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FAQs on Neotropical Cichlid Behavior
Related Articles: Neotropical
Cichlids,
Central American Cichlids
by Neale Monks,
African Cichlids,
Dwarf South American Cichlids, Cichlid Fishes in
General,
Related FAQs: Neotropical
Cichlids 1,
Neotropical Cichlids 2,
Neotropical Cichlids 3,
Neotropical Cichlid
Identification, Neotropical
Cichlid Compatibility, Neotropical
Cichlid Selection, Neotropical
Cichlid Systems, Neotropical
Cichlid Feeding, Neotropical
Cichlid Disease, Neotropical
Cichlid Reproduction, Convicts,
Oscars,
Firemouths,
Texas Cichlids,
Severums,
Triangle Cichlids, &
Cichlids of the World,
Cichlid Systems,
Cichlid Identification,
Cichlid Behavior,
Cichlid Compatibility, Cichlid Selection,
Cichlid Feeding,
Cichlid Disease, Cichlid
Reproduction,
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Female C. cutteri Acting Strange; C. Am. cichlid beh.
8/30/09
Hi guys hoping you can help! I've tried looking this up online but can't
really find a conclusive answer. Right, I have a 900 litre tank I have
in it 2 firemouths, 1 Thorichthys elliotti, 1 gold Severum (5inch),1
Geophagus
surinamensis, 1 large Pleco, 1 spotted Raphael and 2 C. cutteri. This is
where I have my problem.. The female cutteri for the past 2 weeks
appears to be "playing dead" by rolling on her side when any of the
other fish come near, even smaller ones then her, She swims around
normally all the time, otherwise feeds properly and seems to be quite
happily paired with the male. The different answers I've found are ,she
is spawning and showing off her belly, displaying submissive behavior as
she doesn't want to fight or maybe some sort of bacterial infection. I
don't personally believe that its anything to do with bacteria, as she
generally displays normal behavior and all the other fish are fine. None
of the other fish actually attack her just as soon as they get a bit
close she does it. Its starting to get a bit worrying as she can
sometimes be floating on her back while doing it. I hope you guys can
put my mind at ease as she's a lovely fish and I would hate to lose her!
Cheers! Dan
< If she acts normal all the rest of the time then I agree that it is
not an internal infection. If she turns her dorsal fins towards the
oncoming fish then this indeed is a submissive pose, offering the spiny
dorsal fin
in case the fish attacks.-Chuck>
Re: female cutteri
C Cutteri Female Showing Off – 09/03/09
Thank you for the speedy reply Chuck its helped put my mind at ease.
Just have one further question though., She isn't actually turning her
dorsal fins towards them its the opposite, she's turning her belly
towards them does this make a difference? Dan
< If she is showing off her ventral region then it is a display that
shows that she is ready to mate. Apparently the male C. cutteri hasn't
come around yet.-Chuck>
problem with my FH
Skittish Cichlids 5/10/09
Hi, I recently bought a 3 inch Flowerhorn which I have kept along with a
pair of 3 inch green terrors. They are doing quite fine together and do
not seem to be fighting at all. I also have a pair of 1 1/2 inch blue
morphs which seem to be dominating the 3 inch green terrors!!!!!!!
The problem I am having is that the terrors were always scared of me and
used to go into hiding as soon as I came near the tank. Now the FH
follows them every time they go hide and so I don't get to see any of
them. What do
you suggest I do?
< The fish are startled by sudden movements and seek refuge because they
think you are a predator. Add some dither fish like barbs or Danios so
they add some movement to the tank but won't be eaten by the cichlids.>
Secondly, I read in one of your threads that a FH gets its hump when it
reaches 8 inches or so but recently I visited a shop where they were
selling a 2 inch FH with an amazing hump and it was priced at 3000
Indian rupees!
How is this possible? Thanks, Samuel
<This is not a natural occurrence and could be a mutation thus the
rather high price. Since this fish does not exist in nature it doesn't
surprise me that hormones and chemicals can alter the morphology of
young fish at any age. If someone pays the price then that will
encourage more of these fish to be produced.-Chuck>
Cichlid Mystery... Neotrop., sys.,
hlth., fdg., beh. 8/6/08
Re: Cichlid Mystery
Wild Florida Cichlid Problems (Chuck's Second Opinion) 8/6/08
Hello Crew, hope you have some insight for me, for I am mystified. I
have a 20 gal tank with a single specimen Mayan Cichlid (False Red Terror).
