Hello. I have a freshwater tank and have 2 cichlids, one convict, the other is orange. I also have two redfin sharks in the tank with them.. it is a 25 or so gallon tank, established, and I have had them all for a while. My problem is that I can't seem to get the tank right. My ph and everything is always off, too low, my water sucks, and I've tried everything to get it right. Water changes, aquarium salt, stress stuff, etc...my nitrites and nitrates are high, ph too low. They don't seem stressed out all the time, but I know they have to be. Nothing gets it where it should be. The fish seem fine, but the convict cihlid changes colors alot, loses his color and then it will come back. The orange cichlid is aggressive and chases him all over. The sharks don't bother with them, and visa versa. I don't want to keep adding chemicals all the time and kill them or something. I keep adding ph up and it's not working at all it seems. Should I let it be, or what?? I never knew a tank was such a process!! What is the simplest way, and what exactly should I be using on a regular basis to get this tank to where it should be??
cichlids
- Thread starter Adrienne
- Start date
Ph up and down are not a way to go because of pH rebound. my recommendation is to read more up on the relationship between pH, KH, and GH.
Also i would pick fish based on the statistics of my tap water, so that i dont have to go through the trouble and money of messing with the water chemistry. Red tailed sharks cant be happy in a small tank like that, and will out grow it. as they grow they will likely feel too much pressure, get stunted and die. i'd relocate them to a tank of about 70 gallons or even more.
The only thing i find you should be using in your tank is water conditioner. literally thats it. if you add something else you run the risk of something unwanted happening. best thing to do is to cycle a tank with the ammonia method, then after it reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, you do water changes until you get below 20ppm nitrates, and then youre done. take a reading of the pH and see what kind of fish would prefer that, and run with it. I believe youre making the experience of fish keeping much more complicated for yourself that it really needs to be.
Like i said before test your tap waters parameters and see what pH, GH, and KH you get.
and of course wait for more feedback, cuz my opinions might not be so accurate.
Also i would pick fish based on the statistics of my tap water, so that i dont have to go through the trouble and money of messing with the water chemistry. Red tailed sharks cant be happy in a small tank like that, and will out grow it. as they grow they will likely feel too much pressure, get stunted and die. i'd relocate them to a tank of about 70 gallons or even more.
The only thing i find you should be using in your tank is water conditioner. literally thats it. if you add something else you run the risk of something unwanted happening. best thing to do is to cycle a tank with the ammonia method, then after it reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, you do water changes until you get below 20ppm nitrates, and then youre done. take a reading of the pH and see what kind of fish would prefer that, and run with it. I believe youre making the experience of fish keeping much more complicated for yourself that it really needs to be.
Like i said before test your tap waters parameters and see what pH, GH, and KH you get.
and of course wait for more feedback, cuz my opinions might not be so accurate.
yes adding chemicals is usually not a good idea in the long run. It apears your tank is not properly cycled and that is your first problem. Search around and find out about the nitrogen cycle and cycling a new tank if you don't know about it.
Cichlids are cool fish to keep but there is some extra work involved. If you are going to keep afican cichlids you should set the tank up properly and keep just them in the tank. 25 gal is a bit small so you won't be able to have a lot, although they are smaller then south americans. They do prefere higher pH water and will show better color this way. You can get crushed coral to add to your substrate to maintain the higher pH. Also a pile of rocks for them to hid in will make them much more comfortable, make sure it is stable. Also these fish will dig in the substrate so making the rock pile then adding the substrate is a good idea so the rocks don't shift form digging.
make sure to check compatiablity when getting fish, some african cichlids get along better then others which is important with a small tank. If you can return the fish it might be a good idea so you can get the tank set up properly and have healthy fish. Also it would be best to drip acclimate the fish since your water conditions will probably be different then the fish store.
Cichlids are cool fish to keep but there is some extra work involved. If you are going to keep afican cichlids you should set the tank up properly and keep just them in the tank. 25 gal is a bit small so you won't be able to have a lot, although they are smaller then south americans. They do prefere higher pH water and will show better color this way. You can get crushed coral to add to your substrate to maintain the higher pH. Also a pile of rocks for them to hid in will make them much more comfortable, make sure it is stable. Also these fish will dig in the substrate so making the rock pile then adding the substrate is a good idea so the rocks don't shift form digging.
make sure to check compatiablity when getting fish, some african cichlids get along better then others which is important with a small tank. If you can return the fish it might be a good idea so you can get the tank set up properly and have healthy fish. Also it would be best to drip acclimate the fish since your water conditions will probably be different then the fish store.
here are some well put together instructions http://www.drsfostersmith.com/VideoCenter/printable_instructions.cfm?videoid=176 you can use an airline with a few knots tied in it. I don't float the bag since the drip will even out the temp.
