Sup my man! Sorry bout ur losses. That always sucks, but its a part of fish keeping. I don't think that that tank is too large for them, i actually think its really good to have them in a tank of that size, faster growth rate, less aggression. There are several options that you can do to see if that will help them come out and play.
First, get tons of tetras. Rummy Nose, Serpae, Black Skirts are great dither fish that are active, but not spooky. Tinfoil barbs annoy me cuz of the way they are always nervous and flighty, it can make some cichlids feel uncomfy. So possibly you should get rid of them. Silver Dollars are much better anyway.
Second thing you can try is more drift wood, live/fake plants, rocks. Fish feel more comfy if there are places for them to retreat to. As the fish get larger and more comfy, if you don't like the way the tank looks you can just remove some of the stuff. I am always changing the way my tankz look...lol....so its all good.
Third....live foods. Go to aquabid.com and check out their food section. They have tons of live brine shrimp, blackworms, tubiflex, whiteworms, you name it. I would try the worms first cuz they seem to attract fish quickly. Also, you could try mysis shrimp. Seems like no fish can resist this highly nutritious food.
As for the abalios diein, it makes sense, geos are rather sensative as babies....or period...can be very annoying. They seem to get better as they age though! Keep ur chin up bro! The best is yet to come! Still waiting to see some pictures of those spectabile though!
First, get tons of tetras. Rummy Nose, Serpae, Black Skirts are great dither fish that are active, but not spooky. Tinfoil barbs annoy me cuz of the way they are always nervous and flighty, it can make some cichlids feel uncomfy. So possibly you should get rid of them. Silver Dollars are much better anyway.
Second thing you can try is more drift wood, live/fake plants, rocks. Fish feel more comfy if there are places for them to retreat to. As the fish get larger and more comfy, if you don't like the way the tank looks you can just remove some of the stuff. I am always changing the way my tankz look...lol....so its all good.
Third....live foods. Go to aquabid.com and check out their food section. They have tons of live brine shrimp, blackworms, tubiflex, whiteworms, you name it. I would try the worms first cuz they seem to attract fish quickly. Also, you could try mysis shrimp. Seems like no fish can resist this highly nutritious food.
As for the abalios diein, it makes sense, geos are rather sensative as babies....or period...can be very annoying. They seem to get better as they age though! Keep ur chin up bro! The best is yet to come! Still waiting to see some pictures of those spectabile though!
