I have a 75 gallon with about 12 cichlids in it (jewels, kenyi blue, red empress) and they really dont swim around much they mostly just sit in one spot in the tank. there is no aggression whatsoever (hard to believe I know)..water parms are all normal. I just tested for ammonia and its at zero...every friend of mine that has a cichlid tank has very active fish what the heck is up with mine? They swim around a bit but not like my friends tanks? any suggestions?
cichlids not active?
- Thread starter vr6fan
- Start date
Maybe they are sick.
Do you see any flashing? (rubbing on rocks)
What stringy poop?
White salt grain dots on them? Ick
Fungus?
Anything abnormal, they should be much more active then that, hanging at the bottom is not a good sign.
Do you see any flashing? (rubbing on rocks)
What stringy poop?
White salt grain dots on them? Ick
Fungus?
Anything abnormal, they should be much more active then that, hanging at the bottom is not a good sign.
you probably feed them to the point of sloth/lethargy. thats all. being in an aquarium where you pamper them and keep them from having to hunt and actually use their muscles and brains to get food just turned them lazy.
active cichlids are physically fit fish. just like people. feed them less to induce a more natural response in activity like patrolling the tank for prey which adds that active feature.
keep the water movement high so that oxygen in the water is plentiful and keeps the fish alert and willing to move around.
sometimes oxygen deprivation don't always mean the fish are suffocating. your aeration could be high enough to keep them alive, yet not enough to be considered normal for the fish. BUBBLES DO NOT ADD OXYGEN IN A TANK. movement of the water does.
active cichlids are physically fit fish. just like people. feed them less to induce a more natural response in activity like patrolling the tank for prey which adds that active feature.
keep the water movement high so that oxygen in the water is plentiful and keeps the fish alert and willing to move around.
sometimes oxygen deprivation don't always mean the fish are suffocating. your aeration could be high enough to keep them alive, yet not enough to be considered normal for the fish. BUBBLES DO NOT ADD OXYGEN IN A TANK. movement of the water does.
thanks for the advice...I think retuks is right...I probably do feed them too much im still trying to figure out a good schedule...no diseases Ive had fish with ick before so thats not it. and they do move around just not a heck of a lot so overfeeding/lethargy sounds good..I feed them flake food in the morning then a mix of bloodworms/beefheart/brine shrimp at night maybe ill cut that down
Conor1148;4226123; said:
nope have not changed anything..the ph is around 8 I heard they like it high...and I keep my temp at 78...not too hot or cold.
78ºF is good. My Oscar was slothful below 77ºF. I now keep him at 79º-80º and he's doing well. I also feed him once per day since he's about 12" now and does almost nothing. But keeping him hungry does get him prowling the tank actively picking at the decorations and investigating everything.
Other ideas besides those mentioned:
Light may be too bright
Something big and red might be freaking them out
They might be huddled near whatever they might be wanting more of, say oxygenation, heat, etc.
Other ideas besides those mentioned:
Light may be too bright
Something big and red might be freaking them out
They might be huddled near whatever they might be wanting more of, say oxygenation, heat, etc.
did you know that feeding your fish even once per day is excessive compared to their natural feeding schedule?
in the wild, they spend all their time finding food rather then actually eating it. you eliminate this factor, and they don't feel they need to forage/hunt and do exactly as nature intended: nothing.
thats why if you go diving or swimming in lakes/oceans it feels more majestic because fish are always swimming around or picking at things. all a wild animal has to look forward to in life is finding food and mating. seriously!
when you go to a professional aquarium, you wonder why their fish look so much better than yours? (generally speaking). they simply have so much fish that not every fish eats, every time. which always leaves room for activity.
what you can do is feed every other day. fish can also go a month without food (the more carnivorous the fish is, the longer it can go). where as leaf-eating fish MUST always eat. (99% of the fish sold at lfs are carnivorous. flakes are made of animal product. all the way up to pellets unless labeled otherwise).
in the wild, they spend all their time finding food rather then actually eating it. you eliminate this factor, and they don't feel they need to forage/hunt and do exactly as nature intended: nothing.
thats why if you go diving or swimming in lakes/oceans it feels more majestic because fish are always swimming around or picking at things. all a wild animal has to look forward to in life is finding food and mating. seriously!
when you go to a professional aquarium, you wonder why their fish look so much better than yours? (generally speaking). they simply have so much fish that not every fish eats, every time. which always leaves room for activity.
what you can do is feed every other day. fish can also go a month without food (the more carnivorous the fish is, the longer it can go). where as leaf-eating fish MUST always eat. (99% of the fish sold at lfs are carnivorous. flakes are made of animal product. all the way up to pellets unless labeled otherwise).