Animal Stories - People Talking About Cichlids



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Latest Animal Stories on Cichlids (1235)

skull - 2005-11-24
i just got my angelfish. they are a little jumpy. their names are garfield (he is black with silver strips) and odie (he is sivler with black strips). i had 1 angelfish before, but it died from the stess of being moved. angelfish are really cool. garfield "brake dances" he will seee his reflection an the glass and move backward. then move forward shaking his head. it is really funny.

ryan - 2013-01-14
I just got 2 big cichlids from the adoption tank at my work (petco). The bigger one is a blue acara. And the other one I had no idea, but it was amazingly beautiful. I went to a local pet store where they have a freshwater fish atlas and looked my mystery cichlid up. I found out it was a spilotum or nickie or macaw lol ... I'm pretty sure it's a girl from what I've read. I feel very lucky to have rescued both her and the big blue acara. They are gorgeous. The only thing is I have small gravel and the nic keeps moving all the rocks and she is starting to scratch her head up pretty good. So I'm gonna switch to sand next water change. I have 6 baby convicts too. I just found out they can cross breed with the nic .... very interesting.

Miss Cellany - 2013-01-08
Would a pair of Kribensis be ok with a blue gourami female or would they fight?

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Jeremy Roche - 2013-01-08
The Kribensis is peaceful but tend to be a bit of a fin nipper with slow moving fish long finned fish.

J.stephen - 2013-01-03
i bought one wild oscar(4inches) to my tank. it was very active when saw in the shop. but it is not active when i introduced into my tank. it is staying always at bottom of the tank for over 7 days. when i am feeding him earthworms, he is ok. but later settling down again at bottom. what should i do to made him active?

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Jeremy Roche - 2013-01-04
Oscars will do this when they are introduced to new surroundings. The stress of the change will go away and it will begin to swim around more. Water quality close to the same as tank it was removed from?
j.stephen - 2013-01-05
i really dont know sir. is there any problem because of this? if so, what should i do?
Jeremy Roche - 2013-01-05
Oscar will adapt easily. If you start with temp and pH close to same it is an easier transition, but doesnt have to be.

Rodney - 2012-01-19
Yes I want to by a whole lot of ebj's.. I want maybe ten to twenty but I want at least five to be at least three inches....I am in Connecticut ...can someone recommend a Place where I can buy them from at a fair price?

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Jeremy Roche - 2012-10-24
Wow thats a lot of Dempseys!! What sized tank?
duff - 2012-12-21
Remember 1 inch of fish to one gallon of water they will grow to about 8 inches so ten you would need a 80 gallon tank its the one place most people make mistakes over crowding and that drives the ph and of course kills fish but you could try kijiji or greggs list good luck
aredfruit - 2013-01-03
overcrowding drives ph? never heard of that, and if you want 20 ebjds ur gonna alteast want a tank over 200 gal.

sydney - 2008-12-22
Hi there.
My parrot always hide. We thought they were dying at first. However, we have discovered they are very healthy. They have plenty of hiding space but if we are anywhere in near their tank they hide and don't come out!
WHy is this?

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Charles - 2010-03-03
Hi there, I just got my parrot fish, and mine is doing the exact same thing. The funny thing about it he watches me, and as soon I move he hides! =) Still searching for an answer!!
Anonymous - 2012-12-20
Give them time and they will soon come out to interact with you. Ours were the same when they were new. Now they watch every move and when I stand up (my fav chair is 6 feet from their 55 gal. tank) they follow my movements by swimming from one side of the tank to the other. They are the coolest fish I have ever owned. I absolutely love watching them. Several months ago I purchased 'T' connectors for plastic plumbing pipe. I thought when buying it that it would improve the quality of their habitat. Actually it improved mine. I have had such fun watching their antics as they hide from each other then and playfully ambush a passerby or play chase with each other. I have had fish over many years, these guys are like no other fish I have ever had. I hope you have similar experiences with yours. Best of Luck, although I don't think you'll need it.

Anonymous - 2012-12-20
The water quality in my 55 gal. tank is very poor due to neglect. I am cleaning it and noticed my parrot cichlids, although acting fine and as curious and as interactive as usual, seem to have something going on around their eyes. The white tissue that surrounds their actual eye seems to lack the smooth nature I had previously noted. They follow me from one end of the tank to the other and up and down as I am cleaning it. For that reason, it seems their vision is intact. There are four of them and each one has this to varying degrees. I also have a few convicts, mixed fruits, gouramis and South American cichlids but have not noticed them to have this malady. Would you know what this might be and if there is anything I can do to remediate this situation. I will be grateful for any light you can shed on this. Thanks in advance for your help. M-

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Clarice Brough - 2012-12-21
Not sure what that is, but because you aren't seeing anything with the other fish I'd just keep an eye on it. Many problems will right themselves when the tank is kept maintained. Good luck!

Candy Zucksworth - 2012-12-12
I have angel fish. Noticed one of them has one of the long fins in front is broke off. It's healthy otherwise . Do they grow back?

