Rachel0001
Aquarium Advice Regular
I'm so excited, I've barely had them a month and I've got a mom already. I wish I knew when it happened but my labs are so shy that I don't see them up close unless I sit at the tank and wait for them to come out, which I hadn't done for a few days. I'd love to keep them!
I've been reading through the forums on how to care for her and I've got what I think could be a good option. I have a 5 gallon QT for my tropical tank that is only home to a couple of shrimp at the moment. My cichlid QT would be preferable at 29 gallons but there's no room at the inn until 11/8.
My concern about moving her temporarily is that the 5 gallon's ph is slightly lower (7 compared to 8). I won't move her to the 29 gallon even though it's parameters match her current ones. The 6 red zebras and 1 rusty (who's turned out to be a bit of a tyrant) are already crammed waiting to move up.
She's looking miserable and obviously does NOT care for anyone else's company. There are 5 other labs who aren't exactly aggressive but I see them pushing her out of her favorite hiding spot at times.
So: in your opinion, would the change in environment with slightly different water parameters be more stressful than keeping her in her current tank? I have a breeder basket but I can't imagine sitting at the top of the tank would be less stressful than a tank to herself...or would it?
My next question is about how she's behaving. She looks like she's constantly chewing on them! She moves her mouth and throat around. Sometimes it looks like she's trying to breathe, she looks kind of funny around her gills but I think she's puffing her throat up. Before I realized she was holding I thought her gills were clamped and she was sick. I think they just look more sunk in when she puffs out her cheeks.
Do they usually move their mouths around like that?
Here's my tank info -
100 gallon with lots of caves and rocks, sandy substrate.
Am: 0, NO2: 0, NO3: 10, pH: 8
Temp stays between 79-80.5 degrees.
2 filters - a fluval 405 and a Rena xp4.
I feed NLS cichlid food (alternating with the"medium fish" formula since the pellets sink enough that the labs actually eat). I feed a small amount once or twice a day, really no more than they'll eat in about a minute.
Not sure if all those details are important but I figure I'll throw out all I've got
I've been reading through the forums on how to care for her and I've got what I think could be a good option. I have a 5 gallon QT for my tropical tank that is only home to a couple of shrimp at the moment. My cichlid QT would be preferable at 29 gallons but there's no room at the inn until 11/8.
My concern about moving her temporarily is that the 5 gallon's ph is slightly lower (7 compared to 8). I won't move her to the 29 gallon even though it's parameters match her current ones. The 6 red zebras and 1 rusty (who's turned out to be a bit of a tyrant) are already crammed waiting to move up.
She's looking miserable and obviously does NOT care for anyone else's company. There are 5 other labs who aren't exactly aggressive but I see them pushing her out of her favorite hiding spot at times.
So: in your opinion, would the change in environment with slightly different water parameters be more stressful than keeping her in her current tank? I have a breeder basket but I can't imagine sitting at the top of the tank would be less stressful than a tank to herself...or would it?
My next question is about how she's behaving. She looks like she's constantly chewing on them! She moves her mouth and throat around. Sometimes it looks like she's trying to breathe, she looks kind of funny around her gills but I think she's puffing her throat up. Before I realized she was holding I thought her gills were clamped and she was sick. I think they just look more sunk in when she puffs out her cheeks.
Do they usually move their mouths around like that?
Here's my tank info -
100 gallon with lots of caves and rocks, sandy substrate.
Am: 0, NO2: 0, NO3: 10, pH: 8
Temp stays between 79-80.5 degrees.
2 filters - a fluval 405 and a Rena xp4.
I feed NLS cichlid food (alternating with the"medium fish" formula since the pellets sink enough that the labs actually eat). I feed a small amount once or twice a day, really no more than they'll eat in about a minute.
Not sure if all those details are important but I figure I'll throw out all I've got
