Hi All,
I've got a relatively new tank (about a month and a half old) and I've already lost three fish.
First, I had a yellow lab (about 1.5cm) with a patch on its stomach that never healed. It stopped eating, sat at the bottom, and was breathing hard. I figured it was an ulcer, so I separated it before it died.
Then Johanni #1 (about 1.8cm) started sitting at the bottom, stopped eating, and died a day later.
Johanni #2 (about 1.5cm) was fine until I added the Demasoni. After that, it started sitting in one spot, eating less, and breathing heavily before it disappeared and was found dead.
Now, here's my tank's current situation:
60-gallon tank with two 350-gallon Mariner filters
Heated tank temperature: 80°F
Ammonia levels: 0-.25
pH: 7.8
Nitrite levels were high (dark purple), but I added two cups of Micro Lift yesterday to bring them down
Water change was done a week ago with 25% Prime and added bacteria
I was feeding the fish daily, but was told that's too much for their size (0.7-1.5 inches), so I'm switching to every three days
My fish stock:
4 yellow labs (one pregnant, one recently added)
4 Demasoni
2 Johanni
2 kenyi (one recently added)
4 molly
Right now, I've got a 1.5-inch Demasoni sitting at the bottom of the tank. If I tap the glass, it barely moves, but if another fish swims near, it'll move a bit before going back to the same spot. It's not interested in food, but looks healthy with clear black eyes and no patches or bloating.
I've also got a 1.5-inch Johanni that was the most dominant fish until the Demasoni arrived. Now it mostly hides in a rock and doesn't seem interested in food either. My mollys are getting attacked, and I think the Johanni might be eating them. It looks healthy with clear black eyes, but I think it might be bloated.
Other than that, all the other fish are swimming fine with no issues. Any ideas what could be going on?
Photos of Johanni and Demasoni
African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
I think the key issue here is that your tank might not have been fully cycled before adding fish, which could be causing ammonia and nitrite poisoning.
When I set up my tank, I made sure to get the filters established before introducing the fish. If you didn't do this, it could be the reason behind the fish suffering.
In my opinion, if you ever notice ammonia or nitrite levels above 0, or nitrate levels above 20, you should do a 75% water change and a thorough gravel clean. Same thing if you lose a fish or notice any discoloration - a big water change and gravel clean can work wonders.
Also, make sure the new water you add is free of chlorine and chloramine before putting it in the tank.
For a new tank with establishing filters, I'd recommend feeding only a couple of times a week and doing a large water change about 4-8 hours after feeding. Once the filters are established, you can increase feeding frequency - adult fish once a day, and young fish at least three times a day. Just remember to remove uneaten food and keep an eye on those ammonia and nitrite levels.
By the way, I noticed the blue fish in your picture seems to have cream-colored lips - is that just the photo, or is that really the case? Cream-colored lips can be a sign of poor water quality or a bacterial infection. I'd suggest doing a big 75% water change and gravel clean today, and see how the fish looks a few hours later. If it's just poor water quality, the fish should show some improvement after the water change.
When I set up my tank, I made sure to get the filters established before introducing the fish. If you didn't do this, it could be the reason behind the fish suffering.
In my opinion, if you ever notice ammonia or nitrite levels above 0, or nitrate levels above 20, you should do a 75% water change and a thorough gravel clean. Same thing if you lose a fish or notice any discoloration - a big water change and gravel clean can work wonders.
Also, make sure the new water you add is free of chlorine and chloramine before putting it in the tank.
For a new tank with establishing filters, I'd recommend feeding only a couple of times a week and doing a large water change about 4-8 hours after feeding. Once the filters are established, you can increase feeding frequency - adult fish once a day, and young fish at least three times a day. Just remember to remove uneaten food and keep an eye on those ammonia and nitrite levels.
By the way, I noticed the blue fish in your picture seems to have cream-colored lips - is that just the photo, or is that really the case? Cream-colored lips can be a sign of poor water quality or a bacterial infection. I'd suggest doing a big 75% water change and gravel clean today, and see how the fish looks a few hours later. If it's just poor water quality, the fish should show some improvement after the water change.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
Update on my tank: it's been a while, and I've had zero luck - every fish I've put in has died, one by one. I've made some changes and my current parameters are:
Ammonia's at 0, Nitrite's at 0, Nitrate's at 0. My pH is still 7.8, but I did lower the temp to 78 degrees for a bit to reduce aggression - I'm bumping it back up to 80 today.
