My girlfriend got a African Cichlid at the pet store the other day for her tank. Her old fish had died. the tank water tests ok, a little high on nitrate. anyhow within 3 days the cichlid lost all its color, very pale. Still looks healthy to me, good appetite and very alert...just really pale...do they need buddies? cant be kept alone? Its a ten gallon should she get another one?
color washed out.
- Thread starter mfgl
- Start date
Depending on which kind of African you have, a larger tank is a must regardless of if you get a tankmate. Usually africans are so agressive they will not tolerate a tankmate of any kind in too small of a tank. Check water parameters, temp and also color of gravel can make a fish loose color sometimes as well.
yes that tank is too small for africans typically they need at least 55 gal unless it's a dwarf mbuna which you could do a 30 gal, they do tend to loose some color though when you first get them usually comes back in a week or 2...
yeah...mfgl;3219524; said:
NO!
The poor thing needs much more room than that, more than you would even realise, depending on the species. Cichlids are also very messy fish, you're going to need good filtration. What is it being fed? A good quality, varied diet will help with colour.