it for .40 a lb. I just can't find out where.

General Newbie Questions?

176 posts • Page 14 of 18

General Newbie Questions?

176 posts • Page 14 of 18