<Are we talking about Cichlasoma urophthalmus here? Obviously this species,
getting to 40 cm in the wild, is far too large for a 20 gallon tank.>
< This fish is commonly found in Florida,-Chuck>
I've had it since it was the size of a penny; he (theoretical; only going
from how bright salmon red he gets when showing off) was netted out of the
actual Everglades (where they are an invasive species), and he is now about
a year and a half old, and about 5-6 inches long. He is fed a variety of
foods: Hikari Gold cichlid pellets, dried Gammarus shrimp, dried bloodworms,
live Ramshorn snails and occasionally, live Gambusia and Mollies from a
large 65 gal Everglades tank I have in the Florida room, also the source of
the snails (and home to a 8-inch Orinoco Sailfin Catfish that I thought was
a tadpole once.) ALL his live foods are grown by me, so I have no fear of
contamination that way.
<Still, I'm leery of using wild-caught fish as food because you're running
the risk of introducing parasites that don't normally occur in aquaria and
so end up being difficult to treat. As you may/may not know, many parasites
pass through multiple hosts, for example a small fish, then a bigger fish,
and then a predator bird, then out with the birds faeces into the pond and
back to the small fish. Because this cycle can't occur in aquaria or fish
farms, these parasites don't normally occur in tropical fish tanks. If you
have a fish that happily eats prepared and frozen foods, why take the risk?>
So far he is the textbook definition of a Mayan, charging the side of the
tank anytime you walk by, and sometimes attacking his own reflection for
hours at a time, unless he is hiding behind the huge water sprite planted in
there.
<OK. These are nice fish; kept one in a high-end brackish aquarium for a
long time. They thrive in brackish/marine conditions, and are arguably more
mangrove swamp cichlids than anything else.>
I went away for 5 days for vacation, so I stuffed his tank with snails and
food fish, and had someone feed him some of his pellets about two days
before I came back so he wouldn't starve.
<OK, here's the first problem. NEVER, EVER "stock up" a tank with food. A
healthy small fish like a Neon can go a week without food NO PROBLEMS. A big
healthy fish like a cichlid can go two weeks or more without food, and in
the wild would have to periodically anyway. In other words: it is better to
leave your fish hungry during vacations than the alternative, which is to
risk overfeeding them (or having them overfed). Too much food = too much
ammonia/nitrite, and that leads to stress.>
I came back only to find him lying on the bottom of his tank, in a hole he'd
cleared out, looking the palest I've ever seen... his eye-spot was white,
and he was still for hours. He had re-arranged his pea gravel extensively,
which makes me think he might have been looking for snails.
<Hmm... more likely displacement activity. When animals can't do one thing,
because of stress or some other factor, they will sometimes do some other,
unrelated activity. Humans biting their nails is the classic example:
nothing to do with being hungry for protein!>
Much testing of water ensued, to no answers...
pH is 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates under 20 ppm, tank temp is 78,
water is general hard, absolutely nothing happening there.
<Ah, but you misunderstand. The nitrite/ammonia spike could have easily
occurred day 1 after you left, and by now the filter has removed them both
from the water, but the fish remains stressed.>
The tank is acrylic 20 gal, has an Eclipse 2 (capacity much higher than 20
gal) filter top with bio-wheel in perfect working order and seeded with my
own bacteria from other tanks., and there's plenty of aeration in the tank.
The tank water gets changed weekly along with all the other tanks.
<Still too small. These novelty filters that fit the hood are maybe fine for
small tropicals like Neons but have no place in the cichlid aquarium. Too
much space is given over to compact cartridges contains junk you don't need
like carbon and Zeolite. Not enough space is given over to mechanical media
and especially high performance biological media (ceramic noodles). Complete
waste of space if you ask me. You should be using a decent canister filter
rated at 6x the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. For this species of
cichlid a 20 gallon tank makes no sense at all, and long term you're going
to find this fish increasingly difficult to keep healthy.>
After testing and re-testing and finding nothing to correct, I went and
fished out a few snails and threw them in, in hopes that he'd become more
animated.
<No, doesn't work this way. When fish are sick or off-colour, you don't feed
them. You run the risk of making a bad situation worse. A healthy fish --
particularly a cichlid! -- will be begging for food once hungry.>
After a few hours and his lights turned off (on a timer, mind you), I could
hear the clicking of snail shells against the tank, so I knew he must be
feeling better. The next day, after the snails had been eaten, I tossed a
few Gambusia in there.
