I had this one cichlid that suddenly died on me, and there was no visible signs of illness. The day before, it was eating fine, and pooping as per normal, but the next day I found it dead at the bottom of the tank, and my pleco feeding on it..
Sudden Death?
- Thread starter sgstvoy
- Start date
keane
Fish Herder
Hi 
,
Sorry to hear about your loss
.
Not that you've actually asked but I am guessing your post was to ask for clues as to why your fish actually died right!!?
Your post is very vague so I have some Q's.....
What size is your tank (width, height, length, gallonage)?
Did you cycle it properly?
What are your water parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)?
What type of Cichlid was it that died?
What other occupants are in the tank?
What have you been feeding them?
If you can give the answers to these for starters we will have a much better picture of what has gone on.
cheers
steve
,Sorry to hear about your loss
.Not that you've actually asked but I am guessing your post was to ask for clues as to why your fish actually died right!!?
Your post is very vague so I have some Q's.....
What size is your tank (width, height, length, gallonage)?
Did you cycle it properly?
What are your water parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)?
What type of Cichlid was it that died?
What other occupants are in the tank?
What have you been feeding them?
If you can give the answers to these for starters we will have a much better picture of what has gone on.
cheers
steve
Oh, okie. Still grossed out by the sight of my pleco eating it.. 
Forgive me if get names wrong, not very good at identifying (plus they don't put labels. Imagine that!)
I use metric, it's capacity (as in empty with nothing but water) is around 57 litres, and 60x30x36 cm. (lenght, width, height)
Cycle? (Newbie alert!)
Have no idea, bt maybe I should get one. Any good brands to reccomend so I can scout? I've only been able to find pH testers.
Those yellow ones (like the one in your sig), I think they're called Lemon something..
Well, there was this orange one, and a parrot cichlid, and a pleco..
I've been feeding them pellets and frozen bloodworms..
Sigh, at least US40 went down the drain when all but one orange one survived..
Forgive me if get names wrong, not very good at identifying (plus they don't put labels. Imagine that!)
I use metric, it's capacity (as in empty with nothing but water) is around 57 litres, and 60x30x36 cm. (lenght, width, height)
Cycle? (Newbie alert!)
Have no idea, bt maybe I should get one. Any good brands to reccomend so I can scout? I've only been able to find pH testers.
Those yellow ones (like the one in your sig), I think they're called Lemon something..
Well, there was this orange one, and a parrot cichlid, and a pleco..
I've been feeding them pellets and frozen bloodworms..
Sigh, at least US40 went down the drain when all but one orange one survived..
Hi sgstvoy,
Firstly, if your tank is 57 litres, it is way to small to keep African cichlids...sorry
The fish you lost is almost certainly a yellow lab, the orange one is a red zebra probably. None of the fish you have/had are suitable for your size of tank, nowhere near i'm afraid. If any are still alive, they really need returning to your local fish store or you need a much bigger tank (approx 3 times the size of the tank you have now, 40 gallons or more). They will almost certainly die otherwise.
Cycling is the process of setting up the biological balance of the tank, sounds complex but its not that bad. Read the pinned article in the beginner section of this forum for all the help you will need.
Sorry this is bad news but you need to do a lot of research to keep fish of this kind. If you need any more help, post it here and we'll try and help.
Firstly, if your tank is 57 litres, it is way to small to keep African cichlids...sorry
The fish you lost is almost certainly a yellow lab, the orange one is a red zebra probably. None of the fish you have/had are suitable for your size of tank, nowhere near i'm afraid. If any are still alive, they really need returning to your local fish store or you need a much bigger tank (approx 3 times the size of the tank you have now, 40 gallons or more). They will almost certainly die otherwise.
Cycling is the process of setting up the biological balance of the tank, sounds complex but its not that bad. Read the pinned article in the beginner section of this forum for all the help you will need.
Sorry this is bad news but you need to do a lot of research to keep fish of this kind. If you need any more help, post it here and we'll try and help.
Oh darn. Space is the biggest concerning factor, as I live in an apartment. Plus, even if I do find space, I don't know what's the load-bearing limit of my floor, so =S
So I guess I'll stick to bettas and small community fishes...
So I guess I'll stick to bettas and small community fishes...
Your floors, unless they are rotton, can easily hold a 75 gallon tank, the question is more about how much space and cash you have. Some people are worried about older apartments, but frankly they were built better back 'in the day'.
Bloodworms will also contribute to the death of Mbuna, the african malawi cichlids you are keeping. Should you choose to upgrade the tank and try again, use brine shrimp as a supplement instead of bloodworms, and only a few times per week. Also read up on mbuna, the pinned artical above is a good start.
Bloodworms will also contribute to the death of Mbuna, the african malawi cichlids you are keeping. Should you choose to upgrade the tank and try again, use brine shrimp as a supplement instead of bloodworms, and only a few times per week. Also read up on mbuna, the pinned artical above is a good start.
Well, I'm not really sure about the max floor load (cermic and concrete base floor, with steel re-bars) so I should really ask the builder.
Cash wise, I'm ok, but space is the most prohibiting factor.
Oh, so no bloodworms. My lone cichlid survivor is now living with my tropical goldfish..
Cash wise, I'm ok, but space is the most prohibiting factor.
Oh, so no bloodworms. My lone cichlid survivor is now living with my tropical goldfish..
wait a minute....you keep cichlid with goldfish??? Dude goldfish requires colder water temp and plus big african cichlids will eat feeder goldfish....maybe you should read the sticky and research first before your next upgrade....Stick with cichlids and re-located the goldfish....
The africans and goldfish will both do fine at room temp, and the chances are the lone mbuna would ignore goldie, who wouldn't last long if there were a bunch of them in there. Mbuna do not in any way see the goldfish as a food source, so the only thing that would remain is whether they see it as a threat.
The other thing, sgstvoy, is that most mbuna, with the exception of labidochromis, should get spirulina flakes as a significant part of their diet.
The other thing, sgstvoy, is that most mbuna, with the exception of labidochromis, should get spirulina flakes as a significant part of their diet.
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