my fish start to dance like a drilling behavior

[longbrro]

hay guys .....
yesterday my white African cichlids starts to began to revolve around it self like a driller .....and today i found it dead and half eaten badly.....it have been like out of her mind.....i thought it is doing breeding dance or something.

until today i found it dead.

my tank :
180 liter.
ph and amonia is normal
temperature : 29 degree
i have : 8 African cichlids - 5 tiger barb - 1 rainbow shark - 2 severum - 2 sucker mouth - 15 young " convict " - 1 mono finger - 1 tiger scat.

 

[Lynae]

I'm not a cichlid keeper, but I'm pretty sure a 45 gallon isnt sufficient to hold that many of them, without some deaths..
Make sure to do lots and lots of waterchanges, if your stocking levels are that high!
Others will come and pipe up though...!

 

[longbrro]

i make a water change every week.....but do you mean that is low oxygen in it ????

 

[Lynae]

Yes..
Fish are like humans, and with that many 'humans' breathing in the same room, it gets stuffy. And imagine trying to sleep!
Do you have an airstone/pump in the tank? No unusual gasping at the top?
Also, do you know what the nitrAtes are?
I would be doing water changes every 2 to 3 days honestly, at 20 -30 percent minimum...
Also, at higher temps..(ie. 29 degrees you listed, the oxygen levels are already lower)

 

[longbrro]

its been a 4 month with that much of fishes......there is no problem with them....but the last week 4 of my young convicts was past away.....i think is some kind of germs in my tank.......all my fishes is in a good health......but the dead fish is suddenly started to do this moves....also i have 2 plants in my tank.....and 2 large air stones......i dont think it is an oxygen problem......any idea ??

 

[Lynae]

I would just do a water change for now, maybe 40 percent..
You never want to try to treat your tank with anything unless absolutely necessary. You have to keep in mind that as all those fish grow bigger and bigger, their bioload also grows.
Meaning water changes are going to need to happen more frequently..
Do you have a nitrAte test kit? Those will build up as your bioload grows too.
I don't know anything about cichlids, so the dancing might be a breeding thing or something.... someone will help me out on that!!

 

[longbrro]

i will get a nitrate kit.....but if it is high.....is the water change will help ?
or there is some other treating method or a medicine ?

 

[Lynae]

Yes... it is water changes that removes nitrAtes mostly, as well as safe and effective.
Medicine is ALWAYS a last resort, and should be the RIGHT medicine, and one can never be absolutely sure with fishkeeping.
Do you have a gravel vacuum/ siphon?

 

[longbrro]

yes i have one and use it every time......why ?........the nitrate came from the fish waste ,right ?......hay by the way , i found the dead fish half eaten ....do u think that the other fishes have dinner ?......

 

[Lynae]

Thats good!! cause that thing will be your best friend with all the w.changes!
About the eaten fish.. you do have multiple fish in there that could and probably did nibble on things after they die, or as they're dying...
Keep feeding as normal though... as that tail wouldnt be a sufficient meal for any little fishy!

 

[Lynae]

oh.... and nitrAtes are from fish waste!

 

[longbrro]

hay dude.....are you saying that the small fishes have dinner from this poor fish ????....omg this is weird.......it's cannibalism.
hay by the way im electric and hardware expert......so if you want anything for your aquarium i do lots of DIY projects to ppl who have aquariums......tell your friends about me
my email : longbrro@yahoo.com

 

[i3k]

I think the fish wasted away over night not eaten away by other fish. You say your ammonia is normal...is it at 0? and what is your pH?...also, what kind of filter do you have? do you clean your gravel?

from the way you described that cichlid's behavior, it sounds like it had swim bladder problems.

 

[longbrro]

the problem is solved......there was a small stone in the

Breathing organs........i didn't recognize it until i take the fish back from the garbage bag and see her organs .

 

[dkpate]

WOW! That's crazy! I am glad you ID'ed the problem though, and the whole tank won't have to be medicated!

 

[longbrro]

yeah you are right dear dkpate.........but im very sad for it......poor fish...
hay dkpate ....do you think the behavior is only last death dance ??......or is it mating or marriage dance ?

 

[dkpate]

Death dance. My Harlequin Rasbora's did the same thing right before they died. I tried feeding them peas and everything. I finally figured out, after losing 5 in 2 days, that there was something wrong with them. Treated the tank with Melafix and still have the 2 survivors. I think they had some sort of funk when I got them.

 

[longbrro]

in my opinion if the tank was poisoned then the whole fishes must have the same behavior not only one ....

 

[dkpate]

I don't think so, if you found a rock in the ones gills. She probably suffocated to death.

 

[longbrro]

hay do you know anything about " convict cichlids " ?????........i have new young convicts......but 4 of them had past away......there fins was shredded too much i think the mono finger had made her way to them and beat them too much.....any opinion ???