It's been 2 days, and he is back to normal, charging the side of the tank
every time someone walks by, attacking his food and patrolling his tank,
flashing his stripes when he's aggressive or just turning brilliant salmon
if I get near...
What do you guys think happened? My theory is he might have knocked himself
out charging his own reflection, but any and all advice is greatly welcomed.
Maybe he missed me?
<Suspect a water quality crisis in your absence.>
Carol
<Hope this helps. Have cc'ed Chuck, our cichlid guru, for a second opinion.
Cheers, Neale.>
< Sometimes in the dark, fish get spooked by shadows. In a small tank where
there is no place to hide it could have damaged himself on an object or on
the tank himself. As per Neale's recommendation a larger tank is in order
for the best concerns of your Mayan Cichlid.-Chuck>
75 gallon Cichlid tank- Midas Question 05/30/08
Midas Cichlid Mayhem
Hello. It has been a long time since I have had to ask a question because things
have been maintaining quite nicely in my 75 gallon Cichlid tank. I have (all
adult) Midas, Jack Dempsey, Black belt, hartwedgie and Convict in my tank. I
also have three catfish to do a bit of clean up... My temp is 76F. My fish all
did very well for a long time and now my Midas has decided to go on a killing
spree. I bought him as a full grown adult and knew this could happen but am
surprised that it went well and then changed after time. He killed a
(smaller juvie) Texas cichlid. I thought maybe it was size, etc... now the Midas
is going after the Black belt. I have tried to change the tank scape, water
changes more frequent feeding, etc... Is there anything else I can do besides
find him a new home or the other fish new homes? I really love them all but am
not enjoying the death... Thank you so much!! Christie
< All of your Central American cichlids are aggressive. The midas cichlid is
going to be the most aggressive of them all and unfortunately turn into one of
the largest too. You have been lucky that they have gotten along so well for as
long as they have. All of your fish except the convict get close to a foot long
when they reach adulthood. Your midas cichlid will pick your fish off one by one
until he is the last one left. If you remove him you may have the same problem
with the Jack Dempsey.-Chuck>
Re: 75 gallon Cichlid tank- Midas
Question
Midas Cichlid Mayhem II - 05/31/08
Everything I read said if I paired them with equally aggressive fish it
should work- I know there are no guarantees. So if I want more than one kind of
fish I need to change fish all together? What about a pair of Dempsey's with the
cat fish? Thank you for your knowledge and taking the time to share it! Christie
< Once your midas cichlid took off after the others then they were no longer
equally aggressive. The midas cichlid is now more aggressive. As these cichlids
grow the males become very territorial and keep all other fish away. If the tank
is too small then the entire tank becomes their territory and no fish is safe.
The midas cichlid could easily go into a 40-50 gallon tank by himself at an
adult size. If you still wanted to keep Central American cichlids then I would
recommend species that don't get too large, like your convict, or at least get
species that are less aggressive like H. nicaraguense. A spawning pair of Jack
Dempseys can be very entertaining. They will guard the fry and eggs from
anything including you. If the pair are not spawning then the male is constantly
chasing the female and may kill her. A recommended book would be "Enjoying
Cichlids" by Ad Konings. It has lots of great photos and very useful information
you could use to set up a less aggressive tank with smaller cichlids.-Chuck> |
Blue Acara. Neotrop. Cichlid
beh. 12/25/07
Recently my Blue Acara has gone into hibernation inside a cave and very
seldom comes out to eat or otherwise. No new fish have been added to the tank
which presently has a good size Gold Severum, Medium size Gold Gourami, and 2
Silver dollars about 5" on diameter...any thoughts as to why he/she would just
do that?
thank you
Eric
<Hello Eric! Acaras -- and indeed cichlids generally -- do not hibernate. So if
your fish is exhibiting a sudden change in behaviour, you have something else
going on. Now, this needn't necessarily be a bad thing. Mature cichlids will
often guard fixed territories and rarely stray from them. Alternately, a change
in the "pecking order" may mean the Severum has free reign over the tank but the
Acara has to hide away out of sight. Male Gold Gouramis also have a tendency to
turn mean as they mature, so that's another wild card in your community. If
behaviour isn't the issue, health could be a factor. Do check for things like
constipation (very common in omnivorous cichlids) and hole-in-the-head (largely,
but not exclusively, triggered by dissolved metabolites including nitrate).
