Strange behaviour / Suggestions for new fish?

Hi All,

bear with me as I am a beginner to cichlids.

We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.

We have (at the moment):

1 x 6cm Electric yellow (Labidochromis Caeruleus)
1 x 7cm Convict (Cryptoheros Nigrofasciatum)
1 x 5cm Convict
1 x 6cm Hornet (Pseudotropheus Crabro)
2 x 4cm Pseudotropheus Acei
2 x 4.5cm Silver Dollar (Metynnis Hypsauchen)
1 x 6cm "flameback" (Haplochromis I think, although it originally
looked more like a Protomelas Similis)

We originally had 3 Electric Yellows but 2 died, and 2 Red Emperors
which both died.

Apart from the missing loaches (see previous post) everything seemed
to be going fine until a few days ago when the surviving Electric
Yellow seemed more and more withdrawn.

He (sex uncertain but I suspect it is a male - very strong black edges
to fins) has been spending most of his time hiding in the rocks,
doesn't come out and feed with the others, but has now taken to hiding
vertically behind the filter intake pipe. (We have an external Eheim
cannister filter)

The Flameback seems to chase him from time to time but we have never
seen any really violent attacks directed at him.

Any suggestions as to why he seems to be neurotic?

Would adding a couple more Electric Yellows help solve the problem?

Or, any suggestions for a couple more fish?

Thanks in Advance,

Ninereeds

He must be scared of the tank dominator. You must id the tank dominator
and watch closely everyday. Other sugestion is to add some more yellows
or other peacefull mbuna to achieve the controlled overcrowding in order
to insure peace. You can also re-arrange all decor to try to break the
territory borders already stablished.

With all of that agressive environment your botias are hiding for sure,
under the rocks or buried on the gravel.

Also I'm afraid about your silver dollars future. You should remove them
(and the botias) to other tank and add only mbuna or other african cichlids.



Ninereeds wrote:
Hi All,

bear with me as I am a beginner to cichlids.

We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.

We have (at the moment):

1 x 6cm Electric yellow (Labidochromis Caeruleus)
1 x 7cm Convict (Cryptoheros Nigrofasciatum)
1 x 5cm Convict
1 x 6cm Hornet (Pseudotropheus Crabro)
2 x 4cm Pseudotropheus Acei
2 x 4.5cm Silver Dollar (Metynnis Hypsauchen)
1 x 6cm "flameback" (Haplochromis I think, although it originally
looked more like a Protomelas Similis)

We originally had 3 Electric Yellows but 2 died, and 2 Red Emperors
which both died.

Apart from the missing loaches (see previous post) everything seemed
to be going fine until a few days ago when the surviving Electric
Yellow seemed more and more withdrawn.

He (sex uncertain but I suspect it is a male - very strong black edges
to fins) has been spending most of his time hiding in the rocks,
doesn't come out and feed with the others, but has now taken to hiding
vertically behind the filter intake pipe. (We have an external Eheim
cannister filter)

The Flameback seems to chase him from time to time but we have never
seen any really violent attacks directed at him.

Any suggestions as to why he seems to be neurotic?

Would adding a couple more Electric Yellows help solve the problem?

Or, any suggestions for a couple more fish?

Thanks in Advance,

Ninereeds

What are your water parameters?

I might remove those convicts and that Silver Dollar. Their origin is
central & south america, respectively, so their bodies are not geared
toward the hard, alkaline water that your Africans need.

I will confess that I am also new to Africans. My philosophy (which is
my own and suited only for me) is to keep fish *ONLY* of the exact same
specific world region in a given tank.

May not solve anything, but my $.02 grin

-- Kerry Thomas
-- Please remove .NOSPAM from my email to reply.


Ninereeds wrote:
Hi All,

bear with me as I am a beginner to cichlids.

We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.

We have (at the moment):

1 x 6cm Electric yellow (Labidochromis Caeruleus)
1 x 7cm Convict (Cryptoheros Nigrofasciatum)
1 x 5cm Convict
1 x 6cm Hornet (Pseudotropheus Crabro)
2 x 4cm Pseudotropheus Acei
2 x 4.5cm Silver Dollar (Metynnis Hypsauchen)
1 x 6cm "flameback" (Haplochromis I think, although it originally
looked more like a Protomelas Similis)

We originally had 3 Electric Yellows but 2 died, and 2 Red Emperors
which both died.

Apart from the missing loaches (see previous post) everything seemed
to be going fine until a few days ago when the surviving Electric
Yellow seemed more and more withdrawn.

He (sex uncertain but I suspect it is a male - very strong black edges
to fins) has been spending most of his time hiding in the rocks,
doesn't come out and feed with the others, but has now taken to hiding
vertically behind the filter intake pipe. (We have an external Eheim
cannister filter)

The Flameback seems to chase him from time to time but we have never
seen any really violent attacks directed at him.

Any suggestions as to why he seems to be neurotic?

Would adding a couple more Electric Yellows help solve the problem?

Or, any suggestions for a couple more fish?

Thanks in Advance,

Ninereeds

On 27 Jul 2004 09:23:15 -0700, (Ninereeds)
bubbled forth the following:

We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.

That's a 78.5 gallon tank, why only 45 gallons of water?

|| On 27 Jul 2004 09:23:15 -0700, (Ninereeds)
|| bubbled forth the following:
||
||| We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
||| has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.
||
|| That's a 78.5 gallon tank, why only 45 gallons of water?

half full? low water?

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Hi Miguel,

He must be scared of the tank dominator. You must id the tank dominator
and watch closely everyday.

So far I haven't been able to. My suspiscions lie with the Flameback
though.

Other sugestion is to add some more yellows
or other peacefull mbuna to achieve the controlled overcrowding in order
to insure peace. You can also re-arrange all decor to try to break the
territory borders already stablished.

Thanks, good ideas.

Also I'm afraid about your silver dollars future.

At the moment they seem to be holding their own. They seem to have
grown faster than the cichlids and don't appear either to be
attacking, nor being attacked. Will watch closely though.

Thanks,

Ninereeds.

The Outcaste wrote in message . ..
On 27 Jul 2004 09:23:15 -0700, (Ninereeds)
bubbled forth the following:

We have a 6' x 18"(h) x 14"(d) tank with about 45 gallons in it. It
has been running with fish now for about 6 weeks.

That's a 78.5 gallon tank, why only 45 gallons of water?

Well, it is full to within 1" of the top. I have about 2" deep of
gravel, and I can only presume it is due to the volume of limestone
rocks that I have in there. But it only holds 205 litres of water.

Thanks,

Ninereeds