EMERG: UnID'd fish-possible attacker

A

Ayson

AC Members
Jan 31, 2010
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India
Hello,
I have just joined AC and did so because i need help and its a little urgent. I will update my profile after i have posted this.

I have a 23l tank with 4 guppies and 2 unidentified fish. I have attatched a picture of this fish. The store told me it was a blue morph but i highly doubt that.

I had the guppies for some time, but the morning after i added the new fish, i saw two cuts on my male gyppy's tail. The morning after the next day, i found my large female guppy on the bottom of the tank with all her fins cut in half, including tail. That was today. Its still breathing but im sure it will die.

The new fish are about 3cm long, similar in size to the guppy's. One is smaller. The photo has shots of both.

I would be very grateful if anyone here could please help me with my situation.

Final.jpg
 
Looks like some sort of African cichlid to me. Someone else may be able to identify it exactly.

Not compatible with guppies or a 23l tank.

You should return them, they are very aggressive and need a lot more space. Depending on the actual species they might grow to 10-20cm and need a 200l tank.

Ian
 
Looks like a Kenyi or a Kenyi hybrid. They're very aggressive african cichlids and it will kill off all of your guppies in very short time. He needs to go back asap. They need 4' tanks with other african mbunas. 23L is a tiny tank, 4 guppies sounds about fully stocked.
 
I'd return or rehome them quickly....people sometimes use guppies as feeders for those things.
 
Thank you all for the quick replies and identification. Now i want to murder that fish store guy!!! I had specificaly asked him if it is compatible with guppies. Is there anything i can do to save the female guppy i menoned before?
 
I had an Oto that was attacked by a predatory shrimp. It tore the tail fin off nearly to the body, and the dorsal fin had a huge chunk out of it, in addition to that the Oto had a bloody nose.

I had literally rescued the poor little thing from the grips of that shrimp, in a death struggle the little Oto was held fast. I just happend to walk by the tank and saw it, grabbed a stainless steel shishkabob skewer that I had by the tank to move plants and algae wafers around on the substrate, and I used that to shooo the dang shrimp off the Oto. I immediately removed the shrimp. The little Oto flew to the safety of a rock cave.

First, the guppy needs to feel safe... get the africans out ASAP... I hope you did it already, or the guppy may be eaten by tomorrow. If there is cover or decor in there to help feel secure that's good. I would keep the lights off in the tank and keep the room low lights and as quiet as possible.

Extremely clean water is vital. You need to do daily huge water changes. I used Melafix, which is a soothing, mildly antibacterial, botanical product that can help heal injuries, promote slime coat, and can help resist infection.

I dosed my tank every day with Melafix, right after a big water change, at least 60-70 percent. Make sure the exchaned water is temperature matched, and I would get Prime to help detoxify any traces of ammonia or nitrite that may be in the tank.

Prime removes chlorine and chloramine, but the ability to detoxify ammonia and nitrite in between water changes every 24 hours is HUGE.

My Oto had a place to hide, and wouldn't come out during the day, while he was healing; he was so frightened from the attack.

I have a 40 gallon tank and the water changes where huge and an ordeal to have to do every day, but between the pristine water conditions and, I believe, the Melafix, my Otos fins grew back and he's in wonderful health.

I hope your poor little guppy gets better. I can't stress it enough.... pristine water can be almost miraculous in helping a fish recover from even serious trauma.

Your hard work and best efforts on behalf of your little guys that are beat up will give them their best shot at recovery.
 
hi.just a few points and advice.the fish is an african ciclid called a kenyi.the latin name is Pseudotropheus lombardi.as you have observed it is not compatible with the fish you have now.this actually can be looked at as a good learning experience.always research ANYTHING;fish,shrimps,decorations,medications,cadillacs,etc.:),that you add to your tank.that being said,i would read alot of good books on fishkeeping.listen to trustworthy sources,i.e. experienced fishkeepers.this site can be great help although i would read the various opinions and use your best judgement when you decide to act.at the end of the day,though you may be frustrated with the advice the obviously non-experienced or non-caring salesperson gave you,you introduced the new charge to your tank.btw,i think you will find the fascinating world of cichlid keeping to be a rewarding step worth taking.good luck...
 
Thank you again for the replies and advice.

I returned the kenyi. The guy took it back and ill get two guppies. Now he tells me that it is a cichlid called blue morph. Thankfully he got it half right.

About the injured guppy, its not even upright anymore. Its lying on its side but breathing. Well i changed the water ~ 80% and taking out most of the debris on the gravel. Added a anti septic and covered the tank with paper to make it dark.

@ mel_20_20 Thank you for your reply. I have done whatever i can from your advice. But none of the medicines/solutions you mentioned are available around where i live and it is very rare to find their equivalents too. Nobody treats fish here, they just buy new fish.

Here people just get a tank put a lot of fish in, sometimes get an air pump and fit it to some decorative thing, no filter, put in some flakes everyday, and as the fish die, they just buy some more. People who visit my house find it amazing that i have "only" 4 fish in my ~20l tank. They are used to seeing about 20-30 fish in a tank that size!, because that is how it is in the fish stores!
 
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