Cichlid Info please?

JenniferMayer05

JenniferMayer05

New Fish
#1
Dec 11, 2006
3
0
0
Grangeville, Idaho
#1
:confused: I just got two cichlids over the holidays. I have a Tiger Oscar Cichlid, and a Jewled Cichlid. I would like to know what is the best diet and how many different formulas should you feed, what types. I also would like to know about water quality. I know there temp. is 72-80 F. I also know the PH is 7 with soft water quality. I would like to know what kind of chimicals you should use for them and who are the makers. We are currently feeding them floating pellets by Wardly, blood worms, and tropical flake food. We are treating the water with strees coat, stress zyme and kent cichlid chemistry. I some how think that these fish are more complicated then that though. Any helpful hints would be great. These are my first two. Oh and safe tank mates too please! I have one African Butterfly and three Dregon Ell's in with them, they are all doing fine, but we would like to expand the tank with a few more fish. Any tips on this would also be great. We cannot seem to find an alge eater that is compatible any help on this? It is 55gal tank too btw.
 

J

joker1857

Small Fish
#2
Jan 8, 2006
30
0
0
#2
everything seems fine to me except IMO the oscar will get too big for the 55gal. i dont use any chemicals in my cichlid tanks except stress coat during water changes. i dont know much about the butterfly, jewel or the eel(?).

hth
 

Kephren01

Kephren01

Large Fish
#3
Aug 29, 2006
134
0
0
New Jersey
#3
hmmm... Well I've been told on countless occasions never to mix Oscars with anything... South American with African don't "usually" mix. I had a few jewels in with my Africans, they seemed to do fine, pretty fish. I do not know the butterfly or Ell. Also with the chemicals, I agree with joker. You don't need them. Some stress coat during a water change, but that's it. Cichlids are pretty hardy fish. Though it is recommended to do water changes and clean your tank regularly, I know plenty of people who don't touch it for months at a time and the fish do great (as long as nothing actually does go wrong disease wise). Algae eater wise, wait a couple months, get some algea build up, or get algae wafers. But I would look at a pleco, that is what most people have. I have a stripped rafael which is pretty neat, but he isn't an algae guy he's a bottom feeder more catfish. As far as other fish, this chart is pretty decent for what you can mix within breeds.

Freshwater & Brackish Compatibility Chart

oh and check your Ph... you said around 7... I know at least for africans its supposed to be on the higher side, I try to keep mine around 8.2. Make sure you are distinguishing between Cichlid and Tropical. Different life style, food, and you need to have salt in the tank (but not a salt water tank). Most people have food preferences... I personally switch between floating pellets, flakes, crumbles, and frozen stuff of sort. I just make sure they all say they are for Cichlids.

hope that helps, happy new year
 

Katie217

Katie217

Superstar Fish
#6
Jul 15, 2006
2,494
5
0
Florida
#6
Ok, I see a few problems in this situation, that can be fixed....
First of all you should know where your cichlids are from in the wild, to try and make the best environment for them... Oscars are from South America, in the Amazon river. Jewel cichlids are an African cichlid that live in rivers also.
Oscars need a variety in their food, get some good quality cichlid food from the LFS and that should be good. Same with the Jewels.
Water Quality...
Both fish need good water quality to thrive, this can be hard with Oscars especially because they are known to be rather... "messy" in their eating habits. That is why they also require a large tank, not only because of their large size, it also has to do with bioload. You dont need to use any chemicals in a tank, except for a good water conditioner (takes out chlorine, chloramine, etc) PH buffers and other chemicals should not be used. A stable PH is better then a PH that changes often.
The African Butterfly fish will for sure get attacked and eaten by either the Oscar or the Jewel sooner or later as will the Dragon Eels...(never heard of Dragon eels personally)
Oscars grow to a very large size, about 12 inches as an adult, that is why most people reccomend a 75gal+ for Oscars. Jewels get to around 6inches. For your tank, it is already over-stocked so therefore, no more fish for you! ;)
I would take out the Jewel and all of the other fish, and keep the Oscar alone, but even then, a 55gal is not exactly perfect for the Oscar.
That was for the first initial post... Now in response to Kephren01...
Oscars can infact, be mixed with other fish from the same area of the world. But that is not a common occurance because of the sheer size that Oscars grow too, therefore they are usually kept alone in tanks, or in a large tank with 2 Oscars. South American and African NEVER mix, totally different water quality etc. Just should never be done. Since Oscars are such messy fish, water changes weekly or more if possible are a must. Other wise disease could result in bad water quality. A pleco in that tank will just add to the bioload, you dont NEED algae eaters. Nothing cleans a tank better then a little elbow grease ;)
Yes Kephren, Africans do like a higher PH, but just as long as the PH is stable constantly, that should be ok. The higher PH is ideal though. Salt is not NEEDED in the tank, it is usually used for medicinal purposes.
I think I've covered everything...If I havnt let me know ;)
 

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