Help!

[Greenenvy]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm not at all an experienced fish keeper. But I have just adopted a fish from a colleague. We don't know what type of fish he is. Does anyone know? We were told that he ate all of the other fish in his tank and that's why they wanted to get rid of him. They were actually considering flushing him. Poor guy!

I'm guessing the tank was too small for the amount of fish or he was put in with the wrong types of fish and that's why he ate them. Can anyone advise as to how many litres/gallons this tank holds? And what types of fish he can peacefully live with?

Also, he doesn't move about very much. Mostly he sits stationary at the bottom of the tank. Is this normal behaviour?

Not sure also if the filter that came with his tank is any good. It doesn't bubble very much? Can anyone advise? I don't want the poor fellow to be under-oxygenated. Hope he doesn't need a heated tank too. We were told he was a cold-water fish.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[ericwithac]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm not at all an experience fish keeper. But I have just adopted a fish from a colleague. We don't know what type of fish he is. Does anyone know? We were told that he ate all of the other fish in his tank and that's why they wanted to get rid of him. They were actually considering flushing him. Poor guy!

I'm guessing the tank was too small for the amount of fish or he was put in with the wrong types of fish and that's why he ate them. Can anyone advise as to how many litres/gallons this tank holds? And what types of fish he can peacefully live with?

Also, he doesn't move about very much. Mostly he sits stationary at the bottom of the tank. Is this normal behaviour?

Not sure also if the filter that came with his tank is any good. It doesn't bubble very much? Can anyone advise? I don't want the poor fellow to be under-oxygenated. Hope he doesn't need a heated tank too. We were told he was a cold-water fish.

Thanks everyone!!

Can you provide a picture?

 

[Greenenvy]

Sorry yes! I tried to post a picture earlier but it wouldn't let me do it from my phone. Using my laptop now.

The tank dimensions are 35 cm width, 31 cm height, 24 cm depth.

Thanks!

 

[ericwithac]

Sorry yes! I tried to post a picture earlier but it wouldn't let me do it from my phone. Using my laptop now.

The tank dimensions are 35 cm width, 31 cm height, 24 cm depth.

Thanks!

Alright, its definitely a cichlid of some sort. Im certainly not an expert with cichlids, however, it looks to me like a Female Paratilapia Polleni. I have a male at work (the only cichlid I have) and he is black with colorful specs. The females are known to be more pale, and considering they look the same, thats my best guess. Maybe a true cichlid expert will come along and give you a better answer.

 

[jessipanda]

I agree that it looks like a cichlid...and if ericwithac is correct about it being a female Paratilapia Polleni, you might want to rethink keeping it. Any cichlid will get too large for that tank--even dwarf species. Paratilapia polleni gets as big as 11", although I don't think females get quite that large, they still get too big for a 6.5-gallon tank.

Most dwarf cichlids get to at least 3-4" and shouldn't be kept in an aquarium smaller than 10 gallons. If it's just sitting at the bottom of the tank not doing much, it could be extremely stressed due to either the small tank size, water parameters, or both. They are all very sensitive fish and should be kept in a well-cycled tank with plenty of space to swim and lots of hiding spots.
Also, it's not typical for dwarf cichlids to kill other community fish (depending on the size of the cichlid and other fish). With fish, if it fits in its mouth, it's food. This goes for nearly all fish. But dwarf cichlids are typically pretty laid back as far as tank mates go. If this is actually some sort of dwarf cichlid, and it has been eating/killing the other fish, it most likely has been kept in too small a tank with too few hiding places.

Another thing to note is the temperature....if they claim this is a cold water fish, it is not a cichlid. I don't know of any cichlids that can be kept in water colder than 70°F, and most prefer warmer waters of at least 80°F.

Maybe you can do some investigating with your acquaintance to find out exactly what this fish is. How long did they have this fish? What tank specs (size, temp, hiding spots, etc.) and with what fish was it being kept? Where did they acquire it? Just some questions you can ask them if they don't know what it is.

Also, some questions that you can answer that might help us: What are the current water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temp) you have it in? How long have you had it? It's hard to tell from the pics, but what color would you say it is with a light on it and about how long would you say it is right now?

Sorry if this is an intense amount of information to take in. Don't be afraid to ask more questions! If I have said something that you don't understand, just ask and I will explain that further.

 

[jessipanda]

Anyone on here have any experience with the blackstripe dwarfs? They stay small, and this looks kind of like a blackstripe that is really stressed...but I don't have any experience with them personally. =/

EDIT: A kribensis seems more likely due to body shape. Need someone with much more experience with apistos and kribs in here. XD
Any chance you can get a better pic? Maybe a full body side shot?