First Aquarium : Fluval 5 Gallon - Elgonated Mbuna Cichlidae. How soon will I need to

[FlyPenFly]

He's just a little guy now. I know the recommended size is at least 30 gallon. I plan to get a bigger tank eventually just wanted to know when I should be planning to do so.

This is a fluval chi 5 gallon tank. I've used conditioner and cycler. Using the test strip, everything came back good after 24 hours. I've also added a teaspoon of aquarium salt on the advice of the Petco guy.

Does it prefer the light be on or off?

How often am I supposed to feed a smaller fish?

Is this one male or female?

 

[Samzter]

He's just a little guy now. I know the recommended size is at least 30 gallon. I plan to get a bigger tank eventually just wanted to know when I should be planning to do so.

This is a fluval chi 5 gallon tank. I've used conditioner and cycler. Using the test strip, everything came back good after 24 hours. I've also added a teaspoon of aquarium salt on the advice of the Petco guy.

Does it prefer the light be on or off?

How often am I supposed to feed a smaller fish?

Is this one male or female?

1) have you cycled the tank?
2) did you research these fish?
3) you need to invest in a API liquid test kit. The test strips are very inaccurate and are no help whatsoever.
4) what's your water change schedule?

 

[marsh]

Ok I have to agree I tried test strips and they really sucked. Get the API master test kit, online only $19 but up to $35 retail. I shopped at Drs foster & smith

Edit: what type of fish did you get, he's pretty

 

[FlyPenFly]

Hi thanks it's a Elgonated Mbuna Cichlidae

Alright, I'll order one of those.

I was told using the instant cycler will make the tank ready for fish if I let it run a while and use the conditioner?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

He's just a little guy now. I know the recommended size is at least 30 gallon. I plan to get a bigger tank eventually just wanted to know when I should be planning to do so.

This is a fluval chi 5 gallon tank. I've used conditioner and cycler. Using the test strip, everything came back good after 24 hours. I've also added a teaspoon of aquarium salt on the advice of the Petco guy.

Does it prefer the light be on or off?

How often am I supposed to feed a smaller fish?

Is this one male or female?

to AA!

Looks like male Melanochromis Johanni I believe they get around 5" big and they are somewhat aggressive.

With the tank size a 30 gallon MAY be ok. If it was me id look into getting a 40 breeder or 55 gallon tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/lake-malawi-mbuna-stocking-dcor-hardware/

Lighting with them doesn't really matter

A good thing to feed would be new life spectrum tera a or hikari excel. Just a little bit for 5 days, feed peas on a day and don't feed a day.

These little guys grow really fast and will be full grown within several months so I'd take him back to the store or find a new tank in the next couple weeks.

Water testing
Please don't use the test strips they are junk and I'm not even sure why they don't take them off the market. A good test kit like the api liquid master test kit is the way to go. The tank can't do a proper cycle in a 24 hour period or even a couple weeks. You may want to read up on these links below so you don't lose any fish.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

 

[Samzter]

They're elongated mbuna cichlids.

 

[marsh]

Oops duh it's in the title.

Look up fish-in cycling. In my experience the cycle took several weeks to fully turn a decent ammonia reading to a zero reading in 24 hours.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Thanks guys!

I'll read those links and order a proper test kit.

Are there highly recommended stores in Manhattan?

 

[marsh]

I went into Manhattan Aquariums when visiting my cousin. Here is the address from Yelp:
522 W 37th St, Manhattan, NY 10018

I was homesick for my tanks I guess. That was closest to her home but I found quite a few just on yelp.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

They're elongated mbuna cichlids.

It's better known as Melanochromis Johanni

 

[FlyPenFly]

Judging from the photos, it appears to be Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Judging from the photos, it appears to be Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos?

That is possible because at this stage in there life it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the two.

 

[librarygirl]

If you keep that fish you're going to want to upgrade tank size fairly soon.

Running a tank doesn't cycle it and neither does adding a bacteria starter. The tank needs ammonia source to start cycling (e.g. growing bacteria). Since you have fish, the fish will produce the ammonia but since the tank isn't cycled yet the fish is going to be swimming in it's own ammonia which can be dangerous as the levels rise. Here's a guide you need to follow: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice and Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice for some general tips.

The fish doesn't really need salt (PetCo likes to sell it for some reason) lol Salt can help protect the fish during the nitrite phase but not sure if it does anything in the ammonia phase. Also salt doesn't evaporate so you'd need to be careful about how much you remove with water changes and how much you put in; if you do it wrong over time the salt levels can rise in the tank which isn't good for freshwater fish.

Get a liquid test kit. Until then I'd do 50% water change every couple of days with a good dechlorinator.

Feeding once per day is usually plenty.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to get a 40-55 gallon tank and do this right with a fishless cycle.

Any ideas what to put into the 5 gallon Fluval Chi I have now?