Cheers, Neale.>
Green terror, hlth./beh. 12/9/07
I have a 55 Gallon tank, 2 fairly large tin foil Silver dollars, 2 Bala
Sharks good size, 1 Gold Gourami, 1 Blue Acara, 1 Gold Severum about 6
inches...Recently my Green Terror (who has not grown at all in 6 months)
suddenly started spinning out erratically and would bang himself into the tank
then look like he was dead and eventually died. This happened about 5 months
with a Red Devil., and I was told it can happen and it is like an aneurism
effect...
Any ideas? and given the fish I have any thoughts as to what new fish I could
add?
Thank you
Eric
<Hello Eric. Well, an aneurism sounds a bit implausible. Normally when fish
develop strange behavioural quirks out of thin air, it's more likely to be other
factors, such as toxins in the water or sudden changes in temperature. Both of
these things will make cichlids act "loopy", rolling over and losing balance.
Now, Green terrors (Aequidens rivulatus) are incredibly aggressive fish, and so
are Red Devils (Amphilophus labiatus). Neither should be sharing an aquarium as
small as 55 gallons, and certainly not with fish as benign as Severums (Heros
severus) and Blue Acaras (Aequidens pulcher). Keeping these four cichlids
together is just risky on so many levels. So, assuming water quality and
chemistry are acceptable (which for this mix of cichlids means neutral to
slightly alkaline, moderately hard water) my gut feeling is that behaviour is
the key. A Red Devil would probably take down a Green Terror if the two got to
fighting, though that would depend on size and sex. I'm not convinced your
collection of fish is a good one. While all the fish you have are nice, they're
from different environments and have different temperaments. Silver Dollars and
Bala Sharks are peaceful schooling fish that prefer soft/acid water conditions.
Trichogaster trichopterus Gouramis are small fish (compared to the others
anyway) that want similar conditions and could work well with the Silver Dollars
and Bala Sharks. Blue Acaras and Severums also prefer soft/acid conditions
though both are highly adaptable. Both are relatively peaceful outside of
breeding. The Red Devil is the odd man out in your remaining stock: it's a hard,
alkaline water fish with an incredibly high level of aggression (males
especially, but breeding females as well). I've kept this species and it can
easily dominate even a 200 gallon tank. Green Terrors want similar conditions to
Blue Acara but are closer to Central American cichlids in terms of aggression.
My advice would be to swap out the Red Devil and add something like a suitable
soft water catfish, perhaps some type of Plec, Pimelodid (such as Pimelodus
ornatus), or maybe a Doradid (e.g., Platydoras costatus). You could also add one
of the smaller Snakeheads (if legal in your area). I used to keep Channa
asiatica in a robust cichlid community tank and it worked great. Intelligent,
personable fish provided not mixed with anything they can eat! Cheers, Neale.>
Cichlids Not Very Active 2/12/07
Hi! As suggested checked all the FAQs on your website for an answer but
could not find one.
< Thanks for checking anyway>
I recently bought a Flowerhorn (four inches) and seeing that he/she was not
very active and was not eating felt that he/she may be lonely bought a red
devil (three inches). Yes there was immediate activity of the Flowerhorn
chasing the red devil. However, the next day, it was the red devil who was
eating the pellets but the Flowerhorn would feed a few which settled down on
the bare bottom of the tank. But what is strange, instead of eating the
food, the Flowerhorn would attack the red devil and stop him/her from
eating. Yesterday bought a driftwood so that the water quality might turn
out to be better (just guessing) and now both the Flowerhorn and the red
devil sit side by side under the driftwood and neither are eating. What
could be the problem? Many thanks and kind regards,
< First check the water quality and the water temp. I would first do a 30%
water change and make sure the water is around 78 F. Then try changing the
diet to something with more meat in it.-Chuck>
Red Devils natural diet? And fat lips? Chuck's Take - 02/11/2007
I have a 7” Red Devil cichlid, his name is Marmalade. He currently is the
only fish in his 55 gallon aquarium.
<And likely to be the only fish tolerated...>
The tank is filtered by two
<Good>
AquaClear 500s, with weekly 25 to 50 percent water changes.
<Also>
Water parameters: pH-8.2, ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-always under 10ppm,
and temperature 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Marmalade’s tank will be upgrading to
a 150 gallon in May. He deserves more tank space to destroy.
<Heeeee!>
I am wondering if anyone can tell me what would make up the majority of
their natural diet.
