My cichlids are cich =/ (sick)

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M

Mr.Blue Jack

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 12, 2010
34
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0
Rathdrum, ID
Okay mbuna lovers, I have a riddle for you!
My 100 gallon has 7 mbuna cichlids in it ranging from 2-6.5 inches, and everything was just fine up until about a week and a half ago when they all started acting reeeallly wierd. What I mean by wierd is that they are very scared of everything and everyone, whenever somone so much as walks by the tank everyone scatters like cockroaches on a kitchen floor after a lights turned on. It is very strange, I have tested the water and everything seems to be fine except for the pH (about 6.6-6.8) I do regular water changes and they have been just fine up until this point. I am stumped! I have added the Seachem African Cichlid Salt in the past but I don't add it with every water change. Help me!
Thanks,
Spencer
 
You have too few mbuna. Add more and they'll be out. They can be skittish if you don't have enough of them. I would be aiming for at least 25.
Also if they are use to a higher PH(I'm guessing so since you have been adding the salt) then suddenly it was lower(not adding salts) then they may not be liking that. I would add some limestone to your set up or some crushed coral to your filter. That will help keep your PH higher.
 
25 in a 100 gallon? Hmm that seems like a bit much, but I guess mbunas are different than south americans. Do they like being overstocked?
Also I will try to get the pH up today, but if that doesn't work it looks like I'll be making a trip to the lfs! haha
 
I have more than 25 in my 55 gallon tank and I have yet to have true issue (besides incompatibility). I have lots of filtration thou. Overstocking is key from what I learned so far.
 
Mbuna's love to be overstocked. Lots of rock work, I probably have close to 200lbs of limestone in my 55g with around 30 fish. Lots of filtration, good rule of thumb is to have the water turn over about 10x per hr. So on your 100g you would want 1,000gph.

DSC00595.jpg


My mbuna tank is so relaxed I use it as a grow out tank for haps and peacocks who are a lot less aggressive when young.
 
Dark SSide;4419128; said:
Mbuna's love to be overstocked. Lots of rock work, I probably have close to 200lbs of limestone in my 55g with around 30 fish. Lots of filtration, good rule of thumb is to have the water turn over about 10x per hr. So on your 100g you would want 1,000gph.

DSC00595.jpg


My mbuna tank is so relaxed I use it as a grow out tank for haps and peacocks who are a lot less aggressive when young.
Click to expand...


A little thread jacking but how do you clean under the rocks? How often do you move everything?
 
spaulding;4420065; said:
it's not that mbuna like to be overstocked, it's just that the aggresion can be better dispursed that way.
Click to expand...
Okay, well then why would ALL of the fish be so skittish? If you walk by the tank EVERYONE runs and hides! I would think that if it was an agression problem that there would be one that would be in control? Unless I am way off base with that theory?
 
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