Cichlid Tank

[Madame_X]

We've got 12 fish in our 55 gallon (8 cichlids, 2 synodontis and 2 plecos). There is the normal territorial aggression but so far no casualties (it's been up since around the first of December).

Surprisingly, the brichardis are the most aggressive fish in the tank, although the pseudotropheus polit is starting to become more aggressive as he gets older. I've seen him lock lips with the male brichardi a time or two...

 

[mikemou]

believe it or not, i lost all four cichlids last night....

water got murky so i though i'd vaccum the gravel. i figure it'd be a 5-10 min quick task, so i netted out the fish, put them in a vase filled with tap water with similar temp. and started vaccuming. i was surprised to see how dirty it's got so i kept going for about 20 mins to clean them all. while still vaccuming i noticed my fish weren't really moving and at a closer look they went sideways in the vase. so i dumped them back to the tank but it was too late, three went straight down to the bottom, one struggled for another minute or so and went down.

lesson learned number one: my tap water is very poisonous to fish
lesson learned number two: never cut corners when keeping fish, they're fragile
lesson learned number three: i should've started this hobby with a small tank

so, i'm back to square one now.... an empty 55g tank, with 2 fatal incidents that caused 24 lifes.

 

[Menagerie]

Did you dechlorinate the water? How long were they in the vase? That would have had little surface area for oxygen exchange and with four (even small) fish, that may have been your major problem.
I don't understand. The fish were fine in the tank and you used tap water (declorinated), correct?
I'm sorry for your losses, this is horrible :?

 

[grimlock3000]

You can leave the fish right in the tank while vacuuming. Putting fish in a vase/jug/whatever is (as you learned) generally a bad idea. It not only stresses the fish out, but the container can very easily be contaminated with soap, fertilizer, or pretty much anything else. I have a fish pitcher, and a fish bucket. The ONLY thing they are used for is fish related stuff so there is no chance of contamination. Also, when cycling the tank, you want to leave some of the fish waste in the gravel to get the cycle going.

 

[deli_conker]

Since you are at square one, I think you should take the next few weeks to research what you really want to put in your tank. We have no problems answering any questions you might have.

my tap water is very poisonous to fish

most people's tap water is. that's why you dechlorinate it. also fish don't like sudden changes in the water; temperature, ph, water hardness

never cut corners when keeping fish, they're fragile

good advice for any living thing...

i should've started this hobby with a small tank

Smaller tanks are actually harder to keep than larger ones. A small change will have a greater impact on a smaller tank than a large tank.

I would recommend going to your lfs and find out what types of fish appeal to you. Write their names down. Come here and ask about them, go to the library and read about them, google them up and down. There is a wealth of information out there and a lot of experience on this site. Make use of it...

 

[mikemou]

No I didn't dechlorinate the water because (1) it's a small vase and I was afraid to overdose it, and (2) I thought I'd be done in 5 minutes. They're in there for less than 20 minutes. Maybe they're out of oxygen.
Apparetnly a series of bad judgements resulted in a fatal mistake.

I think I'm going back to my original plan: A community tank with lots of Tetras. I'll give my water some time to be ready for Tetras, in the mean time, I'll be gathering more information on planting the tank and getting driftwoods.

Thank you all for your advices.

 

[TankGirl]

I am sorry to hear about the horrible turn of events.

The fish can't handle even a few minutes in straight tap water, as you have learned. As above, just leave them in the tank for maintenance unless they are sick and have to be removed for treatment.

Can't remember if you mentioned this but you need to be very clear on the nitrogen cycle because setting up a new tank is going to make or break you, as you are discovering. It is in this early, crucial stage that many people get frustrated and put the tanks on the curb or in the garage. Try doing a fishless cycle (there is tons of info on the web about this) and when that is done try some hardy tetras, like you say. Post back with the tetras that you like, and we can comment on compatibility, since all tetras are not created equal!