Venustus problems

[rwcichlid]

I had a 29 gallon tank to start off a cichlid tank. I put in 3 tenny tiny babies in there, including a venustus. They grew big and a year later I put them in a 55. I added a few more fish and then a month later I moved them to a 150. Through all the tank changes I used all of the old water from the old tanks and the old filters. Then my venustus started acting weird. He was being stand-offish and not eating a whole lot. Then he died, no visible signs what-so-ever and I don't lose fish often and maintain my tank regularly. About 2/3 months ago someone gave me a bunch of their cichlids, including a venustus. After quarentining them I added them in. Last week the venustus did the same thing as the other one. He had plenty of room and wasn't being picked on. I don't understand. Is there something to them that I didn't know? Please help!!!! I would really like to get another but not if it's just going to die.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

What kinds of Africans do you keep with them?

 

[rwcichlid]

I've got 4 red zebras, 3 kenyis, 4 ice blue zebras, 3 acei, 2 red-finned albino zebras, 2 bumblebees, 1 snow-white socolofi, 3 auratuses, 1 peacock, 2 victorian haps, 2 malawi chrysomatus (i may have miss-spelled that), a foot-long leporinus, a foot-long pleco (sail-fin), and 2 clown loaches that are still small. Plus there are about 50-75 babies from 3 different batches in there. I feed them a mixed diet of veggies, flake, pellets, and frozen. It's a crushed coral bed with some river rock left over from another tank. Lots and lots of rock-work and fake plants. I have a fluval 404, 2 power-head sponge filters, and the biggest tetra-tec they make. The pH is 8.2, the temp stays about 82/83. All the other chemicals are fine.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Wow, that's quite the mix of fish!

All I can say at this point is to keep an eye on them and see if they are being bothered by any other fish - you do have some very aggressive mbuna in there - but it's also a very big tank...

 

[rwcichlid]

The thing is is that niether had any visible signs on them. It's almost like they got depressed....I have no idea!