<Mmm, you can take a look on fishbase.org:
http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4786
here for the most commonly named Red Devil Cichlid (there are a few other
species so-named). See the notes under "Biology"...>
I can find gut analyses for many Amphilophus cichlids citrinellus,
xiloaensis, Amarillo, … but not labiatus.
<http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=28238&genusname=Amphilophus&speciesname=labiatus>
I want to raise live foods for treats. I currently raise cherry red shrimp
(Neocaridina denticulata sinensis), snails, and swordtails (Xiphophorus Sp).
In the summer I also raise red worm.
<All accepted greedily>
I also need to know if anyone has suggestions on fattening up Marmalade's
lips. The only info I can find about their fat lips says it is callus
buildup from their feeding practices in the wild. I want to replicate
Marmalade’s natural environment as well as possible. My plan is decorating
the 150 with 100+ pounds of honeycomb limestone. My hope is that he will
excavate the rock for his live treats and fatten up his lips. Any other
suggestions?
<Mmm, really just time going by... May "fatten up" or no...>
I guess I need to mention that I don’t know Marmalade is 100% red devil. I
purchased him from a pet store, not an importer. I think he shows mostly
labiatus characteristics. His nuchal hump is relatively small. When viewed
from overhead his jaws come to a point, not rounded like Amphilophus
citrinellus.
<Am going to place this note in our resident Cichlid expert's in box as
well... Chuck Rambo will likely have much more input here. Bob Fenner>
<(Chuck's Take). In the wild these guys feed on all kinds of invertebrates
like snails, crustaceans, insects as well as small fishes. These prey items
are found in between the cracks of the rocks in their natural environment.
The large lips on these cichlids are used like a gasket over the openings so
they can suck out the prey out between the cracks. When these fish are
brought into the aquarium they stop doing this technique and the lips soon
go back to a normal size. There are many Lake Malawi cichlids that have the
same large lips in the wild. So far there has been no documentation of any
captive cichlids developing these massive lip structures.-Chuck>
Re: Oscar brawl, Neotrop. Cichlid growth/beh.
12/28/06
Chuck (or whoever else might receive this):
<Chuck's unfortunately "out" presently>
Thank you for your response. I have cooled the temperature down to
74 degrees and, while there is still more belligerence and
intimidation going on than is normal, I would not describe it as a
brawl anymore.
<Heeeeee! Just a minor street scuffle?>
You do bring up a couple of interesting questions. First, as
you believe overfeeding by an inexperienced aquarist may have
contributed to the brawl, what would you consider a proper amount of
food for these two four-year old Oscars? Each morning and each
evening, they are fed four Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks - an average
of two each. Is this too much food?
<Mmm, no, not IMO... but I would supplement this fine staple food
with some live/fresh material... Earthworms, insect larvae ("meal
worms" and such)... are some faves>
Plus, how long does one remain an inexperienced aquarist?
<Heeeeee! Good question... I am guessing that this entails a
subjective evaluation mostly... And is likely till one feels
experienced... "enough">
I have been at this for five years now and some day I hope to be
considered experienced, even if not expert.
<Good>
Now, onto the green terror question:
<Sounds like a TSA rating... When are the powers that be going to
start examining at air-freight? Scam! Doh!>
At about the same time that I got the Oscars, I got a green terror.
When they were babies, I had them all in the 90 gallon tank, but
as he rapidly grew, the green terror lived up to his name and
rained hell down upon the Oscars, whipping the whole tank. I soon
bought him a 55 gallon tank of his own and moved him into it. I put
a Pleco in there that I figured was big enough and armored enough to
hold his own, but the terror never bothered the Pleco. I had a
couple of adult clown loaches and decided to see how they would do
with the terror and they did just fine. The terror did not bother
them.
<Lucky>
He grew into a beautiful fish, with an abundance of personality.
Everybody loved him. Then, one day, I found him in a state
of mysterious shock and he died within 24 hours. I suspected that he
had swallowed a stone but I could not bear the thought of cutting
him open to find out, so that is just a theory.
<A plausible one>
I then got another green terror, a baby, along with a Firemouth and
I put them both in the 55 gallon tank with the Pleco and the two
clown loaches. I have another 55 gallon tank that includes two
Firemouths among its population and I figured that, if this terror
proved as ferocious towards other cichlids as did the original, I
would move the Firemouth into that tank once it became necessary to
him.
