CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Sorry about the picture being kind of blurry but does anyone know what type of fish this is? He is fairly small like an inch or two at most.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v57/T ... t=fish.jpg

Like a lot of people, I didn't do any research before I set up a new tank and put in this and a sucker/bottom feeder! Hopefully he won't die but I need advice on how I can keep this tank healthy since it wasn't cycled. I've had this new tank for 3 days now and have done a 20% water change each day and have onely fed him a small amount once a day. He seems fine now but I know it taked a couple of weeks for the ammonia to build up.

It's a 29 gallon tank with a filter and heater that came with it. I added water conditioner, waste control and stress zyme. (Only used stress zyme on the first fill) Any advice would be good since I hear many different opinions. BTW the guy at the fish store is a moron!!

how is the tank coming along?? That is a Red Zebra and I do know that you have a cory cat, not a pleco RIGHT?? How is the Ammonia doing?? are they peaking yet?? Come back and let us know.. Barb

For some reason I can't log in to the other site...

So far the fish are still alive... The Red Zebra seems happy and has definately grown. Swims out as soon as I get home looking for food. The Cory Cat is sucking away and seems normal. Amonnia was high but it's been getting lower so hopefully I won't need any new fish sometime soon.

Is a 29 gallon tank too small to have two chiclids when they are full grown? Can you tell the sex from a picture?

How high is the Ammonia at this stage? as this is OVER a month, it should be 0ppm and the NITRITES should be middle range to close to 0ppm.. BUT some tanks cycle differently and take longer..

A 29 gal is a nice size but for Africans like you have, only 4 can be housed in one and that is pushing it.. Smaller tanks and Africans dont' do good in small tanks under 55 gal,  like the mbuna you have, meaning rocks dwellers, GET really aggressive in smaller tanks.. Most IF not all from the  Zebra family are mostly Veggies eaters, algae mostly, but dont' go and grow any just for them.. They need mostly veggie flake foods NOTHING with high protein above 35% IN a pellets form,  and NO BULKY FOODS!! like krill, and any other foods that are whole,  as they will get Malawi Bloat and die..

I have feed mine Omega  one and although it is high Protein of 39%, through the years I have not had a problems with Bloat.. Get the right size pellet for your fish size.. The small size should do you fine.. Veggie flakes are available too and feed them this ONLY at nite.. 

Just the two fish for now?? That is good..  UNTIL your tank finishes cycling, YOU Should NOT add in any more cichlids.. THAT is  when Ammonia goes to 0ppm and NITRITE goes to 0ppm.. And then only ONE other should be added in.. NOW in this tank, that is a problem as the ONE you have now will fight if not kill any others you place in..

IF you want to stay with African cichlids from Lake Malawi, get another Zebra, like the white Zebra one....  BUT:::
Do you see any egg spots on the bottom anal fin UNDER the tail of this RED ZEBRA now??
IF one OR two dots, called egg spots, then it is a male and yoiu need to make sure the others you get are MALES TOO.. YOU can sex them young as most of the Mbuna Zebras at 1" have the start of a egg spot, the females do not..
NOW if you get more of these, the same, then you risk fry and if you dont' have another tank available for the holding female as she does HOLD them in her mouth for two to three weeks, then the males wil kill her or almost so, as she can not get away from them.. An ALL MALE TANK helps you here and gives you a great tank with only three males, a red, white and a blue..

Stay away from all others species as it just wont' work out.. All HAPS  get to big for a 29 gal.. Even a 55 gal is to small for them at adult.. Kenyi, Bumble bee, Electric Blues, Melanochromis johanniiand the Auratus are just plain mean and not good for this 29 gal tank.. they need a 75 gal and bigger.. I have all mine from a 75 gal into a 125 gal and they stil are aggressive to each other...

Any of the Zebra family wil do fine, they have the white, the red Zebra, Cobalt Zebra is a nice blue, I have several.. Their are a few more, but in a 29 gal tank, you SHOULD not have more than 3 and that is pusing it.. 

YOU can always take the Red Zebra back and get some other American cichlids, like the firemouth OR convict, and any other that only gets to 5-6" at adult..But only TWO will co exist in this tank..  AND only MALES OR you wil have problems with aggression and spawing .. This can be a problem sexing the Americans thou at an earily age..

ONE female in a group of ANY OF THE ABOVE wil spawn with the ANY of the other males.. So watch that,, YOU dont' want HYBRIDS and no one wants them, it deminishes the species... 

Any more ?? just ask..