Rachel0001
Aquarium Advice Regular
I've been changing stock in my 100gallon tank over the last 6-9 months, from Malawi haps and peacocks to Lake Tanganyika fish. This is in preparation for the 125 or (more likely) 180 I'm getting later this year.
For the last 3 months or so I've been down to:
2 Frontosa (4-5", 5-6")
3 phenochilus Tanzania ("star sapphires", 2"-5")
1 red shoulder peacock (4-5")
1 Rusty (5")
1 yellow lab (2.5")
In my quarantine tank I have:
3 frontosa (1" - 1.5")
2 Compressiceps (1" - 1.25")
3 Star Sapphires (moved)
3 Syndodontis (3-4")
I moved the 3 Sapphires to the big tank about 6 weeks ago, but the others are so small. 3 weeks after being added to the big tank, the smallest sapphire went missing. But it wasn't until almost two weeks ago that all hell broke loose.
First, I noticed a wound on my yellow lab's side. I assumed it was my rusty. While he's my most gentle fish, he is the tank boss and he is an Mbuna so I jumped to that conclusion, even though his method of ruling the tank consists of him breaking up any arguments that might occur and spending most of his time in his huge cave.
Last Monday I came home from a week's vacation to discover my 5" Sapphire dead and floating in the corner. No visible wounds or ripped fins. The wound on my yellow's side was looking terrible and she was pale hardly swimming so I had to put her out of her misery. Sad because when I left she looked much better. My daughter was watching them just hours prior and said they all ate, even the lab. Two in one day
I've been watching closely and the 2 chasers are my peacock and the largest frontosa. I've only seen the Frontosa chase the other frontosa. Rusty doesn't even venture from his cave anymore.
Then 2 days ago....this happened. We were all in the living room near the tank and didn't see anything. I went to feed my fish before bed and I noticed a sapphire was missing. After looking around I discovered him hanging between plants in a back corner with his bottom lip hanging off his jaw and an eyeball completely gone. It's hard to look at.
He's in a hospital tank by himself, eating, healing and doing surprisingly well. I have had the Frontosa in a large net and the peacock in a breeder box, and nothing has happened since.
I know I need to add more Fronts, probably just more fish in general. Now that my first batch are quarantined I'm just waiting for them to outgrow the existing frontosa's mouths.
My questions:
1.Anyone with experience mixing Fronts with smaller fish? I'm afraid I'm going to lose the new ones right out of the gate.
2. Ideas on what I can do right now? Just add the other fish immediately? I can't keep the frontosa and peacock netted, its been 2 days already.
3. What if I got some larger fish so I could add them after a month quarantine?
If so, what do i do with the captured fish for now? The second I let the large Frontosa go he starts in on the other one.
If so, suggestions on faster growing Tanganyika fish? The large Compressiceps and Frontosa are hard to find and expensive- why I've grown my own from 1".
* I plan on getting rid of the peacock and rusty anyway, but I'm afraid if i do it this second it won't help my smaller frontosa who's being chased by the larger one. Or, it might make it worse because rusty is my truly gentle tank boss.
*i check parameters weekly with water changes, and when crap like this goes down.
Its been consistent- Am:0 No2: 0 No3: 20-40 pH: 8.2
Thanks for your ideas! I'm really feeling stuck.
For the last 3 months or so I've been down to:
2 Frontosa (4-5", 5-6")
3 phenochilus Tanzania ("star sapphires", 2"-5")
1 red shoulder peacock (4-5")
1 Rusty (5")
1 yellow lab (2.5")
In my quarantine tank I have:
3 frontosa (1" - 1.5")
2 Compressiceps (1" - 1.25")
3 Star Sapphires (moved)
3 Syndodontis (3-4")
I moved the 3 Sapphires to the big tank about 6 weeks ago, but the others are so small. 3 weeks after being added to the big tank, the smallest sapphire went missing. But it wasn't until almost two weeks ago that all hell broke loose.
First, I noticed a wound on my yellow lab's side. I assumed it was my rusty. While he's my most gentle fish, he is the tank boss and he is an Mbuna so I jumped to that conclusion, even though his method of ruling the tank consists of him breaking up any arguments that might occur and spending most of his time in his huge cave.
Last Monday I came home from a week's vacation to discover my 5" Sapphire dead and floating in the corner. No visible wounds or ripped fins. The wound on my yellow's side was looking terrible and she was pale hardly swimming so I had to put her out of her misery. Sad because when I left she looked much better. My daughter was watching them just hours prior and said they all ate, even the lab. Two in one day
I've been watching closely and the 2 chasers are my peacock and the largest frontosa. I've only seen the Frontosa chase the other frontosa. Rusty doesn't even venture from his cave anymore.
Then 2 days ago....this happened. We were all in the living room near the tank and didn't see anything. I went to feed my fish before bed and I noticed a sapphire was missing. After looking around I discovered him hanging between plants in a back corner with his bottom lip hanging off his jaw and an eyeball completely gone. It's hard to look at.
He's in a hospital tank by himself, eating, healing and doing surprisingly well. I have had the Frontosa in a large net and the peacock in a breeder box, and nothing has happened since.
I know I need to add more Fronts, probably just more fish in general. Now that my first batch are quarantined I'm just waiting for them to outgrow the existing frontosa's mouths.
My questions:
1.Anyone with experience mixing Fronts with smaller fish? I'm afraid I'm going to lose the new ones right out of the gate.
2. Ideas on what I can do right now? Just add the other fish immediately? I can't keep the frontosa and peacock netted, its been 2 days already.
3. What if I got some larger fish so I could add them after a month quarantine?
If so, what do i do with the captured fish for now? The second I let the large Frontosa go he starts in on the other one.
If so, suggestions on faster growing Tanganyika fish? The large Compressiceps and Frontosa are hard to find and expensive- why I've grown my own from 1".
* I plan on getting rid of the peacock and rusty anyway, but I'm afraid if i do it this second it won't help my smaller frontosa who's being chased by the larger one. Or, it might make it worse because rusty is my truly gentle tank boss.
*i check parameters weekly with water changes, and when crap like this goes down.
Its been consistent- Am:0 No2: 0 No3: 20-40 pH: 8.2
Thanks for your ideas! I'm really feeling stuck.
