Cockatoo Cichlid

[PeteC]

Hi guys.. so i'm making progress with my first 32g aquarium a bit over a month done now, i have 5 cherry barb, 6 silvertip tetra and a couple of Cockatoo Cichlid.. which have been amazing to look at I got them a couple of days ago.. and was told they should be fine to eat same as others but to get frozen shrimp in case but to only give once per week.. so a few questions if anyone can help.

-After not eating (that I saw) on the first day, they did seem to get a bit today.. how would i tell if they got enough? The tetras are very fast so not a to getting that low
-Would you give shrimp no matter what once a week? why is it a bad idea to give more than that?

I'll have my coconut house for those guys soon but anything else i should know about my new little friends?

thx in advance

 

[Fish4dawin]

Hi guys.. so i'm making progress with my first 32g aquarium a bit over a month done now, i have 5 cherry barb, 6 silvertip tetra and a couple of Cockatoo Cichlid.. which have been amazing to look at I got them a couple of days ago.. and was told they should be fine to eat same as others but to get frozen shrimp in case but to only give once per week.. so a few questions if anyone can help.

-After not eating (that I saw) on the first day, they did seem to get a bit today.. how would i tell if they got enough? The tetras are very fast so not a to getting that low
-Would you give shrimp no matter what once a week? why is it a bad idea to give more than that?

I'll have my coconut house for those guys soon but anything else i should know about my new little friends?

thx in advance

If their colours go very bright and the orange dorsal is up and bright orange, they are probably very happy.

 

[Colin_T]

They should be fed a variety of foods, not just shrimp. I used to feed dry food first, then some frozen food, and finally a bit of live food.

You can use frozen brineshrimp, daphnia, bloodworms, prawn/ shrimp, marine mix (contains prawn, fish and squid).

 

[PeteC]

They should be fed a variety of foods, not just shrimp. I used to feed dry food first, then some frozen food, and finally a bit of live food.

You can use frozen brineshrimp, daphnia, bloodworms, prawn/ shrimp, marine mix (contains prawn, fish and squid).

Ok great, now one rookie question.. but if I put in that type of food, what are odds my tetras or cherry barb will end up grabbing it instead of the intended recipient? and what kind of schedule are you using to alternate all of these?

 

[itiwhetu]

I have never had success feeding shrimp. I like frozen bloodworm. Defrost it into a small container and then spread it through the tank by putting it near the out flow of your filter, that way everyone will get some.

 

[Colin_T]

Ok great, now one rookie question.. but if I put in that type of food, what are odds my tetras or cherry barb will end up grabbing it instead of the intended recipient? and what kind of schedule are you using to alternate all of these?

All the fish should be fed a variety of food, that includes the barbs, tetras, cichlids and any other fish in the tank.

Just offer them different foods each day, vary it. Feed dry food first and then frozen or live food after. Feed them until they are all full, then stop feeding and remove uneaten food.

 

[PeteC]

and what would reason be for store to tell me to only give it once per week (shrimp) to maintain water quality?

 

[Colin_T]

I have no idea why the shop said to only feed once a week, possibly to help keep the water cleaner but any food (frozen, live or freeze dried) will cause ammonia, which gets broken down by the filter and contributes to poor water quality.

If the tank is newly set up and the filter hasn't cycled yet, you only feed the fish once every couple of days. If the tank is cycled then you can feed the fish several times a day. Just do regular water changes and gravel cleaning to keep the aquarium clean.

 

[PeteC]

ok so did a complete test for my water, it looks like 7.4 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. I've had fish for a month now, is having no nitrate an issue at this point?

 

[mrsjoannh13]

ok so did a complete test for my water, it looks like 7.4 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. I've had fish for a month now, is having no nitrate an issue at this point?

Did you cycle the tank before adding fish? If not, test your water daily as you might see ammonia spike if you didn't establish beneficial bacteria in the tank before adding fish.

 

[PeteC]

Did you cycle the tank before adding fish? If not, test your water daily as you might see ammonia spike if you didn't establish beneficial bacteria in the tank before adding fish.

I had added Biomature as recommended by nearby store a few days before adding fish and started with cherry barb for a few weeks.

The issue is up to now I had only tested PH, only the store had tested my water initially. I now have my testing kit so can def do daily testing if you believe I need to be very careful. When would I know my water is "ok"

 

[PeteC]

Will redo the test in case in case my nitrate is wrong

 

[Colin_T]

If there isn't many fish or much food going in the tank, and you do big regular water changes, there can be 0 nitrate.

Test the water every couple of days for the next few weeks and if the ammonia and nitrite levels stay on 0ppm, then test twice weekly for a month and then once a week after that.