Need help with convicts (kinda long)

[BlueyKDX]

Hi I've been a fan of these forums ever since I found them a few weeks ago... haven't registered till now (glad i did though). Anyway, lemme talk about my fish: I have 2 convicts (m/f) and a zebra danio in a 20g long. And being fairly new to the hobby I added my fish before the tank had cycled (the tank was setup for 1 week w/o fish - i thought that was good enough to get the filter up and runing, unaware of the cycle which was invovled). Well, everything was great for the first few days.. tank looked nice and clean and the fish were very energetic and ate enthuiastically, i was thinking everything was smooth sailing. But then i found these forums, and i learned ALOT! Most importantly, I learned about CYCLING. So off I went to the LFS to get some test kits and I found my ammonia levels were very high, bout 4 ppm. Now knowing that I am in the ammonia spike I have been doing about 25% water changes daily, keeping the ammonia levels consistently around 0.5 - 1 ppm, sometimes it reaches 2 though. The fish are hanging in there very well though, they are still energetic and they eat well, they do not have the symptoms of ammonia poisoning.
OK so I'm just going to keep doing water changes till I hit that bacteria bloom so I'm fine on the fishy cycle, but my main concern is that my male convict now has frayed fins and tail- finrot?. I'm not sure if this is fungus, bacteria, or just damage from the little skirmishes he has with the female but they dont seem to be healing, I'm guessing due to the high ammonia levels during the cycle. I don't know if I should treat this or just have him tough it out, i need advice. BTW he still acts normal and healthy and the female is in perfect condition, it's just him with the damaged fins. TIA

heres a pic to help you diagnose: he is the one on the left.

[Richer]

Welcome to AC, I'm glad you finally decided to register with us =)

Since you are in the middle of a cycle, I am hesitant in giving you advice on what kind of medication you can use... but, if things are starting to look worse for your male, you can try MelaFix (by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals). In my experience, and in the experience of others, MelaFix does good things for surface wounds.
However, since you are doing daily water changes to reduce ammonia (and by this time, probably nitrite) levels, MelaFix probably won't be doing you much good, since you'll be removing it soon afterwards.

Damage to your male's fins is probably due to your female, or it could be due to water conditions... most likely a combination of the two factors. Its good to know that you are taking steps in correcting a mistake that you made, and its a good assumption that the ammonia in your water is delaying the healing of your convict. I would suggest a larger daily water change. Somewhere around the range of about 50% per day. It may sound like a lot, but it will lead to better water conditions, and could help in the healing of your convict.

Before running off to buy any meds, try increasing the amount of water you change first. Its cheaper that way, and better for your tank.

On another note, its generally suggested that a pair of adult convicts should be kept in at least a 30 gallon tank. Just something to be prepared for in the future.

HTH
-Richer

[BlueyKDX]

Richer - thanks for the advice.

As far as tanksize, I asked the guy at the lfs what pair of cichlid he would recommend for a 20g long and he said convicts would do well. oh well, guess i'll have to accomodate them with a larger tank as they grow.