I have 4 baby cichlid fishes in a 5 galloon tank, with rocks, and plenty of plants. I notice abnormal behavior in one of the yellow ones I have. First off, he stays in the water vertically with his tail on the bottom, and his head on the top, when he swims it seems as if he's weak and runs into things, and was swimming kind of sideways. he is actually just staying in one area at the moment, but i also notice around his eyes are starting to turn black. please help me. i dont know what to do.
PLEASE HELP!!! I'm NEW at this, and I think my cichlid fish is dying!!! WHAT DO I DO?
- Thread starter cichlid noobie
- Start date
I would say change a gallon of water, and do it again in a couple of hours, and again a couple hours later as iI'm guessing ammonia poisoning.
How are the other three fish?
How long has the tank been setup
What filter, temperature
How long have you had them
In all honesty trying to keep cichlids in a 5 gallon is likely to end in disaster sooner rather than later except for some of the tiniest dwarfs
How are the other three fish?
How long has the tank been setup
What filter, temperature
How long have you had them
In all honesty trying to keep cichlids in a 5 gallon is likely to end in disaster sooner rather than later except for some of the tiniest dwarfs
okay, well i called a fish tank store by my house, and they said that i needed a water pump. i didnt get one to begin with because the tank i purchased from petco came with the basic stuff i figured i would need. (whisper filter, water conditioner, and light bulb) i isolated him by himself with the water pump and he seemed to have gained a bit more energy then when he was in his original tank. however now that i just placed him back in the tank, he seems to just be floating vertically. i also added some drops of water conditioner in the tank. the tank has been setup for maybe a good 3 weeks now. i've had the fishes for maybe 2-3 weeks. when i first set up my tank, i allowed for the water to set in for a good week before purchasing the 4 fishes. the other 3 are just fine. it seems to be just that one yellow one thats acting sick.
Why dont you read up on cycling? You can start with the sticky threads at the top of the beginner forum. Your water goes through a cycle dealing with the waste that your fish put out...like Wayne said, when your fish produce waste it is turned into nitrite by bacteria, and then that nitrite is turned into nitrate....ammonia and nitrite are harmful to your fish. When you first set up a tank the bacteria that convert your fish waste to nitrates do not exist...so your ammonia goes up really high, then your nitrite goes up really high...and then finally they turn to nitrates which you take out through water changes.
So...your next trip to the store...I wouldn't listen to the pet store people...in general they have no idea what they're talking about. The whisper filter on your tank was PLENTY for the tank...and not a bad little filter. No additional water pump necessary.
You should pick up an ammonia and a nitrite test kit...dropper kinds are the best and easiest to read (as opposed to the test strips that are more expensive and not as easy as they seem).
Good Luck!
So...your next trip to the store...I wouldn't listen to the pet store people...in general they have no idea what they're talking about. The whisper filter on your tank was PLENTY for the tank...and not a bad little filter. No additional water pump necessary.
You should pick up an ammonia and a nitrite test kit...dropper kinds are the best and easiest to read (as opposed to the test strips that are more expensive and not as easy as they seem).
Good Luck!
This happened to my mom when she set up her tank.
She doesn't have Cichlids, just some tropicals, but she overstocked her 25 gallon tank with about 20 fish, right off the bat...
She now has two other tanks set up with most of her fish in there so her big one can cycle....
She freaked out when she got a bacteria bloom...and changed all of the water.
Doh!!!
She doesn't have Cichlids, just some tropicals, but she overstocked her 25 gallon tank with about 20 fish, right off the bat...
She now has two other tanks set up with most of her fish in there so her big one can cycle....
She freaked out when she got a bacteria bloom...and changed all of the water.
Doh!!!