Question.. Fish 911

[britney358]

This is my first post here we have a newish tank (2 months) 36 gallon. we have some jewels, yellow labs , peacocks, mdunas, kenyi and one catfish who lives in the rocks. so here are our issues
one of the yellow mdunas has turned brown? yes brown! still alive just brown the other one is bright yellow so whats up wth that
we tried to introduce a albino oscar but he was killed why did they attack it? the fish people said he would be a good match
also one yellow has dissappeared! we cant find him anywhere. is this normal?

ok now the big queston..
dh tested the water after the oscar was killed and some level was really high (Nsomething? i think it was)
so we call teh fish store and they tell us not to feed our fish for 3 days !!!
is that ok to not feed them? im really scared that they will eat each other.
thanks alot i can post tank pics later if i need to


thanks a ton

 

[Xebadir]

My first question: Did you cycle your tank?(that is prepare your tank and allow to bacteria to colonise and be able to deal with the Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite? If its only 2 months youve had this tank I have my doubts.

jewels, yellow labs , peacocks, mdunas, kenyi and one catfish who lives in the rocks. so here are our issues
one of the yellow mdunas has turned brown? yes brown! still alive just brown the other one is bright yellow so whats up wth that
we tried to introduce a albino oscar but he was killed why did they attack it? the fish people said he would be a good match
also one yellow has dissappeared! we cant find him anywhere. is this normal?

I am assuming by Jewels you mean Jewel Cichlid: a small reddy orange fish with blue spotting/sparkle.
Peacocks are self explanatory, as are yellow labs, have no idea what you mean by mdunas?
Exactly how many fish do you have in this tank? I think most will agree that this tank is at most large enough for a single species mbuna tank, not this mixture you have. The reason your oscar died is likely due to tank shock, oscars are not particularly good with hard water(also the tank size and mates are by far unsuitable for them).

If I were you I would act in this order:
Make sure your tank is cycled.
If you have to much Nitrate in the water do a couple of water changes.
Decide exactly which fish you want to keep in the tank, and take all the others back to your local fish shop.

Please let us know exactly what is in the tank and if you cycled it so we can help you .

 

[britney358]

we let it sit with no fish for like a week.

the fish i was talking about are these http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...&Page=index that is the one that changed to brown
we also have
http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...&Page=index

http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...&Page=index

http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...&Page=index

http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...ndex&bk=New

http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...=index&bk=4

there are two of each breed of fish. so thats 12

My first question: Did you cycle your tank?(that is prepare your tank and allow to bacteria to colonise and be able to deal with the Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite? If its only 2 months youve had this tank I have my doubts.

jewels, yellow labs , peacocks, mdunas, kenyi and one catfish who lives in the rocks. so here are our issues
one of the yellow mdunas has turned brown? yes brown! still alive just brown the other one is bright yellow so whats up wth that
we tried to introduce a albino oscar but he was killed why did they attack it? the fish people said he would be a good match
also one yellow has dissappeared! we cant find him anywhere. is this normal?

I am assuming by Jewels you mean Jewel Cichlid: a small reddy orange fish with blue spotting/sparkle.
Peacocks are self explanatory, as are yellow labs, have no idea what you mean by mdunas?
Exactly how many fish do you have in this tank? I think most will agree that this tank is at most large enough for a single species mbuna tank, not this mixture you have. The reason your oscar died is likely due to tank shock, oscars are not particularly good with hard water(also the tank size and mates are by far unsuitable for them).

If I were you I would act in this order:
Make sure your tank is cycled.
If you have to much Nitrate in the water do a couple of water changes.
Decide exactly which fish you want to keep in the tank, and take all the others back to your local fish shop.

Please let us know exactly what is in the tank and if you cycled it so we can help you .

 

[caboose_122]

My first question: Did you cycle your tank?(that is prepare your tank and allow to bacteria to colonise and be able to deal with the Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite? If its only 2 months youve had this tank I have my doubts.

jewels, yellow labs , peacocks, mdunas, kenyi and one catfish who lives in the rocks. so here are our issues
one of the yellow mdunas has turned brown? yes brown! still alive just brown the other one is bright yellow so whats up wth that
we tried to introduce a albino oscar but he was killed why did they attack it? the fish people said he would be a good match
also one yellow has dissappeared! we cant find him anywhere. is this normal?

I am assuming by Jewels you mean Jewel Cichlid: a small reddy orange fish with blue spotting/sparkle.
Peacocks are self explanatory, as are yellow labs, have no idea what you mean by mdunas?
Exactly how many fish do you have in this tank? I think most will agree that this tank is at most large enough for a single species mbuna tank, not this mixture you have. The reason your oscar died is likely due to tank shock, oscars are not particularly good with hard water(also the tank size and mates are by far unsuitable for them).

If I were you I would act in this order:
Make sure your tank is cycled.
If you have to much Nitrate in the water do a couple of water changes.
Decide exactly which fish you want to keep in the tank, and take all the others back to your local fish shop.

Please let us know exactly what is in the tank and if you cycled it so we can help you .

i would do a 50% water change, it should be fine after that to feed them,
i think you are tanking about mbuna right, we need to know how many fish you have in your tank,
a 36 gallon is not big enough for peacocks and most mbuna need bigger to, oscars need a minimum of 75 gallons some would say less but thats what they should be kept in.

test your water for everything, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates
for your fish will need a minimum of 55 gallons but bigger is always better


edit: posted at the same time

 

[caboose_122]

you have some aggressive fish, somthings telling me you are going to have alot of problems with them, espcialy the auratus and keyni, the labs are calm fish, same with the peacock, the jewel is aggressive also so watch him too

 

[Xebadir]

Ok.
Thanks for giving us this info:
1. You need to keep a close eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as your tank was not properly cycled.
Have a look at this page: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141944 All you can do until then is do regular water changes to keep it down.

2. For the life of me i dont understand why there isnt a warning on melanchromis auratus: this cichlid both male and female is one of the most aggressive cichlids. I wouldnt keep 1 in a tank better lone 2. The change of colour might be a male, and if the yellow has disapearred it is quite likely dead. The Oscar could very well have been killed by this fish. If i were in your position id remove them immeadiately. This is the Auratus: http/www.timstropicals.com/FreshwaterPho...&Page=index.

3. The Jewel Cichlids probably should go back, they arent particularly adaptable to the conditions for africans.

4. The kenyi may be a problem for aggression as well, you need to decide what of Labs, Kenyi you want to keep(someone else might advise you can keep both, im not sure not having experience with either).

5. You need to take the zebras back, they will grow to large for your tank to support.

If you have any questions please let us know:
You can find some good information on this site regarding what might be a good mix of cichlids for your tank: just remember you are a little smaller than that side:

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_40g.php

Youve done the right thing askin for help.