Question about stock

[whisnantrider]

Hi Guys,
New to the site and new to the aquarium world as well so bear with me if my questions are somewhat silly.

I have a 55gal fresh water tank using a wet/dry setup with a 600gph pump. I have had the tank set up for 2 months 2 weeks with decor and water, 2 weeks with about 15 rosy reds to help get the bacteria going and the past month i have removed the rosy reds and added the fish that are currently in there: 2-3" Blood parrot cichlids (one Blue that is very cool but not doing to well), 2" and 1"african cichlid, 3" pleco and 1 4" redfin tinfoil barb.

Also it is a sand bottom with plenty of hiding places and 6 live plants.

Could you guys tell me about how many fish I could add if any? I would like some armored cats but I'm scared to overload the aquarium. One shop told me that it would be fine to add several more but I would like an opinion from someone thats not trying to make money.

Thus far every one seems to be getting along just fine. The Red Blood Parrot Cichlid is a little aggresive from time to time but for the most part he's fine.

Also the Blue Parrot Cichlid seems to be sick for about a week he has had his eyes glassed over and just kindda sits in one spot. Can someone point me in the right direction on this. I have searched the web and can't really find a clear answer.

Thanks alot guys and sorry for the long post,
Matt*PEACE!*

 

[Fishman1995]

What species are the AFricans, i hope its nothing that can get really agressive

 

[jamiejay09]

Welcome to the forum,

Now first, how many blood parrots do you have exactly? They prefer being kept in large groups and need a very large tank to be happy. What species of African Cichlids do you have? some species can be/become extremely agressive and territorial, if you dont know what the species are post pics to this thread and either me or another forum member will name them for you and give details on their needs.

 

[misterking]

Hi Guys,
New to the site and new to the aquarium world as well so bear with me if my questions are somewhat silly.

I have a 55gal fresh water tank using a wet/dry setup with a 600gph pump. I have had the tank set up for 2 months 2 weeks with decor and water, 2 weeks with about 15 rosy reds to help get the bacteria going and the past month i have removed the rosy reds and added the fish that are currently in there: 2-3" Blood parrot cichlids (one Blue that is very cool but not doing to well), 2" and 1"african cichlid, 3" pleco and 1 4" redfin tinfoil barb.

Also it is a sand bottom with plenty of hiding places and 6 live plants.

Could you guys tell me about how many fish I could add if any? I would like some armored cats but I'm scared to overload the aquarium. One shop told me that it would be fine to add several more but I would like an opinion from someone thats not trying to make money.

Thus far every one seems to be getting along just fine. The Red Blood Parrot Cichlid is a little aggresive from time to time but for the most part he's fine.

Also the Blue Parrot Cichlid seems to be sick for about a week he has had his eyes glassed over and just kindda sits in one spot. Can someone point me in the right direction on this. I have searched the web and can't really find a clear answer.

Thanks alot guys and sorry for the long post,
Matt*PEACE!*

Hey Matt, welcome to the forum!

Don't worry - your questions aren't silly at all. However there are a few issues I can see coming up with your current stocking.

It would seem you did a "fish in" cycle - do you know what the cycle is, as you're new to fishkeeping? Do you test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in your water? If so, could you post the readings you get from these tests?

Anyway, the issues with your stocking. The blood parrot I assume is dyed, hence the blue colour.. this is more than likely causing the illness you're seeing. Dying fish is done by injecting them with colour which weakens their immune system. If you want blood parrots, make sure you buy the natural colour or you'll end up with sick fish as you're seeing now.

Also, tonfoil barbs need to be in groups. Not only that, they grow to around 45cm and therefore aren't very suitable for the average aquarium, it will eventually outgrow your tank. The same applies for your pleco - depending on what kind it is, it could grow to 2 feet long. Could you either post pics, or describe it so we can try and identify it?

As fishman rightly said, the african cichlid will likely get very aggressive. Aside from this, they require slightly different water parameters (higher pH and harder water) than the other fish in your tank to do really well. Personally I'd try and rehome him, along with the tinfoil barb and (if it is in fact a tank-buster) your pleco.

Hope I haven't overloaded you with info - but I'd first make these changes before you think about adding new fish, and try and find out what's wrong with your blood parrot.

Oh and one thing, wet/dry setup? What do you mean by this?

 

[whisnantrider]

Ok well the Blue Parrot Cichlid just died so thats semi solved I guess just hope it doesn't affect anyone else. The barb is a Red Fin Tinfoil Barb. He was given to me when I bought the other fish because i know the guy and he has had him for a long time. The web search shows they will get to about 8" I took him to get him out of the little tank they had him in at the store. I figured I would see how it went and then if he gets to big I would give him to my friend who has a 200 or 250 gallon fresh water tank. As far as the Cichlids Petsmart had them listed as just African Cichlids im not sure how to post pics I will try to figure it out tonight so check back to see. I had the water tested by petsmart and they said the nitrites were a little high but sold me the stuff to correct it and advised me to make sure I keep up with my regular water changes.

I only have 1 Blood Parrot Cichlid as the other one(the one with the glazed eyes) just died.

 

[whisnantrider]

Here are the two "African" Cichlids

 

[littletankbigworld]

You need to purchase a liquid test kit in order to cycle your tank and monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Having the pet store test your water is highly unreliable and they, more often than not, will inform you that your water is "fine", when it really isn't.
Nitrites must be 0. A little high is too high and can be deadly to fish. You need to cycle your tank. No amount of bottled bacteria or whatnot from the pet store can correct your problem. Pet stores usually don't care about your fish because they want you to give you poor advice so you will buy their useless products and purchase more fish when yours die.