Soaking Pellets Or No?

Zeromason577

Zeromason577

AC Members
Apr 10, 2006
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Portland,Oregon
Quick question here
im still very knew to the world of Cichlids and have only had them for a few days
and im starting to think that they could be growing week not only because i have aquired them from a used tank that i had bought and moved AND also had to do an almost 100% water change/cleaning on which i understand could stress them out really bad.

but they are still very skidish and move very quickly when i come near the tank and they will not go to the surface to eat any food, should i soak it in a bit of their tank water then add them so they can sink down for them to eat? these are convicts by the way, and one larger one i beleave to be a Green Terror.
 
it depends on how much cover (hiding places) you've got in the tank, how much lighting you have, how big the tank is, how many and what kind of fish you have ... in short, much depends on your setup.

if you've only had them for a few days, i'd certainly give them more time to adjust to their new home. too, certain cichlid species are naturally timid and dither fish can help them to feel more secure in their surroundings - which in turn, will bring them out of hiding. some species prefer subdued lighting .. your tank may be too bright.

etc.
 
I agree. Biggest mistake people make when doing cichlids is not enough structure. Understandable when you consider how much structure costs in LFS. If you can't afford lots of driftwood and $2.50/lb rock, then use terracotta pots, and rocks form lanscape supply stores (.20/lb) to break up lines of sight and provide more hidey holes than there are fish. The truth is, the more places cichlids have to hide, the less they hide.
 
My 55g is full of hiding places (driftwood, rocks/caves, artificial plants) and my cichlids(Salvini) act the same way as Zeromason's fish. I think Salvinis are naturally timid fish which explains their skittish, shy behavior...most of the time. When they are breeding, however, it's another whole story.
 
Well ill try to give you guys a little heads up on my tank setup and maybe can supply some pics later on today.

This is a 35 gallon tank, now has 8 convitcs of different sizes and also a pleco. it has about 4-5 fake plants and a huge rock, one some what smaller rock with a few holes in it, and one fake thing that also came with the tank, looks kinda like a lava rock with a few holes in it but it is made of plastic, i have some extra flat rock out back that was used as a pathway that i could do a test on to see if it fizes with vinigar and if it doesnt clean it up a bit and make a rock wall or something out of it,maybe that would help them to come out of hiding and eat, all my water seems to test ok,
amonnia= 0-1
nitrite=0
nitrate=0-5 some were in there
ph is roughy 7-7.2, i have heard it should be a little bit higher but the tank is just starting out again and have no clue on rasing it without some sort chemical ph boster

i have yet to see any of these fish eat, all of them just kinda lounge at the bottom of the tank behind the fake plants and rocks, the food only floats and the top, any advice would be so much help, i want whats best for these fish.

ooo forgot to say that these fish have been in this tank for some time, it was a preownd setup that i bought and came with the fish, i didnt want to flush them and they are so good looking in here that i couldnt get rid of them, so the lighting is the same as it always been with these fish? could they still be stressed out since i pretty much had to do a 100% watter change a few days ago, and also since the move was kinda rough? so far only one fish loss has happended and that was the 5 inch green terror that was also in here.
 
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It sounds like some more sturcture is in order. IMO, get rid of the fake crap, add to the collection of plastic plants, and put tons of that rock you've got in there. Don't worry about the fizzy test. convicts are central american cichlids that come from crater lakes where the ph and hardness are actually quite high, so even limestone would work in that tank.

Give them a little more time to settle in, try feeding some sinking pellets. Tropigrow (the food that comes with a built in trigger for dispensing) makes a cichlid formula that even my pickiest dwarf will eat. It's expensive though. If all else fails, frozen mysis shrimp are a great frozen food to feed as a treat.
 
The ammonia might be stressing them out a little; if the filter is cycled, it should stay at zero. You can leave the pH alone, they will adjust to that and it won't do them any harm. Trying to constantly adjust with chems will create more stress.

Also, it may be just me, but 8 convicts sounds like a little much for this size tank? I don't know how big your fish are but that would seem pretty cramped if they're full grown or close to it. Never mind the pleco poop factory. Someone else with more convict experience can chime in, but those are my thoughts.
 
ok, maybe these pics can give you guys a general idea of what i am working with....if you need more just ask.






 
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I'd replace the background with something darker...like black. ;)
 
Will do, i dont like that silver paper crap anyway, it was provided with the tank and its all i had at the moment.

also these guys seem to be moving so much more in the past hour they are "playing" or fighting i cant really tell. but now i can sit down and watch them and its not like watching static on a T.V :).

i hope tomorrow i can pick up something other then these floating pellet things, something live or frozen as treats and some sinking pellets.
 
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