But an odd thing happened. The terror grew very slowly. I think
it has been about two years now and this terror is only about 3.5
inches long. The Firemouth, however, grew into a true beauty, much
more beautiful than his cohorts in the other 55 gallon tank. He can,
and does, whomp the smaller terror at will. Although no real damage
has been done, this is very humiliating for the terror, as it has
a "tough guy" aura and just does not like to submit to the rule of
a Firemouth.
<This may be a real factor in the limitation of the Terror's
growth... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/GrwLmtChems.htm
and the linked files above>
Why is the green terror staying so small? I feed the tank two
jumbo sticks in the morning, two in the evening, plus a small pinch
of flakes both times.
Thanks again,
Bill
<As stated, likely behavioral components at play here... as well as
metabolites... Bob Fenner>
Convict Cichlid With Phantom Rival 9/18/06
Hey dudes.
<Cowabunga! Surf's Up!>
I have a male swordtail (3.8 cm) two male firemouths (both about 4
cm) a female (2.75 cm) and male (5.5 cm) convict in a 20 gallon long
tank furnished with river rocks, about 2.5 cm gravel, and plastic
plants. Obviously, with so many cichlids in such a small tank there
is some competition for territory. The male convict seems to have
claimed the whole tank as his territory, which he defends with two
tactics I have never heard of for a convict cichlid: nosing up to a
side of the tank and kicking as hard as he can with his tail fin,
and flaring his gills like a Firemouth, throat inflation and all!
There is also, of course the usual chasing of intruder fish. I was
wondering if the other two techniques, especially the gill flaring,
had anything to do with why the convicts haven't bred and why the
male has recently developed some pale coloration near the anal fin,
but not near the pectoral like what would happen if it was a female.
Also, what can I do to get the convicts to breed and how big of a
tank will I need for all four full-grown cichlids? -Jack
< Your male convict is fighting his reflection in the glass. He
thinks he is lip locking with another male convict as a test of
strength. As long as he thinks their is a competing male in the tank
that is as determined as he is they will probably not spawn. Cover
that side of the tank with some paper and see if he stops. Males can
get some color in the unpaired fins. females still tend to color up
in the belly region. When all your fish are grown and breeding they
will probably need a 40 gallon.-Chuck>
A disease? Mean cichlids... 8/16/06
I've been reading lots on your website, and it is just awesome! I've yet to
find the info that I am looking for, as it is pretty specific...
I have a 180 gallon tank, that I have had for 2 years.
I have moved once since then, but it has been set up now for a year
without anything changing drastically.
In my tank I have a 6 year old Red Devil Cichlid (approximately 13
inches long),
<Yikes! A big boy!>
a 6 year old Pleco (about 15 inches long), a 2 year old Jaguar
Cichlid (although, I don't know that I believe it really is, but
that is what I was told)
<Perhaps:
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4684
what used to be called a "Managuense">
(he is about 9 inches), and I have an Oscar that I've only had for
about 3-4 months (about 6 inches long).
I wouldn't normally put these fish together this way, but I have
inherited all but the two 6 year olds from friends who were getting
rid of them. They all seemed to get along ok until the last month.
Now the Oscar is getting picked on by the jag.
<Oh yes...>
At first I thought he would be killed, but they seemed to have
calmed down a bit now.
So, my first issue is that the Oscar still seems to have a lot of
wounds that are not healing well. But they never seem to show any
signs that they are
infected by anything. He still eats well, he doesn't seem to have
the common sense to hide, he is always near the top of the tank! Is
there something I can do for his wounds to make them heal better?
<Yes... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/neotropcichdisfaqs.htm
and here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscardisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above.>
My second issue is with my Red Devil. He keeps getting these things
that resemble boils over his eye.
<Water quality issue very likely... probably measurable as too-high
nitrates>
They aren't very big, and it is always only one eye or the other and
they go away in a week or two. But they have some sort of white puss
leaking from them sometimes.
He doesn't seem otherwise affected. He eats normally he doesn't seem
to hide out or act sick in any way.
Then they just go away. I have done a lot of water quality tests,
and they come out in the normal ranges.
<Non-informational... need numbers>
But these are just strip tests and I am thinking I need to invest in
some real, more accurate testing equipment.
<A good idea>
For filtration I have 2 Fluval 404 canisters and 2 Fluval 2 pluses
with only biological filtration. I fluctuate gravel sweeping, water
changes and filter cleaning regularly.
