small hardy cichlids

[dbacksrat]

i've been having a lot of trouble keeping my community fish alive, and i'm wondering if the fact that they are all soft water fish and being in my tank (7.8 pH, very hard water) may be the problem

i was wondering what cichlids stay small (must be able to fit in a 20 gallon high), are very hardy, and commonly available

i was looking at the fish profiles but i was not sure whether these cichlids were hardy or available locally

thanks in advance for your reply

 

[1979camaro]

some of the dwarf africans are small and would fit the bill...but i somehow doubt it is the 7.8 pH that is killing your fish...as long as you acclimate them properly they should survive just fine in harder water

 

[Purple]

your present fish are fine at 7.8 - that 'aint the problem

 

[TaffyFish]

i was wondering what cichlids stay small (must be able to fit in a 20 gallon high), are very hardy, and commonly available

neolamprologus multifasciatus, I keep a colony of these compelling shell-dwellers in a tank very similar to a 20H

I happen to agree with the others though, the pH and hardness of your water are not the reasons why your present fish are dying.

 

[S.Reef]

Neolamprologus multifasciatus are perfect for a 20 tall.

 

[dbacksrat]

thanks guys--if things continue to go south, and there suddenly is an opening in my tank, then i'll look into obtaining some neolamprologus multifasciatus (wow)

i guess everyone is dying because the tiger barbs are making everyone miserable--i've seen them chase cories around and nip fins dozens of times

 

[1979camaro]

somehow i doubt that is it either...cories are pretty tough little guys too...that might kill an otto i suppose...sounds to me like something else...what are your other water parameters?

 

[dbacksrat]

ammonia is pretty close to zero, nitrite is zero
i dont have a nitrate test kit--i wonder if that's the problem
temp is about 80 degrees

 

[Orion]

So long as you do regular water changes then the nitrates would most likely not be a problem.

The Tiger barbs may have caused a few fish some undue stress, and may have done some fish in, however as camaro said it is unlikely.

 

[dbacksrat]

then i guess i'm out of ideas as to why my fish are dying

 

[1979camaro]

you do use dechlor right? best bet is to test the nitrates just to be sure...maybe your tap has nitrates in it...some does

 

[TaffyFish]

No fishkeeper should be without a nitrate test kit. As 1979camaro says check your tank and your tap water.

 

[Purple]

If you can give us a complete run down of whats in your tank, we should be able to pin this down. Otherwise you risk losing the multis as well.

Tets readings including nitrate, ornaments, filter, substrate, cleaning and water change scedules, de-chlor, feeding, and a pic would really help out too.

Sounds like a lot of typing - but it'll be worth it to get this sorted out.

 

[Cichlidian]

I dont think pH'd really be a prob until its stable. Lots of people hv kept softwater fishes in fairly hard water. As purple pointed out u could get it sorted out with more details. Primary enemies for any tank are Chlorine, ammonia, nitrite and to a lesser extend nitrates. If they're kept to nearing 0 levels tanks will not possibly hv a prob.

 

[dbacksrat]

i use that Amquel Plus stuff for chloramines, chlorine, etc, etc--i dont know if it actually works though

deaths that were my fault-- 1 otto (fried in a heater/heat wave fiasco)
1 cory- sucked up in the gravel siphon (probably died from extreme stress)

deaths i had no factor in (or too stupid to understand and correct the problem)
1 tiger barb kinda had a slight deformity in his spine i didnt notice until weeks after he was in the tank--i dont know if this was a factor in his death
1 tiger barb- maybe at the bottom of Tiger Barb society
2 cories- probably victims of extreme tiger barb abuse (or succumbed to secondary infections that went unnoticed)

its kinda nice to get this problem sorted out in the cichlid section

 

[TaffyFish]

nothing conclusive in that dbacksrat, but you could still do with a nitrate test kit.

Setting up for multies requires the following steps:-
1. find new home for existing fish
2. set up tank with sand substrate, some rockwork and lots of shells - escargot shells work well - get around a dozen or so for a 20 and arrange them in groups rather than spread around evenly and singly. You don't need any plants though multies will not eat or dig them out unless they are right next to their shell.
3. locate and buy your multies, 1m and 1 or 2f would be fine to start you off. If your set up is right you'll soon have plenty more
4. best if you set up your filter to create a little current in the tank, multies prefer to feed on stuff floating past their shells rather than picking flake off the surface. Do not create so much current that they can hardly keep up, typical behaviour is that they kind of float just above their shells, rarely straying far from their home shell.
5. they don't require dithering even though they are a timid fish and may well dash for their shells as soon as you approach. They will get used to you in time but don't place the tank in a high traffic area.
6. multies are harem spawners and the male will be happy eventually with 5 or 6 breeding females in this size of tank (only 1 or 2 to start with though). juvenile males will be cast out to the upper areas of the tank or to the separate rockwork (as high as possible) that you'll create. Use resin rockwork if this is not possible with real.
best wishes for a successful tank

 

[blueturq]

You could try convicts they are somewhat small and hardy, but they are VERY aggressive despite their size


You could try Keyhole cichlids(VERY hardy and peaceful) and they don't get big(4-5 inches max, and that's just the males, the females are smaller)

 

[wayne]

I can give you a long list of fish, all of which is irrelevant. Where do you live, and are there any decent shops near you? I would have thought shelldwellers would be ok, and there are others.
So what's the setup know - a 20 gallon , with moderately high pH and some tiger barbs? Any idea how soft or hard the water is?

 

[Velvet AciD]

Now, living in Phoenix I do know that there are alot of things in the water that make people advise others by saying, 'Don't drink the water'.

We had a bout of some serious disease in the water system that was affecting some people in the Valley, I can't see how that would not affect fish. Call your water company and ask them for a detailed water analyasis to see if something MIGHT be the problem. Otherwise, I'd just be more consiencious about what was going in my tank.

 

[dbacksrat]

sorry i havent been responding to any of your posts--i got grounded for something, then i've had soooooo much homework (mostly in college algebra and english)
the water is definetly hard--very hard
velvet acid--people were getting sick w/ meningitis from only a certain water company--only 2 people died, but that was at least a couple years ago
a couple of days ago, a big news story came out, and it said the county has not been testing the water as diligently as it should be

when i hold a glass of water up to the light, its kinda scary what i see