electric blue cichlid

[irishman2683]

I have one electric blue cichlid which i got two days ago. The first two days he was very energenic and fun but all day today he has hovered in the same spot on the bottom of the tank. its a brand new tank and the ph level is within the range and the water temp is perfect. He has been eating the flakes but very little. he is a cool fish named jaws and i've become pretty attached to him. please help!

 

[cjldad]

How new is the tank? Has it cycled?

I've read that cichlids really like a seasoned tank..

 

[dkpate]

Yeah, like CJ said, has the tank gone through the nitrogen cycle? Meaning 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-40ppm nitrates.

 

[irishman2683]

It cycled for about a week. I had the water tested and they said it was perfect. i thought it might have been the ph because when we first had it tested the ph was really low. but i have been putting ph up in the tank and took a reading and it was in a good range. is it maybe the tank set up. i have three fake plants and a rock with holes he fits through.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

"They" as in the store tested it? Did they use a strip to test it? And did you seed the tank?

 

[irishman2683]

they strip tested the water at pet smart.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Alright, those are not the most accurate, as many people will agree with on this site. Did you seed the tank or anything special? A week is quite a short cycle.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Pet store are never trustworthy to tell you how is your water, they will always look for the sale first and the well being of your tank later.
test strips are also not accurate.

Buy a liquid test kit to measure ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and start to measure the quality of your water tank.

I almost sure that your tank is not cycled (ammonia cycle) and you will find high levels of amminia in the tank. This could be the reason why the fish is not right.

After testing the water, if you find ammonia, do a partial water change (30 to 50%), every day if needed, to reduce the ammonia as much as you can.

Then read the sticky about cyclyng your tank with fish, that will help you to understand the next steps.

good luck