Does my new Red Terror look stressed?

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Mine is not a Mayan. It's a Festae. Ok, so I just don't know what to do with all the ghost shrimp that I have sectioned off. I suppose I'll put them in my 5.5g until they die off. My hubby has an African setup and was feeding them to his fish but I don't want him to feed them to his either then. I guess this is a debatable topic because I've been told they're fine to feed. I'd rather be safe than sorry though. My LFS is a no return & exchange kinda store so $60 is hard to swallow. Especially since my hubby just approved me buying a $60 fish. I doubt he would let me buy another one lol

Mommy of 3 babies, 2 fur babies and 12 gilled babies
 
Let the red terror eat them. I feed ghost shrimp to my cichlids a few times a month and they love them.

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We used to feed the cichlids ghost shrimp once every month or 2 and never had any issues. Seemed like they had fun playing cat and mouse. Just checked my nitrates and it was 40ppm! That's higher than I've EVER had! Time to do a gravel vacuum and wc. Maybe that's why Lucy has been a finicky eater....

Mommy of 3 babies, 2 fur babies and 12 gilled babies
 
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Pics are kinda blurry but here's a pic of Lucy now. Do y'all think she's looking less stressed?

Mommy of 3 babies, 2 fur babies and 12 gilled babies
 
Fins look better. The ghost shrimp are caught in local waterways and then sold to pet shops as feeders. Even the farm raised ones are host to parasites and like I said...the shells can create a whole other issue. I used them as food for fish that weren't interested in eating, myself, in the past. I'm just reporting on issues I've had in 40 years of fish keeping in the hopes that you and others don't have avoidable problems. Like I said, ghost shrimp almost killed my favorite fish and it took MONTHS to get him healthy again. This was pretty recently and I had to get other members to help out with the treatment. (AQUANERO) I'm sure that there are folks who have never had a problem and maybe never will. Your call in the end. I now use store bought peeled and chopped shrimp as a treat. (The kind intended for human consumption.) Also on occasion, chopped beef heart. Just make sure it gets 100% eaten. It's good to have a spouse that supports your hobbies! I've got eight large aquariums going on right now.
 
she just looks like she's not used to the tank. i might give her a dark place or 2 to hide until she feels comfortable. I'v been lazy i need to upload the pic of my festae and she looks like she'll be nice
 
Live food is ok as long as you are careful and it's done in moderation. I do a few live foods just to add some variety to the diet. I never feed goldfish or minnows, but if I did I would quarantine them for an extended period and only use them as a treat. I don't feed ghost shrimp just because of cost. Those guys can get pricey as you try and please a hungry cichlid. I periodically feed crickets, mealworms, and red worms. I grow the red worms myself in my compost bin. I feel like these are the best live foods. Other than that I feed quality pellets as a staple and raw market shrimp. I've recently started experimenting with some diy foods. I just try to maximize nutrition through a nice healthy variety of quality foods. If you swear off live foods it's no big deal, but I wouldn't say you have to take it completely out of the equation. Just my small and humble opinion. Lucy is looking great btw. She is going to be a stunner. Good luck!!!
 
True_Terrors said:
she just looks like she's not used to the tank. i might give her a dark place or 2 to hide until she feels comfortable. I'v been lazy i need to upload the pic of my festae and she looks like she'll be nice
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Unfortunately, I have taken everything out of my aquarium including the gravel. I left her a large rock to hide behind though. My daughter lost her first tooth and she wanted to use the money from the tooth fairy ;) on a fish. The fish she brought home and dumped into my tank had Ich...BAD! I was super upset but crap happens and she's only 6. Just to ensure I get rid of every little morsel of the pest, I have removed EVERYTHING to thoroughly clean. I'm treating Lucy where she's at for about a week. She already looks and acts better but I'm still treating her a few extra days. After treatment, I'll transfer her to our 30g until her home goes thru a complete makeover and cycles. My daughter picked out an African knife fish (his name is bolt). Bolt is being treated separately in a large rubbermaid tote on our porch since I don't have an extra heater and Texas has been in the low 90's and upper 80's. So far Bolt and Spanky (my clown loach) are doing great. I can't see the ick on bolt anymore but will give him a few extra days too.

Mommy of 3 babies, 2 fur babies and 12 gilled babies
 
web2844 said:
Live food is ok as long as you are careful and it's done in moderation. I do a few live foods just to add some variety to the diet. I never feed goldfish or minnows, but if I did I would quarantine them for an extended period and only use them as a treat. I don't feed ghost shrimp just because of cost. Those guys can get pricey as you try and please a hungry cichlid. I periodically feed crickets, mealworms, and red worms. I grow the red worms myself in my compost bin. I feel like these are the best live foods. Other than that I feed quality pellets as a staple and raw market shrimp. I've recently started experimenting with some diy foods. I just try to maximize nutrition through a nice healthy variety of quality foods. If you swear off live foods it's no big deal, but I wouldn't say you have to take it completely out of the equation. Just my small and humble opinion. Lucy is looking great btw. She is going to be a stunner. Good luck!!!
Click to expand...

Thank you, I think she's gonna be a stunner as well. She just needs time. Are the red worms from a bait shop ok? We use chemicals on our yard so that's out of the question :eek: also, when you feed crickets, do you pull the legs off? I was told bugs are ok as long as you pull legs and wings off. Didn't know if that's a myth or truth...any live food (minnows and ghost shrimp) we have ever used has been quarantined and gut loaded. My husband likes to feed minnows to his Ruben red peacock, I think he enjoys watching the hunt lol. But we very rarely use minnows. Maybe once every 3-4 months we'll feed a few.

Mommy of 3 babies, 2 fur babies and 12 gilled babies
 
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