<Good>
I generally do one of these every weekend, or sometimes I will wait
2 weeks.
<I would do the gravel vacuuming, water changes weekly. Check for
alkalinity/reserve... pH>
Any advice? Thanks so much for all of your help!!!
Kendra
<I do hope all these neotropicals learn to get along... do keep your
eyes open for too-much over aggression toward the Oscar, be ready to
move it. Bob Fenner>
Red Terror Cichlid repro., beh. 8/11/06
Hi,
I have a festae Cichlid, around 6-8 inches long, in a 120
gallon long tank. My question is; is there any way to tell if it is
a male or female?
<Mmm, maybe... like classic neotropical cichlids of all sorts, the
unpaired fins on the males are a bit longer, more pointed/attenuated
at the tips... Hard to tell w/o a female/comparison though>
It is living (relatively peacefully with 2 juvenile cichlids, a
Green Terror, and a Salvini, and 2 baby cichlids, a Firemouth, and a
Convict, and has not really been overall aggressive (any more an any
other average American cichlid) to any of the other fish. The fish
is colorful, but not overly so, and constantly "digs" pots, as
though getting ready to spawn, but has no mate, nor any other
unrelated cichlid in the tank of breeding age/size. In light of the
relatively peaceful temperament, and the digging, do you think I
have a male or a female, also, can this arrangement work long-term?
What about if I add an Oscar? Thanks in advance,
<Good question... Not able to say though... could be either from the
behavior, looks described. It isn't impossible to "mate" with other
cichlids... Bob Fenner>
Laetacara curviceps - split tail fin 7/25/06
Hello Crew
<Tim>
I recently bought a pair of Laetacara curviceps (actually suggested
by Chuck),
<Wish he'd get back from the ACA, American Cichlid Association
get-together>
currently in a tank with a pair of Blue Rams and a pair of
Apistogramma cacatuoides, and other fish.
They both have split tails - the tail is almost split in half, all
the way to the flesh. They both are very shy, although the male is
eating better than the female. The female seems to only eat when
food conveniently drops in front of it, though the male would
actually slowly swim after morsels of brine shrimp or flakes.
Do you think they are simply naturally shy or stressed/sick at the
moment?
<They're a bit of both>
Ammonia is currently zero, nitrite zero and nitrate 20 - will do a
water change shortly.
<Good>
The tail problem does not seem to be fin/tail rot. Would you be able
to advise what possibly could be the cause of this?
<Likely some bit of tussle>
Would Melafix help?
<Not worthwhile IMO>
What would you suggest to help the tails heal given that it does not
seem like fin/tail rot?
<A bit of salt, patience, good maintenance and close observation.
You may need to separate these new world cichlid species...>
What are the chances of complete recovery?
<Very good. The family has tremendous powers of regeneration>
Thanks again!
Tim
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Texas Cichlid Shedding His Skin 07/04/06
Hi. I am totally new to the whole experience of owning a fish and I started
out with a Texas cichlid. Now he is around the size of a hand span from wrist to
the second joint. I have him on a strict diet with a filter system and air
bubbles and the whole show. He was doing fine and recently (today) he began to
shed skin. Well that's what it looks like he is doing. He is not completely
covered but almost halfway covered in a white skin looking layer and is
steadily loosing the layer. The only problem is I can't tell if he is loosing
it or gaining more decaying skin. He still eats good and swims around when am
not looking right in front of the tank. He is even socialable with my other 3
convict cichlids. I guess am asking if you could tell me if he is really
shedding scales do to stress or some other issue or if he will be ok Thank you
very much Amanda
< Cichlids do not shed their skin like reptiles. Do a 50% water change, vacuum
the gravel and clean the filter. Treat the bacterial infection with
Nitrofuranace after the treatment the good bacteria will probably be affected
and you will need to add Bio Spira to get the biological filtration going
again.-Chuck>
My albino Oscar with stunned growth
Hello,
<Hi. Sabrina here, today.>
I have been reading your Q&A for some time now; I even have your web page on my
favorites.
