Scared about my afericans

[Blueiz]

OT, but relevant. Salt, aquarium salt, NaCl, does not make brackish water conditions, you need marine salts for that.

[crb530]

yes i did stop the meds in the tank and yes i did do water changes

sense cichlids are dirty fish i have to do a water change every week and i do a 30% change i match the temp befor it goes in the tank and all that

they all seem to be doing fine now i have yet to add the salt but im going to today so there not as stressed

[Tamara0629]

Ok. It sounds like you're going in the right direction. I know what I'm about to say is just common sense, but since you stopped medicating and have done the water change, I just wanted to make sure you put the carbon back in the filter. I know of people whom have forgotten to do this after medicating. Also after you add the salt, don't mess with the fish anymore unless you start seeing telltale signs of ich because they will need some time to recover from the stress of medicating them.

[Tamara0629]

Originally Posted by Blueiz

OT, but relevant. Salt, aquarium salt, NaCl, does not make brackish water conditions, you need marine salts for that.

I'm sorry if my understanding of terminology was incorrect, but I was told a long time ago by my father, who bred cichlids, that anytime you add any kind of salt, regardless as to the type, that it was no longer freshwater, and at that point, considered brackish.

[mfdrookie516]

Originally Posted by Tamara0629

I'm sorry if my understanding of terminology was incorrect, but I was told a long time ago by my father, who bred cichlids, that anytime you add any kind of salt, regardless as to the type, that it was no longer freshwater, and at that point, considered brackish.

almost all, if not all, lakes, rivers, etc have some salt in them... brackish water is only places where saltwater meets freshwater like the mouths of rivers that meet oceans, etc... btw, no cichlids that i am aware of come from such places, especially african rift lake cichlids...(at least none to my knowledge, or googles for that matter)

[Tamara0629]

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

almost all, if not all, lakes, rivers, etc have some salt in them... brackish water is only places where saltwater meets freshwater like the mouths of rivers that meet oceans, etc... btw, no cichlids that i am aware of come from such places, especially african rift lake cichlids...(at least none to my knowledge, or googles for that matter)

Actually, I just double checked what you said about the African cichlids natural habitat by doing a google search and the second link provided after a search for "African cichlids natural habitat" states that African rift lake natural habitat "more closely resembles a marine habitat than tropical freshwater" and that salt is almost always necessary to be added to the water in a tank containing them. Here is the link:

African Rift Lake Cichlids

I just thought what you said was wrong because I remembered reading a book on cichlids once that said something similar and thought I'd double check real fast.

[Tamara0629]

Also, the African rift lakes are an exception to that rule about most rivers and lakes because the African rift lakes have unique water chemistry unlike any other river or lake in the world.

[crb530]

well that is good to know yes i added the carbon back into the tank and every thing is doing great every one seems happy and fine. the new tank is set up and done with its mini cycle so i think im going to move them in very soon


i was also looking to buy some females cause i only have males but none of my fish stores seem to know how to tell the difference

with the kind i have i was told that males have the dots on the bottom fins

[mfdrookie516]

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

almost all, if not all, lakes, rivers, etc have some salt in them... brackish water is only places where saltwater meets freshwater like the mouths of rivers that meet oceans, etc... btw, no cichlids that i am aware of come from such places, especially african rift lake cichlids...(at least none to my knowledge, or googles for that matter)

if you read what i wrote, i said almost all, if not all, lakes, rivers, etc have some salt in them...

you said

Originally Posted by Tamara0629

Cichlids especially do well in brackish water. Their natural habitat includes brackish water.

which is wrong...

[mfdrookie516]

Originally Posted by crb530

i was also looking to buy some females cause i only have males but none of my fish stores seem to know how to tell the difference

with the kind i have i was told that males have the dots on the bottom fins

that is kind of hit or miss, especially if they are young... the only sure fire way is by "venting"... here is a good link... what kind do you have specifically?

Male or Female?