Help!

[ECCO_]

Hello,

My tank has been set up for about two weeks now. All was well until I did an aqua vac and noticed some familiar"friends". But thats not what this is about.

I have a young parrot cichlid that has been orange completely. I try to keep their diet wide. So I tried tropical flakes that are said to inhance the color of the fish. Shortly after the parrot cichlid started getting these brownish black( More black than brown) colors on its fins and a little on its scales above its head.

Is this just from the flake or is the the "BLACK SPOT" disease?

 

[indigoj]

Water stats for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate please, temperature and tank size, also what other fish in there and what filtration are you using?

Pics would help too.

 

[ECCO_]

55 gallon,
Parrot cichlid
Green Severum
Fire mouth cichlid x2
pictus catfish
cory catfish

The rest Ill have to get tomorrow after work. Thanks!

 

[indigoj]

Ok, if it has only been set up 2 weeks and has all those fish in then ammonia could be a problem, need those water stats.

How did you cycle the tank? That will give us some clues.

 

[ECCO_]

OHH, sorry....The fish have been in the tank two weeks.

I let it cycle for about a week(7 days)... I then got sample fish to see if it was safe... then came adding the fish I have now.

Overall three weeks, 4 days has it been up.

 

[indigoj]

Ok, that is really bad advice your LFS (local fish shop) gave. You are now doing a fish-in cycle and ammonia is what is likely causing the black marks along with other permanent damage to your fish.

You should have a read in the stickies in 'new to the hobby' about cycling, the nitrogen cycle and the horribly bad advice shops give.

You need a liquid test kit urgently and you will need to do at least twice daily 50% water changes for the next 3-6 weeks.

If you can I'd recommend returning the fish and doing a fishless cycle so you can mature your filter without harming fish.

By the way, lots of people get this rubbish advice from shops - they do it to make you spend money. You can put it right though and 55g is a lovely size tank.

 

[ECCO_]

Here is the best pic I could get of it.