Cichlids
My what a lot of questions.
1) Stay away from Wal-Mart. Not only do they not give instructions, but their fish live in very poor conditions and most of them are dead. Ever curious why there is no gravel or rocks in the tanks? hmm...
2) Cichlids eat Cichlid food, among nearly anything else you put in the tank... including other fish buddies. Cichlids are very aggressive and should only be kept with other Cichlids and/or MUCH larger fish. They can kill most fish quite larger than them and become much more aggressive when breeding.
3) Rocks. Can't say I'm sure about 4-5 inches of rocks, but why not. A pound a gallon at least, so the more the merrier I guess. I don't think they're too concerned about the depth of rocks and 4-5 inches sounds like quite a lot. How tall is your tank? That's 1/3 of the tank in a 10 or 20 long. I shouldn't think that you need quite that much...
4) Colors. Colors definitely change. I have several (17) convict cichlids that have very dark stripes at time or some become more pale. The males got gorgeous blue tones on the edges of their fins while they were breeding and the females added rainbow colors and a bit of orange to their tummy. When they were done breeding the colors faded. The breeding female is now a much brighter rainbow and more orange than before she hatched 70 fry. (Need any convicts? I have a few. I guarantee they are convicts and should live happy and full lives.)
5) Feeding tips. If you're quite desperate to add a bit of protein to Jacks diet, brew up some shrimps for him. Brine shrimp (sea monkeys) by the San Francisco Shrimpery can be bought from most pet stores or buy a kit from http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_fish_food_san_francisco_bay_brand_hatchery.asp?ast=&key=
Mostly he needs a lot of protein. Cichlid food, shrimp, bloodworms. Sounds like you've already added some into his diet, so you can't do much to undo what was done. Some fish are naturally just smaller/less dominant than others. I have a lot of Cichlids that are large and agressive with dark color and others that are smaller and paler. It's just nature. You can't do much about it...
You can feed your fish twice a day (or more), but the more you feed them the more nitrates there will be and the more you'll have to clean (I would recommend a 20% water change every week, rather than the 50% change you're doing less frequently. This will keep the water quality more consistent.) Get your water tested for nitrates and chlorine if you can. Local pet stores Pet Co, Pet Smart will do these for free, or you can buy a water testing kit. They can be a bit pricy, but then you'd know what's going on in there.
6) Babies. When the baby dempsey's hatch (did she lay eggs already?) The mom and dad will take good care of them, but remove any tank mates thay may have because they will be very protective and agressive. Feed them regularly and as the hatchlings get to be larger fry you will see them voraciously picking off the same food you feed mom and dad.
Some pet stores will buy them. Some won't. Trade? I don' know. Some will just take them off your hands for you and say have a nice day. Most will want them to be a bit bigger than fry. About an inch or so I guess. You'd just have to ask. There are also sites that sell fishes wholesale aquabid.com, but you'd have to know how to successfully ship them as well. Or I suppose you could request only in your area, or you could put an add in the paper... or you could give them away to local schools or friends...
For more info on cichlids visit www.tropicalfish.co.za (info about cichlid breeding) or cichlidresearch.com (Ron has done extensive research in Central America on Cichlids)
Well, good luck!
Sarah
My what a lot of questions.
1) Stay away from Wal-Mart. Not only do they not give instructions, but their fish live in very poor conditions and most of them are dead. Ever curious why there is no gravel or rocks in the tanks? hmm...
2) Cichlids eat Cichlid food, among nearly anything else you put in the tank... including other fish buddies. Cichlids are very aggressive and should only be kept with other Cichlids and/or MUCH larger fish. They can kill most fish quite larger than them and become much more aggressive when breeding.
3) Rocks. Can't say I'm sure about 4-5 inches of rocks, but why not. A pound a gallon at least, so the more the merrier I guess. I don't think they're too concerned about the depth of rocks and 4-5 inches sounds like quite a lot. How tall is your tank? That's 1/3 of the tank in a 10 or 20 long. I shouldn't think that you need quite that much...
4) Colors. Colors definitely change. I have several (17) convict cichlids that have very dark stripes at time or some become more pale. The males got gorgeous blue tones on the edges of their fins while they were breeding and the females added rainbow colors and a bit of orange to their tummy. When they were done breeding the colors faded. The breeding female is now a much brighter rainbow and more orange than before she hatched 70 fry. (Need any convicts? I have a few. I guarantee they are convicts and should live happy and full lives.)
5) Feeding tips. If you're quite desperate to add a bit of protein to Jacks diet, brew up some shrimps for him. Brine shrimp (sea monkeys) by the San Francisco Shrimpery can be bought from most pet stores or buy a kit from http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_fish_food_san_francisco_bay_brand_hatchery.asp?ast=&key=
Mostly he needs a lot of protein. Cichlid food, shrimp, bloodworms. Sounds like you've already added some into his diet, so you can't do much to undo what was done. Some fish are naturally just smaller/less dominant than others. I have a lot of Cichlids that are large and agressive with dark color and others that are smaller and paler. It's just nature. You can't do much about it...
You can feed your fish twice a day (or more), but the more you feed them the more nitrates there will be and the more you'll have to clean (I would recommend a 20% water change every week, rather than the 50% change you're doing less frequently. This will keep the water quality more consistent.) Get your water tested for nitrates and chlorine if you can. Local pet stores Pet Co, Pet Smart will do these for free, or you can buy a water testing kit. They can be a bit pricy, but then you'd know what's going on in there.
6) Babies. When the baby dempsey's hatch (did she lay eggs already?) The mom and dad will take good care of them, but remove any tank mates thay may have because they will be very protective and agressive. Feed them regularly and as the hatchlings get to be larger fry you will see them voraciously picking off the same food you feed mom and dad.
Some pet stores will buy them. Some won't. Trade? I don' know. Some will just take them off your hands for you and say have a nice day. Most will want them to be a bit bigger than fry. About an inch or so I guess. You'd just have to ask. There are also sites that sell fishes wholesale aquabid.com, but you'd have to know how to successfully ship them as well. Or I suppose you could request only in your area, or you could put an add in the paper... or you could give them away to local schools or friends...
For more info on cichlids visit www.tropicalfish.co.za (info about cichlid breeding) or cichlidresearch.com (Ron has done extensive research in Central America on Cichlids)
Well, good luck!
Sarah
