I need help

[DeadLine]

My red jewel cichlid is starting to get fat and has stopped eating as much as it use to I am unsure of the sex and was wondering if it could actually be a she and be pregnant or if this is some kind of bloat problem. I do have two of them and am unsure the sex of either one. They were in a community tank until I noticed them getting really aggressive with my other cichlids and now there in there own 20 gallon. any advise or info is greatly appreciated.

 

[haleybeth30]

I would say they will probably have babies. Hopefully someone will chime in on how to deal with that =) I would watch her closely though to ensure it's not bloat

 

[Big Tex]

My red jewel cichlid is starting to get fat and has stopped eating as much as it use to I am unsure of the sex and was wondering if it could actually be a she and be pregnant or if this is some kind of bloat problem. I do have two of them and am unsure the sex of either one. They were in a community tank until I noticed them getting really aggressive with my other cichlids and now there in there own 20 gallon. any advise or info is greatly appreciated.

If "they" were both getting aggressive with others and paired off in the tank, yes it's a she and she's pregnant, but a 20g is way to small for both of them, petco is having they're dollar per gallon sale and I would pickup at least a 40g for them IMO.

 

[DeadLine]

Thank you for the advice and ill certainly look into petco for a bigger tank.

 

[Big Tex]

Thank you for the advice and ill certainly look into petco for a bigger tank.

Anytime that's why we're here,

 

[Mogurako]

Hemichromis lifalili are not livebearers they don't get "pregnant" they become gravid (full of eggs). That being said your fish is not gravid that looks like bloat to me, what/how much do you feed and what are your water parameters?

 

[DeadLine]

They were in a 55 gallon with two dolphins and a small pleco until they started being aggressive with them I moved them to a 20 gallon on Thursday.

 

[DeadLine]

I only feed them a pinch in the morning before I go to work and another pinch an hour before I go to bed usually

 

[Mogurako]

I only feed them a pinch in the morning before I go to work and another pinch an hour before I go to bed usually

What type of food?!

 

[DeadLine]

It's ocean nutrition brine shrimp flakes

 

[Mogurako]

I would fast the fish for a few days, then switch over to a high quality pellet like New life Spectrum. I have a feeling that flake is to high in protein/fillers and is meant to be a supplemental food not a staple.

 

[DeadLine]

This is what I've been feeding them. It says its a highly attractive staple food for marine and freshwater tropical fish. It contains brine shrimp with a blend of plankton and algae. I've noticed that they're although sluggish still pretty active if that makes sense.

 

[Cichlid-dude]

That food is too high in protein for those fish. That is most definately bloat you are dealing with there.