in good shape?

[FORIAMBILL]

I have a mini bowl 5g at work in a warehouse. Its been up for about 2 months. I have a 25 [acronym:4ce04d3072="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:4ce04d3072] heater kept about 78º, a small whisper [acronym:4ce04d3072="Hang On Back"]hob[/acronym:4ce04d3072] filter, a huge "rock" furniture for hiding, nice layer of blue gravel, a plastic plant, and a banana plant. the banana first lost two leaves, but has sinse thrived and produced two huge leaves, and a new sprout now.

I have 3 african cichlids, a red tail shark and a rainbow shark. pardon my ignorance on breeds... the cichlids are: yellow guy with black and white horizontal stripes, a grey one with tiger like stripes, and a grey one with white edges on his fins. the third cichlid and the rainbow shark are the smallest, while the rest are all about 2-2½ inches long.

I've been feeding them flakes in the morning and blood worms in the late afternoon. they didn't seem to like the cichlid pellets. Light goes on at 6am, and off by 3:30 pm. I add water as needed, gently rinse the filter weekly and have done a partial water change twice.

I think they're doing great, but am sure I could be doing better for them.

[millipede]

wait a second, I was just about to log off when I read this... Did I read it right? A 5g? Does that mean 5 Gal? I sure hope not. In case it is a 5 [acronym:4938267cde="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:4938267cde] You're going to get bombarded with posts... That is way too small for that many fish... I hope I read it wrong or something...
Other than that sounds like you are taking decent care of them... Someone else might have some other suggestions but overall it sounds like a healthy tank... As long as it isn't 5 gallons...

[millipede]

I forgot, Welcome to Aquarium Advice Bill...

[Endgame319]

I'm guessing all your fish are juveniles right now, well when they get older, not one of your fish will be able to fit in that small of a tank. The sharks top out at around 5-6", and the cichlids could grow up to anywhere from 4-12". The only fish that could do comfortably in that tank would be a betta, some neons, or white clouds. Otherwise, either get a bigger tank for them or donate some to the [acronym:c2774afeee="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:c2774afeee].

[acronym:c2774afeee="By the way"]BTW[/acronym:c2774afeee], Welcome to Aquarium Advice

[LAGlocker]

I agree you shouldnt have those fish in that tank, way to big of a bio load for that size. And I hope I didnt read right that you have only done two partial changes in the tank, with that bio load you should be doing them alot more often, more than likely a few times a week just to keep the levels down. I woudl either get a larger tank or get rid of those fish myself.

[Allivymar]

Hiya Bill and welcome to AquariumAdvice

I noticed you didn't ask any specific questions, but did comment "I think they're doing great, but am sure I could be doing better for them." Good on ya for wanting the best for your fishies You'll find folks here are very serious about fish and their care, and since you said you are sure you could do better for em, lets speak to that.

First n foremost, let me add my two cents to the tank size. Eeek. Way too small for anything but a couple of dwarf puffers, a small school of very small fish or a betta [acronym:d5f5fad9ad="In My Honest Opinion"]IMHO[/acronym:d5f5fad9ad]. I strongly suggest looking into a much larger tank; I'd say 30g minimum, but a 55g would be better. If thats not possible, I'd suggest returning them and looking into more compatible fish for that size tank.

Secondly, water parameters. I'm guessing you don't own testing kits? If not, I suggest purchasing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH tests. With that many fish in such a small space, nitrogenous waste levels can spike very quickly and kill them. If you don't have a handle on the nitrogen cycle itself (which is the basis for healthy fish keeping), take a gander here: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

I also suggested pH tests because of the Africans. African cichlids prefer high pH levels and hard water to be happy n healthy; 8.0 pH wouldn't be out of the ordinary. I don't know about the sharks tho; I have a feeling they need different water parameters.

Lastly (for now [acronym:d5f5fad9ad="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:d5f5fad9ad]) water changes. Keep in mind everything you put into the tank stays there except the water (which as you know evaporates). Food for example, although in a different form. With infrequent water changes that really adds up, also affecting the fish.

[Menagerie]

Welcome to AA, FORIAMBILL!!


As an owner of cichlids of all kinds (never owned the skarks), I can say there will be many problems later on. Around two years ago, I bought "assorted" African cichlids when they were small and cute. My fiancé had a 29 [acronym:fcc8996fd1="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:fcc8996fd1] and we put them in there with his other cichlids (not all African). As the fish matured, the less aggressive were killed off and everyone was fighting for territories--all the time. Now, the cichlids are in an 80 [acronym:fcc8996fd1="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:fcc8996fd1] with lots of lace rock and they still fight over territories, but it's better. Since joining AquariumAdvice I have learned so much about my fish. Part of my learning involves giving up one of my cichlids--the smallest in the tank and the fiercest (and not African).
I agree with what's already been posted, those fish cannot stay in that tank and fully develop and lead a "normal" fish life. I strongly encourage you to do read about cichlids (on the web, or there are some great books), try to identify what you have and learn about them so you can "do better for them."