My current stock list is: 1 bumblebee, 3 Demasoni, 1 Johanni, 2 yellow labs, and 1 molly. Here's the thing - all my fish except the molly are just sitting at the bottom of the tank. I've noticed the bumblebee scratching on the gravel, and the Demasoni's face looks all bumpy and peeling. I'm treating the tank for suspected ick or a parasite - I'll upload some pics when I get home. Any ideas what's going on here?
Ammonia's at 0, Nitrite's at 0, Nitrate's at 0. My pH is still 7.8, but I did lower the temp to 78 degrees for a bit to reduce aggression - I'm bumping it back up to 80 today.
My current stock list is: 1 bumblebee, 3 Demasoni, 1 Johanni, 2 yellow labs, and 1 molly. Here's the thing - all my fish except the molly are just sitting at the bottom of the tank. I've noticed the bumblebee scratching on the gravel, and the Demasoni's face looks all bumpy and peeling. I'm treating the tank for suspected ick or a parasite - I'll upload some pics when I get home. Any ideas what's going on here?
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
No mollies with cichlids, trust me, they'll get taken out when the cichlids mature. 78F is fine for the temperature, no need to raise it.
It's either the water quality, soft water, or a disease that's causing the issues. I'm assuming you drained the tank, refilled it a couple of days before adding new fish, and used a dechlorinator to remove chlorine/chloramine from the water? Did you gravel clean the substrate and wash the filter out under tap water at the same time?
What's the general hardness of the water? Is there aeration in the tank?
When having problems with fish dying, don't add new fish or just add one cheap fish to test the tank. Adding a lot of fish and having them die is a waste of money. If you add one and it dies, it's not as expensive.
Do you have dedicated buckets for the fish tank or do you just use any bucket in the house? Make sure your hands are clean and free of any chemicals before working on the tank or feeding the fish. No air fresheners, hair spray, perfume, deodorant, cigarette smoke, or paint fumes in the room either.
Don't overdose with medications. To calculate the volume of water in the tank, measure length x width x height in cm, divide by 1000, and you get the volume in litres. Measure the height from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level. Remove big rocks when measuring the height and put them back in the tank afterwards.
Remove carbon from the filter before treating, or it'll absorb the medication. Wipe the inside of the glass down, do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean, and clean the filter before treating. Increase surface turbulence/aeration when using medications since they reduce dissolved oxygen in the water. Post pictures when you get home.
It's either the water quality, soft water, or a disease that's causing the issues. I'm assuming you drained the tank, refilled it a couple of days before adding new fish, and used a dechlorinator to remove chlorine/chloramine from the water? Did you gravel clean the substrate and wash the filter out under tap water at the same time?
What's the general hardness of the water? Is there aeration in the tank?
When having problems with fish dying, don't add new fish or just add one cheap fish to test the tank. Adding a lot of fish and having them die is a waste of money. If you add one and it dies, it's not as expensive.
Do you have dedicated buckets for the fish tank or do you just use any bucket in the house? Make sure your hands are clean and free of any chemicals before working on the tank or feeding the fish. No air fresheners, hair spray, perfume, deodorant, cigarette smoke, or paint fumes in the room either.
Don't overdose with medications. To calculate the volume of water in the tank, measure length x width x height in cm, divide by 1000, and you get the volume in litres. Measure the height from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level. Remove big rocks when measuring the height and put them back in the tank afterwards.
Remove carbon from the filter before treating, or it'll absorb the medication. Wipe the inside of the glass down, do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean, and clean the filter before treating. Increase surface turbulence/aeration when using medications since they reduce dissolved oxygen in the water. Post pictures when you get home.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
No mollies with cichlids, they'll get killed when the cichlids mature. Temperature's fine at 78F, no need to raise it.
It's either water quality, soft water, or a disease that's causing the issue. Did you drain and refill the tank before adding new fish, and use a dechlorinator to remove chlorine and chloramines? Gravel cleaning is important, did you do that? Filter maintenance is key, did you wash it under tap water?