<Wonderful, glad you enjoy it!>
I have a single Albino Oscar in a 55 Gallon tank, He used to have a Tiger Oscar
for a tank mate, but after separating them with a piece of Plexi glass because
of aggression towards the Albino I gave the Tiger away and let the Albino have
the whole tank to himself,
<Good plan - a 55 is pretty small for two Oscars, in the long run.>
his only other tank mates are these two bottom feeder fish with red fins (no
clue what type of bottom feeder they are)
<Though that description covers a *lot* of fish, check out
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/minnowshks.htm
, might be rainbow "sharks"?>
I used to have a Pleco in the tank, but one day my wife said she was looking in
there and saw the tail sticking out of Burney's mouth (the albino Oscar)
<Mmmm.... Pleco....>
We quickly assessed he was mad that we hadn't fed him live feeders in a few
days.
<"Feeder" fish are a pretty risky food item, and there are lots of better
feeding options. Look into frozen meaty foods, like Ocean Nutrition's "Formula
One", or frozen shrimp, prawns, scallops, etc., from the grocery store. If he
accepts dry foods, there are lots on the market that would do better for him
than risking introducing illness from feeders.>
According to the test kits we have, My PH is about 7.2, and Ammonia levels are
at 0. The tank is filtered with two Penguin 330 power filter; so I'm
circulating the tank about 12 times an hour.
<All good.>
Burney appears to be extremely happy, he has been living in the 55 gallon tank
sense we got him when he was about an inch long about 5 months ago, he swims
around from end to end and top to bottom; sometimes I look close to see if he
has a smile on his face...he just seems so full of life.
<Sounds like a happy, healthy fish!>
The only problem that I wonder about is that he looks like he hasn't grown
anymore, he is about 7- 71/2 inches from mouth to end of rear fin. I know that
a 55 gallon tank is small for an Albino that can reach lengths of about 14
inches
<And larger, occasionally!>
but under financial circumstances that's the largest I can accommodate right
now. Is it possible that he has stunned growth because of the size of his
present home; or is it possible that he could be a "runt of the litter";
<Both are entirely possible. Might also be due in part to the abuse the tiger
dealt to him earlier in life.>
I have already ruled out water quality because of knowing how well I take care
and change it, and his actions. Or do they just slow down growing?
<They do, yes. Healthier foods will probably help him out, here. If he is a
runt, consider yourself lucky - you may never have to upgrade tank size! It
sounds like he's very active and healthy; I would not worry about his small size
too much, sounds like he's just fine.>
have any ideas, thanks
<Better foods is the only major suggestion I can give you.>
I'm attaching a picture of Burney
<And a cutey, indeed! Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Help Blood Red Parrot Fish
Hi, I have two blood red parrot fish that I have had for about two years.
Here recently one has faded from a bright red to a very pale pink while the
other still maintains his color. I have changed the water several times and even
tested the pH. I don't know what the problem could be and I was wondering if you
could help me? Thanks.
< If everything else is fine and the fish is eating well and acting normal then
the problem is probably genetics. Your blood red parrot fish is a hybrid between
a couple different species of fish. One of them is a red devil that comes in
many different colors. Sometimes as the fish grows these colors change. Red
devils come in bright red, orange , pinkish white, white and grey. If all else
is well then you can ask your local fish store for some color enhancing food. It
may help but I think the pale pink color is hear to stay.-Chuck>
Green terror Cichlid Growth 8/30/05
Hi, I just recently got a green terror that is 2 inches long. Can you tell
me how fast they will actually grow?
< In a year it should be between 8 and 12 inches depending on the sex and
environmental factors.-Chuck.>
Midas Cichlid Darkening Up 10/6/05
Hi! I just purchased an orange Midas fish about four days ago. He seems to
be fine, very bossy, chasing the two Oscars around. I noticed today that his
tail and fin tip are turning black and that he has some black spots
underneath. Is this normal and what is it?
Thanks, Lori
< Could simply be genetics or diet. Change the diet to see if it goes away.
Probably not a disease.-Chuck>
Cichlid Digging Causing Problems 11/3/05
Hello Crew, I have a tank of 4 cichlids, and currently one of the South
American Cichlids has burrowed under the rock formation in the tank. I assumed
that the fish was going to be laying eggs. She has recently exhibited what looks
like bruises on her side and then a day later red gills. I just wanted to know
if this should be cause for alarm?
< Depends on the species. Some spawning behavior does include some color changes
that may be misinterpreted as a bruise.>
( is she being hurt through her digging process) Or if this is the norm. The
behavior patterns are normal for a pregnant fish, she eats at feeding time and
then goes back in her nest.
< Find out the species name and we can help determine if there is really a
problem.> I also wanted to take a minute out to say, "Thank You." your site has
lots of useful information on it.
< We appreciate your kind words.-Chuck>
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