nimbochromis venustus

[jm8mr]

Hello everyone, i need some advice, i am a total newbie to fishkeeping so please go easy on me the tank has been set up for 5 days. 120 gallon,, 48 x 24 x 24. The nimbochromis is about 1 1/2- 1 3/4. It seems to love chasin my cyrtocara moorii and copadichromis borleyi red fin whom are slightly smaller. Is this a sign that venustus needs to be gotten rid of.... Is this a sign of bad things to come or should i let it play out??????

 

[misterpenguin4]

Well i dont mean to scare you but I had a venustus with 5 other cichlids in a 36 gallon. I was going to raise them from .5 inch to 3 inches then take the back to my LFS. I guess i waited too long because the venustus killed 3 of my other $50 worth before i could get him out. I think they got too cramped but if they have plenty of room and places to hide and diffrent territory to claim you should be fine.

 

[garfy]

Ok well you have a good sized tank which is a plus.The way you set up your decor will play a big part in the harmony of your fish.You need to break the line of sight with your fish in several places in your tank.The chasing could just be the Venustus exerting his dominance over the others and it may settle down once he has done that.
Be careful with the choice of fish you mix.Venustus grow to 10" and they grow fairly quickly.
You say your tank has been set up for 5 days.Is it properly cycled?How many fish do you currently have and what species are they?

 

[jm8mr]

I have 4 fish so far. Nimbochromis, copadichromis borleyi red fin, otopharynx lithobates and a cyrtocara moori. My lfs said i have to wait 6-8 weeks before adding anything else

 

[garfy]

Your LFS is right telling you to wait before adding more fish.What are your plans for tank Maintenance?

 

[jm8mr]

Well once 6-8 weeks are up i am going to let them come in to do the maintenance the 1st time so i can learn what exactly to do by watching them

 

[jm8mr]

They have quite a few accounts they take care of such as jetblue airways

 

[garfy]

My worry is that without any water changes a newly set up tank will have rapidly deteriorating water quality with fish in it and they may not survive 8 weeks.

 

[jm8mr]

Oh really,,they set it up and told me to do nothing for 6-8 weeks..

 

[Coursair]

Oh really,,they set it up and told me to do nothing for 6-8 weeks..

Test the water and see what it's doing.

 

[garfy]

That was my next piece of advice.Nice one Corsair

 

[garfy]

Sorry Coursair my bad

 

[jm8mr]

Will do. I am off today will get test kit this morning and buy a water changer that hooks up to my faucet.. Will test first and get back to you guys.. Thanks very much for the help!

 

[garfy]

That's great if its in your budget I would recommend the API Master Freshwater Test Kit.In my opinion its a great accurate test kit.

 

[jm8mr]

Will get it, , thanks, ,,will get back with the readings later on this afternoon

 

[Bdonaldson]

You should be prepared to do frequent water changes over the next 6-8 weeks if you don't want to loose your fish. It normally takes a tank at least one month to develope the beneficial bacteria (cycling process) which is used to eat the fish waste. It's best to do the fishless cycle so not to sacrifice any fish. Google fishless cycle. Most fish usually can't withstand the high concentration of ammonia in the tank (ammonia spike) during the cycling process.

I started my tanks using 100% ammonia. Not the yellow kind that has detergents in it. My 20 gal. Took 21 days and my 125 gal. Took 18 days to cycle.

 

[Borderlesscott]

No water change in a newly set up tank for 6-8 weeks would leave you with no fish at the end, worst advice I've read in a while. You should be testing your water regularly and water changing at least once a week, there is more to water than just waste and bacteria - fish require trace elements that are used up in old water.

 

[Crawdaddy]

With the tank only being up,by my count, 6 days now, you probably will be having to do water changes every day. Did your LFS give you any seeding material to help jump start your cycle? Give this a read if you haven't already. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

 

[Bdonaldson]

I guess it depends on how much of an animal lover you are. I prefer the fishless cycle. If there is a way to spare a life, I will do it.

And yes I do know that water has more than fish waste and bacteria in it.

 

[Crawdaddy]

I guess it depends on how much of an animal lover you are. I prefer the fishless cycle. If there is a way to spare a life, I will do it.

And yes I do know that water has more than fish waste and bacteria in it.

I myself have only done fish less cycles, but I believe the op stated that he already had a couple of fish in the tank.