I'm guessing the water's soft, but what's the general hardness (GH) of the water? Is there aeration in the tank? If you're having problems with fish dying, it's best to add one cheap fish to test the tank. Adding a lot of fish and watching them die is a waste of money.
Do you have a dedicated bucket for the tank, or do you use any old bucket? Make sure your hands are clean and free of chemicals when working with the tank or feeding the fish. Avoid using perfumed soap, and keep the room free of air fresheners, hair spray, and other chemicals.
When adding new fish, it's best to add them one by one to test the tank. Don't overdose on medications, and make sure to remove carbon from the filter before treating. Calculate the tank's volume by measuring length, width, and height in cm, then divide by 1000 to get the volume in litres.
Increase surface turbulence and aeration when using medications, as they reduce dissolved oxygen in the water. Post pictures when you can.
Update on my end: two Demasoni died today, the Johanni's struggling to breathe, and the remaining Demasoni's bloated and likely to die soon. I never drained and refilled the tank before adding new fish, just kept adding them in. I do add prime when topping up the tank, but I didn't clean the gravel or wash the filter with tap water. I don't know the hardness of my water, but there is aeration in the tank. I've got a dedicated bucket for the tank, but I shy away from water changes due to high ammonia levels in my tap water. I've been letting the water age with bacteria to break down the ammonia before adding it to the tank. I took out the rocks a couple of days ago to clean the gravel and found a dead yellow lab that must've been there for a while.
It's weird that the cheap fish in my tank has survived this whole time, but the cichlids are always the ones to go. The yellow labs seem to do better than the Demasoni and Johanni.
It's either water quality, soft water, or a disease that's causing the issue. Did you drain and refill the tank before adding new fish, and use a dechlorinator to remove chlorine and chloramines? Gravel cleaning is important, did you do that? Filter maintenance is key, did you wash it under tap water?
I'm guessing the water's soft, but what's the general hardness (GH) of the water? Is there aeration in the tank? If you're having problems with fish dying, it's best to add one cheap fish to test the tank. Adding a lot of fish and watching them die is a waste of money.
Do you have a dedicated bucket for the tank, or do you use any old bucket? Make sure your hands are clean and free of chemicals when working with the tank or feeding the fish. Avoid using perfumed soap, and keep the room free of air fresheners, hair spray, and other chemicals.
When adding new fish, it's best to add them one by one to test the tank. Don't overdose on medications, and make sure to remove carbon from the filter before treating. Calculate the tank's volume by measuring length, width, and height in cm, then divide by 1000 to get the volume in litres.
Increase surface turbulence and aeration when using medications, as they reduce dissolved oxygen in the water. Post pictures when you can.
Update on my end: two Demasoni died today, the Johanni's struggling to breathe, and the remaining Demasoni's bloated and likely to die soon. I never drained and refilled the tank before adding new fish, just kept adding them in. I do add prime when topping up the tank, but I didn't clean the gravel or wash the filter with tap water. I don't know the hardness of my water, but there is aeration in the tank. I've got a dedicated bucket for the tank, but I shy away from water changes due to high ammonia levels in my tap water. I've been letting the water age with bacteria to break down the ammonia before adding it to the tank. I took out the rocks a couple of days ago to clean the gravel and found a dead yellow lab that must've been there for a while.
It's weird that the cheap fish in my tank has survived this whole time, but the cichlids are always the ones to go. The yellow labs seem to do better than the Demasoni and Johanni.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
Update: I know it's been a while, but things have taken a turn for the worse. Those fish I mentioned earlier all died, and every other fish I've added to the tank has met the same fate. Right now, my parameters are looking okay, I guess.
Ammonia is at 0, Nitrite is 0, and Nitrate is 0. My pH is still at 7.8, and I've got the temperature set at 78 degrees. I was going to raise it back to 80 today, but I'm not so sure now.
I've got a pretty small stock list going on: 1 bumblebee, 3 Demasoni, 1 Johanni, 2 yellow labs, and 1 molly. The thing is, all my fish except the molly are just sitting at the bottom of the tank. The bumblebee is scratching at the gravel, and the Demasoni's face looks all bumpy and peeling. They're just not interested in food at all.
I'm thinking it might be ick or a parasite, so I'm treating the tank for that. I'll try to upload some pics when I get home. Has anyone else dealt with something like this?