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Candy Zucksworth - 2012-12-14
Thank you. Thought they would.
Candy Zucksworth - 2012-12-14
Thank you. Thought they would.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-13
It will normally grow back.

Diane - 2012-12-13
Was wondering if anyone can help. We have an 80 gal. hex discus tank w/9 large discus (about 4-6') with a protein skimmer and uv light (artificial plants). Lost power during hurricane sandy for 9 days. Used 2 battery operated aerators. Fed them first couple of days bits & flake and some frozen blood worms/beef heart (at different times). Didn't want to feed much as days went by so chemicals wouldn't get bad. Changed the water after the second or third day of power outage and covered the tank with blankets to keep water warm. Temp went to about 76 at times and then we would warm the water (we have a gas stove so was able to warm the water) to bring the tank temp up to about 80-82. Temp was always at 86-88 prior outage. They all did fine. When power restored did another water change and fish acted as usual, always ate with no problem. We have since lost one fish and the others (mostly the blue turquoise/red turquoise) look like they are losing the color or scales along the lateral line. The color stays in the center of the fish. Try to keep ph at 6.5 sometimes goes to 6.0 but always add buffer. Tested phosphate & nitrate and saw was high, did water change again. Have some Seagel in sump for phosphate. Don't know why the change in their coloration, scales etc. Called local pet shop and said sometimes stress comes out about a month or so after (which is what is happening). Have been adding stress coat also. Do not want to lose anymore. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

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Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-13
Did you test amonia levels too? Stress will cause coloring change. Amonia levels spiking will also do this. This can happen during power outages as the bacteria levels in tanks adjust.

Candy Zucksworth - 2012-11-08
I have a 29 gallon tank. Have 3 angels. I am having trouble with my ph,getting into the 6.5 range.I do regular water changes. Have a good filter,sponge,charcoal and biobeads. Anyone have any suggestions?

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Anonymous - 2012-11-09
I wouldn't worry too much about the ph. It might have some influence if you are trying to breed them but even still I have a friend that breeds them in 7.5 ph. They are not that sensitive to a higher ph and trying to change it may not be worth the trouble especially if your tap water has a higher ph and alkalinity. Good luck!
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-09
What's the pH at in your tank now? When doing water changes are you adjusting the pH in the water you are putting back into the tank?
Candy Zucksworth - 2012-11-09
My ph.is close to the 6.6. When I do a water change I make sure the ph is the same and temp.is the same. Before I put in the new water I add stress coat and aquarium salt. My filter has three stages. Sponge, charcoal, and biobeads. How often should I do a water change and what percent? Change the charcoal once a month. Had a fish store tell me not to change the foam and biobeads very often. My directions for my filter says, change charcoal once a month, sponge every 2 months and biobeads every 3 months. I am so confused. Thank you for your help. I forgot I check the ph a lot if ph is6.4 or lower I add stuff called ph up. I heard you could use baking soda to raise it.
Anonymous - 2012-11-09
My ph.is close to the 6.6. When I do a water change I make sure the ph is the same and temp.is the same. Before I put in the new water I ad stress coat and aquarium salt. My filter has three stages. Sponge ,charcole, and biobeads. How often should I do a water change and what percent?Change the charcole once a month. Had a fish store tell me not to change the foam and biobeads very often. My directions for my filter says ,change charcole once a month,sponge every 2months and biobeads every 3 months. I am so confused. Thank you for your help. I forgot I check the ph a lot if ph is6.4 or lower I add stuff called ph up. I heard you could use baking soda to raise it.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-09
Sounds like you are doing all the right things. What are you using for your substrate?
Candy - 2012-11-09
This is going to sound dumb, what do you mean by substrate.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-09
Not a dumb question. The stuff on the bottom, gravel, sand, crushed shells.
Candy - 2012-11-09
I have rock. I clean the rock when I do water change. What about my sponge and biobeads. How often should I change to new.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-09
Maybe try to add some crush coral to the bottom. That should raise the pH for you. For the filter material just rinse them in the water that you remove from the tank. Using tap water to rinse can kill the beneficial bacteria on the filter.
Candy - 2012-11-09
How often should I rinse them? The pet store that I got my angels from sold me 2 rocks to help with my ph. I put them in and later that night my water was cloudy and my fish were hanging at the top, breathing real hard. Took them out and did a water change ,after that they were ok. It was too much. How much crushed she'll would I use?
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-09
Every water change for the sponge and charcoal. For the crushed coral start with a few handfuls and check pH once settled.
Candy - 2012-11-09
What about my biobeads? I'm sure the rock I got is coral. Use a hamer and break up some chunks and just ad a few small peices? Should I change my charcoal every month? She sold me 2 pretty big peices, it was just too much. Thank you so much for your help. Is changing my water every 2 weeks good.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-11
Crushed coral usually comes in a bag. What type of filter do you have? Sponge should just be rinsed and only changed when it is uncleanable.
Jeremy Roche - 2012-11-11
BioBeads will normally dissloved in 7 to 12 months andnew will ones will need to be added.
Candy - 2012-11-11
My filter is the one that hangs on the back. It has the 3 filter things in it. Bottom is sponge,middle charcole,top biobeads.

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