Questions About My New Fish.

[Ace_Of_Fades]

So my one fish tank wasn't enough. I have been looking around on Kijiji for a few days and I came across a smoking good deal. Someone was selling two cichlids, a tank, filter and food all for the low proce of $20. I jumped on the deal and picked them up. That was two days ago. I like watching my fish and observing them and so far I have noticed a couple things about these guys. Here's som info that I gathered from the previous owners and by observing them.

• They like to hide.
• One of them is agressive and the other one is submissive.
• The agressive one has nice fins while the submissive one has what appears to be rotted fins.
• They like to pile their rocks up in the corners of the tank.
• There was only one hiding spot when I bought the tank, so I provided another one and they each stay in their own hiding spot now.
• They have been living together for three years.
• They are pigs when they eat.

 
 
So with the information and pics I have provided I have a couple questions.

1. What kind of Cichlids do I have?
2. Is the one with messed up fins okay?
3. Should I seperate them?
4. What kind of tankmates would go well with them so I can take the attention off of each other.

 

[CSnyder00]

Those are Black Convicts. They are known as very good breeders and will be very aggressive towards other fish. The one with hurt fins should be separated. He is either sick or is getting torn up from the other. Could have two males which would spell disaster for the hurt one. Females will have orange undersides. Males tend to be more dull in color. Check pictures out online.

 

[Akasha72]

my knowledge of these kinds of cichlid is virtually non-existant so I don't feel able to help. Sorry
 
I can share this though for you to find out a little more http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/amatitlania-nigrofasciata/

 

[Ace_Of_Fades]

Snyder, you are dead on, thanks for helping me identify them! They're both males as I haven't seen any lighter colors on either of them, which leads me to believe that the one with hurt fins has been getting bullied his whole life. Definitely gonna separate them. What baffles me is the fact that I bought them both in a 10 gallon tank! Where as I look online and it says the minimum tank size should be 20 gallons. Thanks for your input guys, really helps me to understand my new fishies.

  ~Alex

 

[Akasha72]

if they were being kept in a tank far too small then that will be the reason for the aggression. If they are both male then that won't have helped. All cichlids are territorial and so if there hasn't been space to establish territories then they will have fought over what small space there was. In this case it looks like one has lost the battle over and over again.
If you seperate them the sick one gets chance to heal and you can then go forward from there. For the sick one - plenty of clean water and consider going blackwater using rooibos tea as it's a natural anti-biotic and a natural stress reliever. I'd try the natural route first. If that doesn't help you could try Melafix but I had poor results with it. That's why I'm suggesting the natural route first.
 
See what others think though. As I said, these type of cichlid are not my thing

 

[CSnyder00]

No problem. This is the reason we have these forums!

 

[Ace_Of_Fades]

UPDATE: So the mean one with nice fins, I decided to give him away to a friend who also keeps fish, he's probably still in the 10 gallon that he came in unfortunately. The one with torn fins, I gave a name (Gill T) and bought him a 40 gallon. He really seems to be liking it, and he no longer hides from me, now he knows how to get my attention when he wants to be fed lol. As for the cycling of the water, I added his old water to this tank and kept his house (the rock). I haven't noticed any increase in ammonia or nitrite yet but I assume that might just be because of the size of the tank and the fact there's only one of him. Just wondering, is my water cycled or not?

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

If the substrate and filter media are new, then no, your tank is not cycled.

 

[Ace_Of_Fades]

If the substrate and filter media are new, then no, your tank is not cycled.

 

Good to know, thanks man.

 

[CSnyder00]

Stick with a very light stocking until the tank cycles or rehome the little fish until you get your tank cycled.

 

[Ace_Of_Fades]

Just an update on my rescue fish, as well as a few questions. So his tank is cycled, it's been a long time since I've gotten an ammonia or nitrite reading from his tank. He's really happy now, likes to interact with me and get's excited when it's feeding time. On the other hand his fins don't seem to be healing, I've tried using melafix with no luck at all, are his fins ever going to grow back to normal? I feed him twice a day once in the morning and once in the evening with Hikari Cichlid Gold pellets and the occasianal algae wafer treats every few days. (recently moved away from flake) Also do convicts like to be alone? He seems to like having his own space but I'm just curious, would getting him a tankmate make him happier? Here's some pictures. His name is "Gill T"
 

 

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

He is definitely recovering. I wouldn't try to treat it any more. A full recovery is definitely possible but not guaranteed. He would be really happy if you got him a female. They will more than likely breed and it is a fascinating process to watch. Don't expect to get much for the fry because they do breed quite readily. I used to have to practically give mine away to a variety of stores. That tank (20 gal.?) is kind of small to house any other cichlids that might be suitable as tankmates. You would eventually need a larger tank. Other types of fish would have to be fast as these guys can be quite aggressive.

 

[Ace_Of_Fades]

I guess I'll have to get him a female then, any tips on picking and introducing her? I know how convicts can be lol. He came in a 10 gallon when I bought him and I did some research on convicts before I went to buy a new tank and the minimum recommended size was 30 gallons, so I put him in a 30 gallon.

Does 30 gallons provide enough territory for two cons? As for the fry, I know this sounds messed up, but I have a pretty big betta fish named Henry who I plan on feeding them to.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

I forgot about the introduction being possibly being difficult. Ideally, you should get one that is of comparable size and showing the orange coloration. He is relatively young. So, as long as you rearrange your tank it should go smoothly. Float the bag for an extended period to get him used to her being there without being able to make actual contact. This should also give you a fairly good idea if he is going to be overly aggressive with her. If he turns out to be aggressive you might want to get a few females and let him make the choice but be ready to pull the rejected ones immediately.
 
I'd be careful about feeding the fry to your Betta. Even the young can be very aggressive. I've seen a group of them tear up a feeder goldfish like a pack of piranha. Ruthless little buggers.