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Blue Cichlids

4K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  Shivani 
#1 ·
Hello !

We just bought ourselves a pair of blue zebra cichlids. they're 1/2 an inch now and they're in a 1X1/2x1/2 tank with six other guppies. i have a bigger tank with a rainbow shark (3 inches) , a pair of kissing gouramis (3 inches) and a neon tetra with a glowtail tetra.

i need help regarding the cichlids. can i transfer them to the bigger tank ? mostly once they're bigger as the shark is quite the idiot towards the smaller fish.

would a bottom lying feed be better for cichlids ? maybe green algae flakes?
 
#2 ·
First of all welcome to the forum :wave:

None of the fish you have are compatible with the cichlids, the cichlids once older will stress the other out in a small tank.

Cichlids the minimum tank size should be a 40g breeder or 55g or bigger being better.
 
#4 ·
hey :-D
no they're not compatible with much of anything apart from the same species,
mine just about seem to tolerate the bristlenose that's in there,but he
was in there first and they've grown up together.
 
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#6 ·
they seem to be getting along fine. they hide under the stones. but the guppies are acting funny. will upload image asap. i'm not sure if they're laying eggs or having a genuine problem.

:|
Guppies don't lay egg's.
If it is the cichlid's that are hiding under stone,then maybe they are going to,or have already spawned and are protecting the egg's,fry.
Guppies will become target's/food for cichlids.(poor nutrition for these cichlid's)
 
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#7 ·
cichlids are as big as the guppies itself, actually they're smaller than the guppies. i dont think they're spawning. will attach a pic of the guppy asap.

thanks everyone :) i need all the help i can get. the cichlids are gonna go into a new tank once they grow a lil bigger.
 
#8 ·
gosh,very small baby cichlids then :-D they're cute and passive at that age.;-)
i'm glad you have another tank for them,i don't want to sound like
a party pooper,but honestly you'll totally get what i've said when they grow .
you can use the guppies as dither fish...it basically shows the cichlids it's fine
to come out and play,the more rockage you have the more secure they will feel.
would really love to see a picture of your tank...
 
#12 · (Edited)
i got them all around four days back. she's been doing this ever since. i thought they were all males as the females i had seen were all dull coloured. so this is a she ? my partner's gonna be extremely pleased :roll: :)

do i have to keep her separately ? or wait till the fry arrive and then shift them to a new place?

if this is a male then why would he behave like this?

in India the aquarium owners/retailers are usually idiots who just want their fish sold. so half of them would happily keep all the fish together in bad conditions until its rescued by sensible owners. there are a few rare people who know their background very well. the guy i bought these from knew a little more than most but unfortunately my cichlid knowledge is zero. *sigh*
 
#13 ·
From the picture I would say it is likely that it is a she. some females can have some nice coloring (although the males are typically much brighter colored.) I can't say for sure since I can't see the fins. Here are some pictures that show what to look for

The top one is a female. Notice her slightly bigger size and the fins along her belly. Here is a female

The bottom is a male. Notice the different fins along his bottom along with his gonopodium. which look like this (the arrow points to the gonopodium)


Now if it is a female, you might want to seperate her. simply because so many males will stress her out to the point that she may die. I would say (especially if you wish to save some fry) to move her now.
If it is a male, I'm not sure I can really help as to why he's doing this.
Well even some of the good pet stores I've been to have sometimes put female guppies with all the males on accident.
 
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#14 ·
i had checked a few messages but thank you so much for the detailed info. so m guessing there's one or two males and the rest four are females.

i also asked my mentor who knows a lot about these things. he said if its a male he'll have red spots under his belly (he also asked to check the fins like you did) and in this case might have an infection or some defect in his swim bladder.

will be separating her today.

;-)
 
#15 ·
I've found it's rather hard to check for the spots. (I can't actually confirm that they are present on any of my males.) It's much easier (and IMO more accurate) to check the fins.

Looking back at your picture, I know I spot two guppies that I am almost positive are males. The rest of them, it is very possible that they are females. In which case... Expect babies.
I would recommend feeding her/him a little bit of pea. (crush it up in pieces small enough for her to eat). This will help if she/he does have swim bladder (or even constipation).
I would also suggest adding some aquarium salt to your tank. It can be beneficial to guppies. It also helps with parasites/infections. I believe your cichlids would tolerate the salt, but you might want to look that up to be sure.
 
#17 ·
Aww. I'm sorry about your guppy. Does your other guppy do it all the time? or is it just after you turn the lights on? I suspect it could be damage to his/her nervous system... in which case I think it's kind of a coincidence that more than one fish has.
 
#18 ·
the guppy is getting worse and one of my cichlid died as well. :-( the guppy is bent horribly now. i transferred the rest to my bigger tank and the other cichlid as well.

the aquarium dealers here or atleast the ones i've seen in this city are all idiots. the way they handle fish is really bad. i'm just hoping the cichlid will survive. he doesn seem happy.
 
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