HELP With Jaguar Cichlid

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Doviii

Doviii

Gambusia
MFK Member
Oct 14, 2015
8
0
16
38
South Africa
Hi all. I'm new to MFK great to have a community like you guys just a click away. I have a pair of Parachromis Managuense.

I have them in a 60gallon tank which I know is too small but I'm waiting for them to breed so I can sell the fry and buy them a much bigger tank. they are roughly between 7-10 inch and they male and female. I've got them for about 2 weeks now they are eating Hikari cichlid gold pellets and the occasional molly which I breed in in a 10gal. Now they look like they have some sickness which I cant seem to identify. They flash and only use 1gill while the other gill stays shut and they always hang around on the bottom of the tank. This started yesterday. I do 40% water changes twice a week and my temp is constant at 28deg. Please advise me on what the disease could be so as to medicate them with the correct medication.

Also any tips on breeding them once their health is restored.

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I don't have test kits and when I took a sample to my LFS the idiot doesn't have test kits. I tested my PH at work its 7.5. I did a water change and they looking much better. Could it be ammonia ?
 
I'm assuming that's your tank is not cycle yet since you have it setup 2 weeks ago.
 
You may not have a fully cycled aquarium for your current bio-load, and having 2 large fish can push the bio-filter to the limits by producing more ammonia and nitrites than it can handle.

Without a test for ammonia and nitrites, I would change 50% of the water daily until you can get the liquid tests. Be sure to dose with Prime for the total water volume of the tank.

What was in the tank for the first 4 weeks? How did you cycle the tank?
 
Did you remove the 20 cichlids the same day that you put the jags in?


If a water change made the fish look better, then I suspect your ammonia or nitrites were too high for them to handle. I would make sure that the water chemistry is fine first before any medication.
 
Yes I swopped the 20 cichlids for the Jags we caught. The guy came to my place with the Jags in a bucket we netted the 20 cichlids and put the Jags in the tank. He left with the 20 cichlids in the same bucket he came with. I also thought it can be ammonia and didn't want to medicate the tank without being sure what the problem is but my LFS is in business for 10 years but he doesn't have test kits. I drive 20miles to another LFS who has good service and support. He tested my water that I removed from the tank before I did a water change and the results were good no numbers just colours. But the sample was in my car for over 12 hours. Could only test the sample after work.
 
tank more than likes not cycled all the way yet, I would get a API master fresh water test kit and keep track, they may spawn in a tank that small, but if they do they will eat them, as for selling them? you are not going to make enough money to cover feeding them let alone buying a tank. I have a pair of wild caught, they bread like rabbits in a 145g, I can not give the F1 fry away.
 
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