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My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 9:26 am
by hydrorush
Hi, I've had my Fluval edge 46L up and running for about 3 weeks now, started with 5 African Cichlids and a bristle nose catfish, now I'm down to 3 Cichlids. Had a long air stone across the back but it was causing too much splashing, so I took it out and let it run for a week, fish seemed fine without it. But now I'm worried, is it bad to not have aeration? Did a water change today and my Red Jewel cichlid is acting weird, gasping, flaring spigot every so often and moving its mouth a lot, just lazing around - it's usually super active. Was it the water change or lack of air? I'm stumped, help would be great, my fish doesn't look healthy at all.
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- http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/img2641w.jpg/
- http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/img2642dg.jpg/
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 9:47 am
by dazed_knots
To be honest, 46L is a bit on the small side for those African Cichlids. The water parameters might be off, which could be the reason you're losing them. I think they need water that's a bit more alkaline, around pH 7.5-8.2, and also pretty hard water.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 10:23 am
by stacker
I'm no expert but I think your tank's a bit cramped for these fish, could be wrong though. The aeration itself isn't the main issue, it's more about surface agitation to help with air exchange, and the Fluval edge's tiny hole doesn't exactly help with that.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 10:40 am
by _Vodnik
I think the issue here is that the tank is still in its early stages. Three weeks is a relatively short period of time for a tank to establish a stable environment. I'm guessing the fish are struggling due to ammonia or nitrite poisoning.
If I'm being honest, it seems like you might not be familiar with the process of cycling a new tank. I'd recommend checking out our beginners section, specifically the topics on cycling. It's a crucial step in setting up a new tank and it's likely the root cause of the problems you're experiencing.
I also agree with the others, the fish you've chosen aren't suitable for a tank of this size, but I don't think that's what's killing them.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 11:15 am
by dazed_knots
I think it's likely a combination of the cycling process and the water conditions. As you guys have mentioned, 46L is pretty small for these cichlids, and they do need alkaline water with a pH of 7.5-8.2 and hard water. I'm guessing the lack of surface agitation isn't helping either. And yeah, I'm not exactly familiar with the cycling process for new tanks, so I'll definitely check out the beginners section and read up on that.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 12:43 pm
by hydrorush
The pH is between 7.5-8.0, so that's alright I think. I do plan on upgrading to a bigger tank once they get a bit bigger, that's the plan anyway. I totally agree about the Fluval Edge, that tiny hole at the top isn't exactly ideal. It's been about 30 mins since I last checked, the Red Jewel had a little swim around but it's back to just laying on a rock now. Thanks for the advice guys, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 12:50 pm
by _Vodnik
hydrorush wrote: ↑Tue May 06, 2025 9:26 am
Hi, I've had my Fluval edge 46L up and running for about 3 weeks now, started with 5 African Cichlids and a bristle nose catfish, now I'm down to 3 Cichlids. Had a long air stone across the back but it was causing too much splashing, so I took it out and let it run for a week, fish seemed fine without it. But now I'm worried, is it bad to not have aeration? Did a water change today and my Red Jewel cichlid is acting weird, gasping, flaring spigot every so often and moving its mouth a lot, just lazing around - it's usually super active. Was it the water change or lack of air? I'm stumped, help would be great, my fish doesn't look healthy at all.
- http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/img2639r.jpg/
- http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/img2641w.jpg/
- http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/img2642dg.jpg/
Time's not on your side here, it's not a waiting game. You need to take action now to prevent further damage or even death. Do you have a test kit for ammonia and nitrite levels? These are crucial for new tanks like yours. I'd strongly advise doing an 80% water change with dechlorinated water as soon as possible to dilute the toxins in the water.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 1:49 pm
by hydrorush
i done a water change today about 9 hours ago, only got a ph tester at the moment. gonna grab nitrite and ammonia testers tomorrow morning asap, its 11pm now so gonna have to wait till then.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 3:35 pm
by ridera
I'm a bit concerned that the water change you did 9 hours ago might not have been enough to make a big difference, did you do a big one, like more than 75% of the tank, or was it smaller, I'm thinking the more the better, like 95% would be ideal, just enough to cover the fish on the floor of the tank temporarily.
Re: My cichlid is showing signs of distress
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 5:04 pm
by hydrorush
I only did about 60-70% earlier, I'm wondering if I should do a 50% water change now to try and help my Red Jewel cichlid. I'm using rainwater, so I don't think I need to worry about chlorine or other chemicals, but should I be adding anything to the water to make it safer for my fish?