yellow lab problems

[FxT4LyFx]

okay first time on here so be nice haha. for the last 4 years ive had a tire track eel, bala shark, bristlenose cat fish and a red tailed shark in a 270l or 71g tank with no problems except 6 months ago my red tailed shark died for unknoy reasons. 8 days ago i went to pet shop and asked for fish suitable for my tank and fish in it. they suggested some things including an oscar and african cichlids that i thought looked cool. i bout them not knowing what they were like and going off what the people at the shop told me, which was they'll be good for my tank. after a couple of days and realising what all the fish were after some research i took the oscar back. i am now left with my original fish - red tailed shark, two electric yellows, a female kenyi and what i think is an ob zebra? all the cichlids generally leave my other fish alone and occasionly fight amongst each other. but heres the problem. my bigger yellow lab chases the smaller one non stop. for the last 5 days my smaller yellow lab sits in the corner vertically with its mouth out the water or sitting still on the bottom. its fins are almost always tucked. all food it tries to eat it spits back out. it has gotten a blackish face, black stripes down its body and the black in its fins is fading. please someone help me save this poor fish. also when i had my oscar it nibbled on my balas fins, it seems fine but will it be okay in the long run? ph is 7.2 btw. all other fish except my small yellow lab named buttercup (my gf named it) seem very healthy and lively. please help.

 

[Convict2161]

First thing is the pH I way low for the Africans. It needs to be about 8-8.2. My pH for my African Cichlid tank is at 8.2. Also it sounds stressed big time. You should remove it ASAP and bring it back to your LFS. That's my opinion.

http://africancichlids.org/

http://africancichlids.org/articles/beginner-african-cichlid-care-methods

http://cichlidcare.hubpages.com/hub/Keeping-African-Cichlids---Guide-To-African-Cichlid-Care

 

[alexarean]

Yah me 2

 

[garfy]

Sounds like your yellow labs are both male.The larger will harass the smaller for ever more.I would advise that you remove the smaller fish.The black face is a sign of a severely stressed and harassed fish.

 

[FxT4LyFx]

i dont have a lfs, i live in a small town 30 mins away from a decent pet shop. i know cichlids prefer higher but where it is keeps all fish in the tank at a ph they can live in. also i read cichlids are highly adaptable with ph. all the fish except the bullied yellow lab seem happy and healthy. i suspected it was stress and also suspected they could both be males. i dont have another tank for it and cant get to pet store for another week or so. what do i do? the last two nights, including tonight it swims around more with tank lights out. is that a good sign?

 

[garfy]

As long as your ph is stable you will be fine cichlids are very adaptable.It is fluctuation in your ph that will cause them problems.
As for the yellow labs keep a close eye on them.How much cover do you have for the smaller one?
I had the same problem with yellow labs.My dominant male would not allow the smaller male to be in his territory full stop.Luckily I have plenty of hiding places but every time he came out of hiding the larger male was on him like a flash.Constantly chasing him until he hid again.In the end I returned him to the store as I didn't want to see him so stressed and harassed.

 

[FxT4LyFx]

i have two big rocks with gaps i made by lifting them with other rocks in the middle of the tank that the eel usually takes up but the cichlids do swim in and out of there. a tube i made and put on one of the sides. a big plant pot i burried a bit. two decos i bought from pet store, a barrel and some other thing. there is lots of room for them all in my tank and places for them to hide yet they always swap around what they hide in? is this just cus they havent fully settled down and found teritories yet? theres a pic of my tank i took on my phone attached to the thread. anyways, what do i do about the spitting out its food problem? and also did you have any advice for my bala with nipped fins? thanks btw, youve been very helpful and friendly. a warm welcome to the site, cheers

 

[garfy]

What are you feeding to them?
As far as your Bala shark is concerned if the cichlids are leaving him alone then his fins will heal up just fine.It just takes a little time
A fish not eating is usually a sign that it is unwell or a holding female.Can you get a close up of the fish in question?

 

[joel618]

Kinda sounds like malawi bloat, caused by stress and maybe improper diet. Also sounds like you need more territory's.

 

[garfy]

Let's not jump to conclusions.He said this fish was being chased non stop and it's face has turned black. A fish with bloat would not even attempt to eat.Maybe the bigger lab has inflicted an injury on the smaller one's mouth making it difficult for it to feed.

 

[joel618]

Let's not jump to conclusions.He said this fish was being chased non stop and it's face has turned black. A fish with bloat would not even attempt to eat.Maybe the bigger lab has inflicted an injury on the smaller one's mouth making it difficult for it to feed.

I have had fish with the onset of bloat that will spit food but not eat it. I agree is it being overly harassed and I have read that overly stressed can lead to bloat. Just a suggestion.

 

[Murano22s]

You can try adding caves for the little one to hide in... Once he picks a spot do your regular feed, and then use an eye dropper, add food suck up some water and slowly squeeze it into his cave. This way the others will be occupied and he can eat in peace. I've never owned cichlids before, but this is something I used to keep certain saltwater fish happy..

 

[garfy]

You can try adding caves for the little one to hide in... Once he picks a spot do your regular feed, and then use an eye dropper, add food suck up some water and slowly squeeze it into his cave. This way the others will be occupied and he can eat in peace. I've never owned cichlids before, but this is something I used to keep certain saltwater fish happy..

Sounds like a good idea.Break up the line of sight on the tank and maybe it's possible for these two to co-exist.

 

[Jmedic25]

What are your water params other than PH? im wondering what your nitrates are.

 

[FxT4LyFx]

its a little hard cus the fish usually sits in the corner of the tank at the back against the wall, if it comes out i'll try get a pic off my phone. when i get up i feed them a bit of flakes and sometimes little pinches through the day. at night i feed them crushed up mikari cichlid pellets and sometimes i put zuccini in as my bristlenose likes it and its good digestive moving vegetable for my cichlids. i hand feed my eel half a frozen bloodworm sq one night and the next half a frozen brine shrimp sq and it carries on like that. obviously the odd bloodworm and shrimp will be left in the tank that the cichlids eat but i never feed that food straight to them. also in the last few months my eel stopped eating earthworms so every now again i get one, wash it and put infront of the eel. i make sure they are small incase the cichlids eat which they do.

 

[FxT4LyFx]

hey, do not have test kit for nitrate at the moment. i know it sounds bad but have been trying to find a cheaper one. they shouldnt be to high as i did around 30% water change two days ago and do this routinely? also its only one of my seven fish with something wrong and im positive the bullying from the other yellow lab is whats causing it.

 

[garfy]

hey, do not have test kit for nitrate at the moment. i know it sounds bad but have been trying to find a cheaper one. they shouldnt be to high as i did around 30% water change two days ago and do this routinely? also its only one of my seven fish with something wrong and im positive the bullying from the other yellow lab is whats causing it.

I agree the black face on your smaller lab tells me that.
I would recommend an API test kit.It tests ph,higher ph,Nitrite,Nitrate and ammonia.
If you were to suddenly get fish dying with no obvious signs then the first thing to do would be to test your water.Personally I've always got an API test kit close to hand.

 

[FxT4LyFx]

thank you, i will keep a look out for one. api seem to be a good brand. i use there stress coat and from what ive seen and heard its really good. thank you everyone for your help