Im new to cichlids and recently just bought a 90 gallon tank, and i have an Arena XP 3 filter.. not sure how many gallons per hour it does cuz i threw out the box and forgot the number, but i know its meant for 165 gallon tanks. The temp of the tank right now is at 27 C. I have crushed coral to raise the PH, lots of rocks, a few fake plants. I did a fishless cycle for 2 weeks. Added all the chlorine removing stuff. I still dont have a water testing kit but i will be buying one on monday, todays sunday and the LFS is closed now. The fish i have in there i got a week ago from today from petland i got 6 cichlids followed by 3 more 4 days later. I got 2 electric yellows, 2 demasons, 1 red zebra, 1 albino brichardi, 1 rusty, and one i dont know the name of its grey with dark black stripes. All the cichlids are a little less than an inch long, I also have a 6 inch pleco, so 9 fish in all. Almost from the very beginning of adding the first fish i saw them rubbing against the rocks, not very often and it first started with the electric yellows. But eventually all the other fish started to do it, After adding the second set of fish they havent started to rub. But they all came from the same tank at petland. Spending hours staring at these little fish i cant see any white spots.. although around the zebra and electric yellows there are small neon blue spots by the gills but there semetrical with the other side so im guessing there supposed to be there. I recently did a 15% water change 2 days ago.. Should i buy the cichlid salt stuff, or any other kind of medication?? i would really like to know whether my fish are sick or if their just itchy.
New Cichlids.. Rubbing Against Rocks
- Thread starter Demonliez
- Start date
I also have some convict cichlids that do this. I didn't see any signs of ick or anything. I am guessing that the cichlid u have that is grey with black strips is a convict also. I treated my tank with salt for a couple of weeks and after that they still did it so I am guessing it's just something they do. However, if you see them rubbing themselves on the bottom of the tank over and over again I would treat for ick. Let me know if this answers your questions.
E
E
eng55 said:
What most people don't realize is that the parasites that cause ick many times are alive and well in your aquarium just not in high numbers. Hardy fish like cichlids most times have an adequate slime coat to repel them. Sometimes if your fish scratch it might just be because they have an ich, or they could be fighting off parasites. Most times its weak or sick fish that allow the propagation and infestation to begin. Adding salt is indeed a good way to help your fish fight off such infestations. If it continues I have had good luck with the medication praziquantel sp? It comes in many parasitic medications and has become very popular in the last few years.
Now back to the original topic. I concur that 2 weeks is not long enough to perform a cycle without a product like bio-spira or adding filter media(which works, I cycled a 29 gallon with Bio-Spira and filter media earlier this week.) from a cycled tank. I would say that you should obtain test materials as soon as possible. I know some will cry foul for me even suggesting this but I would consider making a trip to your local walmart. While they may mistreat fish they do provide access to other aquarium products 24hrs a day that you may need in case of an emergency. Regardless of if you get the test kit now or not I would suggest that you change your water as quickly as possible. The higher the percentage you change the better.
I also hope that the striped cichlid you were referring to was a kenyi instead of a convict. If the fish has stripes that make a Y shape on its shoulder you have a fish that is not an african cichlid and will cause problems in your tank. I would also keep an eye on those electric yellows. Kennyi's and Zebras can be quite aggresive and if they are that small you probably have a lot of chasing going on without overcrowding. Overcrowding and over filtering is key. That way the fish lose sight of thier aggresion target.
HTH
well i did buy these cube things from petland that they keep in their filters to help speed things up, and your right the orange one is the king of the tank but the striped one because i added him after all the others he's still getting picked on by everyone even the demasons who are smaller then him. But i looked at some pictures and it does resemble a kennyi. Im planning on putting more fish in the tank but wanted to wait to make sure the fish werent sick so im not wasting money. My last tank, a 20 gallon got ich and my fish died(bought sick feeder fish).
I think it's just as likely your fish are trying to establish their territories. This sort of flashing is pretty common among cichlids, esp. among aggressive Malawis. I wouldn't worry too much unless you see other signs of illness.
My question is, how did you do fishless cycle for two weeks without any test kits? How do you know if your tank cycled?
Jim
My question is, how did you do fishless cycle for two weeks without any test kits? How do you know if your tank cycled?
Jim
My oscars also "Scratch" every now and again as long as it is not constant it is nothing to worry about, but if they do it a lot they may have ICK
Yeah my fish will scratch themselves on rocks and the sand from time to time, its nothing to worry about. Especially in a new tank you will notice it more since the water isnt completely 'good' yet. If you notice a LOT of scratching then it could be an indicator of something wrong. I would wait for any visible signs of illness though, before treating. Try adding some aquarium salt to the water. 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons i believe.... this can help with the scratching.
Make sure to put lots of rocks and hiding places in the tank for these fish... they can be territorial and the weaker ones will need to be able to get away from the aggressors.
-Diana
Make sure to put lots of rocks and hiding places in the tank for these fish... they can be territorial and the weaker ones will need to be able to get away from the aggressors.
-Diana