The put the contents in a bucket
set up the tube to drip into the bucket 2-4 drips per second
Water volume doubles pull out half, do this again. then put the contents into the tank.
I do this for more sensitive fish like otos and neons, or if i know my tank paramaters are different. LFS has the same tap water so for most fish it's not a big deal, but if you get live stock shipped to you or have sensitive live stock it is very useful.
The put the contents in a bucket
set up the tube to drip into the bucket 2-4 drips per second
Water volume doubles pull out half, do this again. then put the contents into the tank.
I do this for more sensitive fish like otos and neons, or if i know my tank paramaters are different. LFS has the same tap water so for most fish it's not a big deal, but if you get live stock shipped to you or have sensitive live stock it is very useful.
Without considering your other issue (incomplete cycle)
Your tank is WAY to small for the fish you have. The convict alone needs that whole tank and some to himself. He can be kept with other fish but in a much larger tank. He make look like he has enough room but he doesn't and he'll only get bigger.
The orange cichlid is hard to say without knowing what it is. However he too has not got enough space and must be a larger or more aggressive fish, so he is dominant and bullying the convict. SPACE is your biggest problem. Even if these 2 cichlids are compatible to be kept together the size issue will not allow it. The likely hood is that the convict will eventually be bullied to death due to stress.
The two sharks you have are known to be very territorial and aggressive fish and intolerant of their own kind as they grow. The cichlids should be able to hold their own in any physical dispute however keeping a territorial fish in such cramped conditions with two, already pi**ed off cichlids, is only going to end badly.
Get a bigger tank asap. gl
Your tank is WAY to small for the fish you have. The convict alone needs that whole tank and some to himself. He can be kept with other fish but in a much larger tank. He make look like he has enough room but he doesn't and he'll only get bigger.
The orange cichlid is hard to say without knowing what it is. However he too has not got enough space and must be a larger or more aggressive fish, so he is dominant and bullying the convict. SPACE is your biggest problem. Even if these 2 cichlids are compatible to be kept together the size issue will not allow it. The likely hood is that the convict will eventually be bullied to death due to stress.
The two sharks you have are known to be very territorial and aggressive fish and intolerant of their own kind as they grow. The cichlids should be able to hold their own in any physical dispute however keeping a territorial fish in such cramped conditions with two, already pi**ed off cichlids, is only going to end badly.
Get a bigger tank asap. gl
This is a super place to get great info from real experts. I can't help you with your cichlid issue except to agree that your tank is too small for what you have, unfortunately. Follow the advice you are receiving here, ask lots more questions, and don't feel bad that you might have made some mistakes - most of us have too!
Just realize that for the health of your fish you should try to follow the advice people are going to give you here, as much as you might not want to.
And welcome to the forum!
Cheers,
Laura
Follow the advice you are receiving here, ask lots more questions, and don't feel bad that you might have made some mistakes - most of us have too!Just realize that for the health of your fish you should try to follow the advice people are going to give you here, as much as you might not want to.
And welcome to the forum!
Cheers,
Laura
It's funny because I just joined this site yesterday and I seem to have this problem sometimes. Some of the products out there that automatically raise the pH kinda work, but it seems to irritate my cichlids. Try adding some ocean rock (I can't remember the exact name of the kind of rock I have), something that will give off carbonates as it sits there in the tank, which should help raise the pH and hold it there. The other thing that might work, and I have yet to do is add some sort of crushed coral substrate which does the same thing as the rock.
It's funny because I just joined this site yesterday and I seem to have this problem sometimes. Some of the products out there that automatically raise the pH kinda work, but it seems to irritate my cichlids. Baking soda apparently does the same thing as those products but I haven't tried it (yet) so I'd look into that one.Try adding some ocean rock (I can't remember the exact name of the kind of rock I have), something that will give off carbonates as it sits there in the tank, which should help raise the pH and hold it there. The other thing that might work, and I have yet to do is add some sort of crushed coral substrate which does the same thing as the rock.
