Update on Progress my 85g tank

[Masafi]

Went out this morning and made a few purchases,

Not much to choose from but they did have an African Cichlid tank stocked with all sorts so maybe against better judgement i purchase a couple of pairs. My thinking behind this was because they were living together in the shop tank they must be ok together generally. They shop keeper was fairly sure they were fine.....



2 Electric Yellow Cichlid (Labidochromis caeruleus)

2 x Blue Johanni (Melanochromis johannii)

2 x Giraffe Hap Nimbochromis venustus

2 x small plecos

2 x Frontosa

(they were all bagged Separately)

When i got home I noticed one of Johanni;s and one Frontosa listing in the bag but notheless i continued with the process

I dropped the bags into the tank for 45 mins to match the temp, then opened each one and drip fed tank water into each bag for 30 mins.....


After this the fish were netted into the aquarium.

Before long the Frontosa had died :( and on inspection I noticed the pectoral fins were all split so i think it wasnt that healthy and the stress and shock of the move didnt work so well for him/her...It also died with mouth open and the shop keeper said that means lack of O2 so mabe the bag did not have enough oxygen.....

The shopkeeper was good and gave me another so i do have a pair again...

The Johanni is also not doing so well and i dont think it is going to get through the night.


My other issue is my water, My Nitrates are high again so i had to do a water change but we are starting summer here and the tap water is plus 35oC so i can only really do small changes as the temp change I think will be to great...


So all in all a stressful day! and I just hope my fish get through the night.....

[Drumachine09]

Its not a good idea to mix Haps with Mbunas.

[Masafi]

Just been reading a site on malawi Cichlids and i think they got it wrong..

I actually think I have 3 Melanochromis johannii

The males are blue and the females yellow,

So it looks like i have 1 male and 2 females

[Drumachine09]

Just been reading a site on malawi Cichlids and i think they got it wrong..

I actually think I have 3 Melanochromis johannii

The males are blue and the females yellow,

So it looks like i have 1 male and 2 females



Still, yellow labs are Mbunas, and your Giraffe Haps are, well, Haps.

[cocoa_pleco]

yeah, mbunas are grumpy and dont take well to others

[jeffs99dime]

can you get some pics up?:ezpi_wink1:

[Rue]

I dunno about the Giraffe Haps either...I looked them up when I first saw them, but they need their space...

[Coler]

Good luck with your tank :). In relation to your queries :

you have an 85g tank; what are the dimensions ?

You can do haps & mbunas but have to do some carefult aquascaping and stocking - you may need to adjust your stocking as aggression issues become apparent. The haps are less flexible and like some open swimming spaces. the Mbuna want rocks to flit around in.

However some of your stocking may be problematic. The Giraffe Hap (Nimbochromis Venustus) gets to 10 inches and is a piscavore (eats fish) and is best kept with other large Haps or at least things it would not consider lunch. There are mixed reports as regards aggression. It needs lots of swimming space.

The Frontosa can hit 15/16 inches (that would be big though - I think 12 - 14 is more usual) and are big lazy shy fish best kept in groups of 1m/3f. The Mbuna may be too much for them to live stress free. Good tankmates are e.g. larger Aulunocara species.

Your male/female ratio is going to be important if you are not doing an all male tank.

The fact that you lost fish and have another doing poorly would make me query your acclimitisation procedure - how are you doing this - and/or your water parameters (ammonia & nitrite).

Hope this helps

[Masafi]

Appreciate the reply,

Lets start on my Nitrites and ammonia

Nitrites went to 0 as did Ammonia. Nitrates went right up.

I changed the water

The problem is that I have changed 25% each day now for 3 days and the Nitrates are still high.....so i will continue to do it. I cant do anymore than this as the water temp is just so hot here....

I see your point on the size and aggression of some species and may off load these but I will keep the frontosa what ever as i just love them.....



Decor, yes i need to redo this now, add some rocks and generally improve in this subject....

The Fontosa I beilive died due to lack of 02 during transport. WHen I got back the back was deflated and as the fontosa had apparent fin damage I think it weak and shock which cause it to die. All the same, it was a black mark on my aquatics as I started out soo well!

Im in Saudi but when i get back I will take some pics of my fish for you...Thankfully my wife is busy look after my tank, testing it and making sure all is ok :) or rather performing water changes and being a nurse!

Thanks again!

[RobbieG]

Do you use large buckets for your water changes?

If you use the big 5 gallon buckets you could freeze some gallon jugs of water and float them in the buckets until they get down to the temperature you need for your tanks.

[Coler]

You're most welcome :)

Think about aulunocara species as long term frontosa tank mates; they're a lot more placid than the mbuna, and really just as impressive visually.

Can you lay your hands on Prime ? It has a detox effect on ammonia, and at 5 times normal dose Nitrite too (as per instructions on bottle). I would advise use in this way in your situation, where you do have nitrifying bacteria but are getting through a mini-cycle. The bacteria multiply exponentially and are capable of doubling in size in 24 hourse, given enough food source. Prime detoxifies but does not prevent use of ammonia/nitrite as bacterial food source so it could make things easier while in the spike.

[Masafi]

Hi COler, what is "Prime"?

[cocoa_pleco]

its a bacteria supplement like "cycle"

[Coler]

Hi :)

It's actually an excellent dechlorinator which also detoxifies ammonia & nitrite; this is to be relied upon only in an emergency, as opposed to an excuse for not doing water changes.

It's really a brilliant product and I heartily reccomend it.

I'm reading in your other thread that your Nitrites were hitting and staying at 5 ppm ? I gotta say that's way too high, even for a fish cycle; or your test kit is dud.