I've had a 55g African cichlid tank for several years; never had any problems; and until a few weeks ago looked like this:
Then I got a new 180g tank, so I cycled (or so I thought) and moved them:
I just bought roughly 25 various 1-1.5" haps and peacocks to raise in the 55g until they're big enough to swim with the big boys. I ordered them online, which I had never done before, but they arrived quickly with no DOA's. All of the fish seemed perfectly fine the first day. Then a Livingstonii started looking pale and sitting on the bottom and died shortly thereafter. The next day another Livingstonii did the same thing, and another the next day. No other symptoms that I noticed: no itching, no spots or bumps, no erratic behavior, no obvious bullying. I've lost 4 of the 5 now in 4 days, and the 5th one looks lighter. Not only that, but now some of the other fish are dying. I came home from work and found 4 or 5 others dead. I also discovered yesterday that a Nototaenia had a big ulcer / wound on his side, but I'm not sure if that's related since the rest of his behavior is different.
I expected to lose a couple due to aggression or stress, but this doesn't seem normal. The fact that it started with just the Livingstonii's leads me to believe it's not just crowding or water conditions
The surviving fish all look fine, but I'm afraid there's something contagious that's going to wipe em all out. I would add them to the larger tank, but after adding the adult fish the Nitrites spiked. They seem to be doing great, but I doubt the juvies would handle it so well. The 55g has normal chemistry: pH 7.6 Ammonia 0 and Nitrite 0. I'm using an Eheim cannister and a HOB filter, and there's an air stone.
Then I got a new 180g tank, so I cycled (or so I thought) and moved them:
I just bought roughly 25 various 1-1.5" haps and peacocks to raise in the 55g until they're big enough to swim with the big boys. I ordered them online, which I had never done before, but they arrived quickly with no DOA's. All of the fish seemed perfectly fine the first day. Then a Livingstonii started looking pale and sitting on the bottom and died shortly thereafter. The next day another Livingstonii did the same thing, and another the next day. No other symptoms that I noticed: no itching, no spots or bumps, no erratic behavior, no obvious bullying. I've lost 4 of the 5 now in 4 days, and the 5th one looks lighter. Not only that, but now some of the other fish are dying. I came home from work and found 4 or 5 others dead. I also discovered yesterday that a Nototaenia had a big ulcer / wound on his side, but I'm not sure if that's related since the rest of his behavior is different.
I expected to lose a couple due to aggression or stress, but this doesn't seem normal. The fact that it started with just the Livingstonii's leads me to believe it's not just crowding or water conditions
The surviving fish all look fine, but I'm afraid there's something contagious that's going to wipe em all out. I would add them to the larger tank, but after adding the adult fish the Nitrites spiked. They seem to be doing great, but I doubt the juvies would handle it so well. The 55g has normal chemistry: pH 7.6 Ammonia 0 and Nitrite 0. I'm using an Eheim cannister and a HOB filter, and there's an air stone.
