CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

I lost both of my cichlids within 48 hours and I"m not certain why. The tank was set at a temperature of 76F and would to +/-2 degrees. To prepare for the "typical" Ich infection they almost always come with, I put in half the recommended dose for small, weak or scaleless fish a few hours prior to putting in the fish. I woke up the next morning to find one dead (stuck to the power filter). I did not find this to be odd because I have always lost one within 24 hours and just thought the trip home and new enviroment just stressed it a little too much. I then put in an antibacterial medicine because the Ich med recommended it to prevent a secondary infection.

However the remaining blue Cichlid looked healthy and strong, except it would not eat, but I do not believe it would die wwithin 48 hrs for that reason. Can anyone help me? I reinstalled the carbon filter to remove any remaining chemicals from the tank.

Do cichlids really need an air bubbler in the tank due to a supposed high air intake? Was the temperature too low for their tastes? At the store the thermometer read 76F.

Do cichlids really need an air bubbler in the tank due to a supposed high air intake?

no


Reading your post and seeing things like your fish "typically" come with ich and "I have always lost one within 24 hours" in all honesty it sounds like you need to find another place to buy fish.

Yes accidents do happen, fish get sick,etc.. but if those are your "typical" results maybe theres a big problem with the stock your buying.

I agree. If your fish "always come with ich" then they're probably coming from the wrong place. Additionally, I'm wondering what kind of cichlids you're talking about, how big they were, and about the tank -- what size, how long it's been set up, and if any other fish are already in there with the new guys. What kind of power filter are you using? Some body shapes are easily pulled against the intake by some of the more powerful filters. Found that out the hard way, BTW. I know that some people recommend putting in ich medications prophylactically when adding new fish, but I've come to believe that the less I mess with the water, the better. If you have an established tank, a quarantine tank for new additions is a great investment. If these are your first fish in a new tank, then you may have water issues of some sort, most likely ammonia. Do you have test kits?

Well, I have generally gone to Walmart or Petco because they are the only pet stores with fish in this area. Everything else is over 30 minutes away and I dont want to keep the fish in the bag for that lenght of time.

It was a 20 gallon tank with a 10-20 gallon Aquatech powerfilter. It was set up for about 24 hours before I bought the fish. According to the information at PetCo (they were bought at walmart, but petco had a picture of them) they were Kenyi African Cichlids, and they were the only two in there. Both were between 2.5 and 3.5 inches long. I normally put in well water but due to the high calcium content that has been appearing from it I put in distilled water. After each fish died I did a test of the water and the Nitrite and Nitrate levels were almost nonexistant. I have since put in start right to remove the chlorine or chlormine (since I do not know how to find out if they are in the water) and I will let the tank sit for a week while the bio filter sits in my brothers goldfish tank to collect some of the bacteria in hopes that will hopefully make the cycling process a little easier.

Is there anything else I should know about?

I just want to add that your fish will be fine in a bag for a while. I purchase all my fish 100 miles away from my house. That's the only decent fish store for miles. They all make it home just fine. I also buy fish from auctions and those fish are in bags for several hours most of the time. So I would suggest you do some research in your area and find a decent store and give them a chance. I'm sorry about your lose.

Well, for now I bought some cheap goldfish to let the tank cycle a little before trying again. I did this before and everything was going well until the dreaded Ich that killed my tropical fish again.