Have lost 3 cichlids in 1 week (sniff)

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
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The Blue Planet
#1
Things were going along so wonderfully. Fish were happy - when I would sit at the table for dinner they would swim to the corner and hang there. Cool.

Then I found a small blue (I have no idea what it was - looked like a lab?) kind of floating just above the substrate. It was still alive - but not by much. There were no outward signs of disease, no wounds. Water chemistries good (see bottom of post for most up to date test results) I didn't want to risk the rest of the tank - so I removed him (RIP)

It was that day that I noticed that the fish were hiding again - as if they were upset about losing a tank mate.
Weird. Whatever.

Within 3 days, same story - different fish. This time it was one of the large blue cichlids. And everyone is hiding. When it's feeding time - only a couple of them come out, the others wait for the little pellets to sink to them, and then they eat them up. Real weird.

So tonight I'm checking out the tank, and there is this upside down face staring at me from one of the caves: another victim. I looked at this one for a long time, and decided that it might be a little bloated - but that could be because it's been in there for a while... with them hiding it's hard to keep track of who's in there.

I watched the tank very closely, and there is a yellow one that is not eating and not hanging out with the guys. I'm guessing he's next. From the outside he looks fine - I am perplexed.

Test Results: (as of 11/5 pm)
ammonia negative
nitrate around 10ppm
temp steady around 79F
pH about 7.8

environment
55 gal
lots of rocks and caves
some pygmy swords, val, java fern, java moss, african fern, hygro
1 bottle DIY CO2
Lighting: 2 40W 48" tubes

Food: (2X day, 6 days/week very small portion)
Tetra Cichlid flakes
Vibragro Cichlid small pellet
 

luvfishies

luvfishies

Large Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
615
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60
Belleville, Ontario, Canada
www.skwij.ca
#2
Hmmm. this is odd. I would test your hardnesses to see where they're at. I would also start to feed veggies.

Is there any possibility that a contaminant has gotten into the tank (dining room? Polish? stuff like that?). I would add fresh carbon after a large waterchange just to be on the safe side.
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
386
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0
The Blue Planet
#4
Vegies I can do, pics I can't

Yeh - I was thinking the old M. bloat, but wasn't sure.
I'll check KH and GH tonight.
As for the vegies, I see folks on the board describing things such as "shelled peas". OK - does this mean fresh peas, from the pod?
fresh peas, from the pod, then "peeled"?

can frozen peas be used? should those be "peeled"?
are the peas cooked? If fresh peas, how long to cook, if frozen how long?

I also see things such as Romain lettuce - that's a no brainer. What else? Other freshie suggestions would be appreciated.

Pictures, pictures.
1) Have no digi cam
2) I didn't keep the dead fish
3) I have not been able to figure out what these fish are! I'll check that site and get back to you.

Thanks - My site specs are now down to:
"2 days without a fish death"
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
386
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0
The Blue Planet
#7
Test Results

KH = 13 drops = 232.7
GH = 8 drops = 143.2

I'm under the impression (from the reading I have done) that that KH should be OK for Rift Lake Cichlids. I still need to identify these guys to be sure.

Regarding the pellets: Soak? These pellets are so small they shouldn't be called pellets. It should be called powder. Really. It's much smaller than the baby pellets that I feed my Bettas. And the stuff sink almost immediately, I'm guessing that if I soaked it it would become mud and sink like a stone. But if that's what I need to do, OK...

And I forgot to mention the vegie flakes. I do mix in some vegie flakes that are "high" in spirulina (sp?)
I was breaking up a few algae wafers every now and then, but they didn't seem interested.

One other item that occured to me. We have a large water softner system that conditions the water for the entire house. The tap water is very soft - that's why I spent a load of money on the African Cichlid gravel, which stabilized the pH and KH very well. And it has been steady. But I was a little concerned about trace elements, so have recently started using Kent AF Cichlid Rift Lakr Trace Elements. I have checked the bottle and there is no expiration date, but it is weird. Think I'll contact the manufacturer and see what they have to say...

Action plan:
Vegies - how often?
Contact Kent

I'm also going to clean the filter and add some carbon. Currently there is notyhing but filter foam, floss, and ceramic rings in the canister baskets. This is the tank I fishless cycled for many weeks, and felt things were stable enough that carbon wasn't required. I don't use it in my community tank - just floss, and that one "has had a fish death in over", heck, I can't remember. That's pretty good for me!
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
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#9
The fact your whole house is on a water softening system is very worrying - these normally work by replacing one type of dissolved salt (carbonate hardness') for another. This is typically a chloride and this artificially softenend water has been linked to malawi bloat. Not good - consult a water chemistry expert - go to www.wetwebmedia.com, if you can't find it in there, mail them. It's no good for softwaer fish either as it still has a very high dissolved salts content, you're just not meassuring them.
How hard is the water going into your softening system? Where do you live, and what's your local geology (it's not Texas is it). Your input water may be perfect for Rift Valley fish, but the whole softening business is ruining it.
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#10
Latest Update

Haven't gotten to testing tap and pre-treated water yet.
I will do it soon.
(Spouse was away, had to handle the boys myself, it was rainy and cold all weekend...)

I did clean the filter last week, it needed it. And I have gotten some peas. I felt guilty so I got fresh peas. Clerk at grocery store thought I was nuts buying 5 pea pods.
I cooked the peas about 1 minute in the microwave - let them cool - skinned a couple and then smooshed them into small pieces. I don't have to tell you how those peas were attacked, it was something to see!

And remember the one I expected to die? He's still with us. Today he was swimming around more than I have seen in the past week. And he was eating. Eating peas. :eek: Gasp! I'm a bad cichlid mother, I haven't been giving them what they need!

So. How often should the freshies be offered?
Any other suggestions on food would be appreciated.
As soon as I get those test results I'll post them.

Bon Soir!
 

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