Water flow for N.Haitiensis
- Thread starter CICHLID STRAIN HUNTERS
- Start date
In Hispaniola they live in anything from ponds, to rivers, so flow is not that important.The big thing I found was keeping the temp up into the high 80s, and the water immaculately clean. They are prone to bacterial infections is water quality slides, and ich and bacterial problems if it gets too cool. Slightly salty is not a bad thing, but I found it unnecessary with mine. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...B8w2UKL96mkkehFEw&sig2=mtUV8CKz3D6LyeqACIbqOw
They also don't like to be kept with other cichlids
They also don't like to be kept with other cichlids
Could I put a pleco in there to help with the cleaning? Right now they're only an inch I have a 2 inch sailfin pleco in a different tank
A pleco might work, because they probably wouldn't be recognized as competition.
Though young haitiensus do a lot of grazing on algae, and as opposed to large meals, do best with a constant supply of food to nibble on throughout the day, so the pleco may more detrimental than not. I liked to have a carpet of algae everywhere in young hait tanks, and it also seemed to hold nitrate levels down.
One of the largest problems most people encounter with haitiensus is the stress induced bacterial infection of bloat.
This could come from cool water, too much food fed at once, high nitrates and/or other tankmates.
I find putting more than 1 hait in a tank (unless its a mated pair) without dividers can be a problem, one will almost certainly intimidate the other into death. And I say this from the experience of losing 19 out of 20 in my first and second attempted groups. My surviving pair spawned many times, and I found the fry would start killing each other at 1", so to raise them up, I'd put 5 young haits in a 50 gal long, and divide it into 5 compartments, one hait to a compartment.
30% every other day water changes, also kept fry mortality at a reasonable level
Though young haitiensus do a lot of grazing on algae, and as opposed to large meals, do best with a constant supply of food to nibble on throughout the day, so the pleco may more detrimental than not. I liked to have a carpet of algae everywhere in young hait tanks, and it also seemed to hold nitrate levels down.
One of the largest problems most people encounter with haitiensus is the stress induced bacterial infection of bloat.
This could come from cool water, too much food fed at once, high nitrates and/or other tankmates.
I find putting more than 1 hait in a tank (unless its a mated pair) without dividers can be a problem, one will almost certainly intimidate the other into death. And I say this from the experience of losing 19 out of 20 in my first and second attempted groups. My surviving pair spawned many times, and I found the fry would start killing each other at 1", so to raise them up, I'd put 5 young haits in a 50 gal long, and divide it into 5 compartments, one hait to a compartment.
30% every other day water changes, also kept fry mortality at a reasonable level
I have 8 LITTLE one in a 75 they are 1 inch to 1.25 I was thinking the same thing with the algae being food for the Haitiensis except the new tank has none I have sand in the bottom maybe I coul do some live plants to help with the nitrates also right now I'm feeding twice daily some are outgrowing the others fast from eating pretty good...but I see them passing their meal before I give them more it's just that the smallest eat first and then the bigger ones fatten up on more of the pellets on the bottom intended to be split evenly but 3 or 4 dominate the pot
I'd even divide a 75 into 8 compartments, with a flowerpot in each so individuals can hide. I found the intimidation factor could be very damaging with this species. With all 8 together in a 75, I'll be interested how many are left after a month or 2.
Sorry to be such a downer, but this was my experience.
If you are looking to wind up with just a pair, keeping them together should probably work toward that end.
Sorry to be such a downer, but this was my experience.
If you are looking to wind up with just a pair, keeping them together should probably work toward that end.
Makes a lot of sense..I Did want a pair but I'm concerned with inbreeding...poor genetics..maybe...??just like I need to find a home for this 12 inch female umbee...I'm raising the son he's spectacular but his father and mother were sibling...don't want to limit the gene pool further so I was to let her go to someone who's gonna put her in a big tank that's all she's worthy as she spit out some good babies wonder if she hooked up with a fresh blood how great they would be ,the fry that is.
As far as I know there haven't been many imports to the US of new haitiensus blood in years, so most in any section of the country would be related. And if you consider Hispaniola is not a giant island, the genetic pool there might also be relatively small.
When mine would spawn, I would end up culling at least 20% by 1", and consider this normal. Although the aggression among the fry themselves probably culled another 20% naturally.
In the end, I still had so many fry, was giving away bags of 20 or 25 at a time, and sent them to a number of states. But most reports I got back from aquarists that didn't divide them, or tried to keep them at normal aquarium temps, were lucky to end up with1.
Once you get over the hump of about 4", the sensitivity tends to fade, and they become more hardly.
When mine would spawn, I would end up culling at least 20% by 1", and consider this normal. Although the aggression among the fry themselves probably culled another 20% naturally.
In the end, I still had so many fry, was giving away bags of 20 or 25 at a time, and sent them to a number of states. But most reports I got back from aquarists that didn't divide them, or tried to keep them at normal aquarium temps, were lucky to end up with1.
Once you get over the hump of about 4", the sensitivity tends to fade, and they become more hardly.
Must not be that small it's big enough to have 2 countries in it ...Dominican Republic and Haiti.....why is it so hard to get new shipments of this cichlid in the U.S.? Is it the lack of interest, so little money or the difficulty with raising this fish maybe retailers can't keep them alive, sounds like I'm in for some heart ache until I get some more experience under my belt, hopefully I found the magic food, get them separated and with good water parameters we will be alright just hope for the best but expect some difficulties. We gonne make it look like childs play...!! Lol!!