Ammonia is at 0, Nitrite is 0, and Nitrate is 0. My pH is still at 7.8, and I've got the temperature set at 78 degrees. I was going to raise it back to 80 today, but I'm not so sure now.
I've got a pretty small stock list going on: 1 bumblebee, 3 Demasoni, 1 Johanni, 2 yellow labs, and 1 molly. The thing is, all my fish except the molly are just sitting at the bottom of the tank. The bumblebee is scratching at the gravel, and the Demasoni's face looks all bumpy and peeling. They're just not interested in food at all.
I'm thinking it might be ick or a parasite, so I'm treating the tank for that. I'll try to upload some pics when I get home. Has anyone else dealt with something like this?
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
I'm starting to think those fish didn't just die off from a minor issue. Nitrites and ammonia, they don't just magically disappear within a few hours. It's likely they were suffering from ammonia poisoning, and that's what ultimately took them out.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
If there's any ammonia in the water and the pH is alkaline, like in my tank, it's going to be super toxic and kill my fish. I mean, even if a fish dies, it'll release ammonia in just a few minutes and that'll kill the other fish. The longer the dead fish is in the tank, the higher the ammonia level will get. And if there's a high nitrite reading, that's just as bad - it'll kill my fish too.
I need to check my water quality for ammonia and nitrite daily and do massive water changes until those levels hit 0. Since my tap water has ammonia, I'll have to filter it before using it. I can either use an established filter to remove the ammonia or get something like Ammogon or Zeolite. These things absorb the ammonia from the water, so I can put them in a filter and use that in a holding tub or bucket with my tap water. Once the ammonia is gone, I can use that water for changes. I'll just have to make up new water as soon as I use the clean stuff, so it's ready for the next day.
I need to check my water quality for ammonia and nitrite daily and do massive water changes until those levels hit 0. Since my tap water has ammonia, I'll have to filter it before using it. I can either use an established filter to remove the ammonia or get something like Ammogon or Zeolite. These things absorb the ammonia from the water, so I can put them in a filter and use that in a holding tub or bucket with my tap water. Once the ammonia is gone, I can use that water for changes. I'll just have to make up new water as soon as I use the clean stuff, so it's ready for the next day.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
Considering your situation, I still think there's something in the water that's causing all these issues. I'd recommend doing a couple of big water changes - 75% or so - and cleaning the gravel thoroughly. I know you've got ammonia in your tap water, but if there's something in the water that's poisoning the fish, the easiest way to fix it is with large water changes.
Another option could be adding some activated carbon to the filter. This will absorb any chemicals that might be harming the fish. However, keep in mind that the carbon will also absorb any medications you're using, so I'd wait a bit before adding it.
What medication are you currently using, and what are the ingredients?
Also, try turning the tank light off and shining a torch on the fish. Check if any of them have a gold sheen to their body. If they do, it could be Velvet (Oodinium).
It might be a good idea to contact your water supply company or check their website to see how hard your water is. They should also be able to tell you if there's any reason why there's ammonia in the water. If you can't find the information online, take a glass of tap water to the local pet shop and ask them to test the general hardness (GH) for you.
Another option could be adding some activated carbon to the filter. This will absorb any chemicals that might be harming the fish. However, keep in mind that the carbon will also absorb any medications you're using, so I'd wait a bit before adding it.
What medication are you currently using, and what are the ingredients?
Also, try turning the tank light off and shining a torch on the fish. Check if any of them have a gold sheen to their body. If they do, it could be Velvet (Oodinium).
It might be a good idea to contact your water supply company or check their website to see how hard your water is. They should also be able to tell you if there's any reason why there's ammonia in the water. If you can't find the information online, take a glass of tap water to the local pet shop and ask them to test the general hardness (GH) for you.
Re: African cichlid staying at the bottom of the tank
Sorry for the late reply. I've been meaning to call the city to get the parameters of the tap water, I'll do that and post the results. I managed to squeeze in a 35% water change and cleaned half of the gravel, but I was pressed for time. Today, I'll finish cleaning the other half of the gravel and do a 50% water change. I'm down to just 2 yellow labs and 1 molly now, and the yellow labs are sitting at the bottom of the tank, not looking great. I'll upload more pictures of them for you to take a look. I've stopped adding meds to the tank for 2 days now, and I'll put a new carbon filter in to cycle out any remaining meds.
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