Failure keeping cichlids in the long term

["Alysoun McLaughlin" <alysoun@patriot.net>]

Ok, I'm stumped.

I've had a planted community tank set up in my living room for about two
years now.  It's a healthy environment -- or at least, it seems to be for
the plants and for certain fish.  But I just can't keep cichlids or
labyrinth fish.

I don't lose the fish when they're first introduced, but in spurts, usually
after several months.  The latest round included three juvenile angelfish,
purchased about two months ago (there are still two surviving quite happily
in the tank, no symptoms at all), and three honey dwarf gouramis (one is
still surviving happily).  All of these fish have died within the last two
weeks, although I haven't lost a single cardinal tetra.

I've experienced four or five similar plagues in the past, the common thread
being that I get a substantial drop-off, over a few weeks, or labyrinth
fish, cichlids and catfish, but there is no loss of cardinal tetras or
harlequin rasboras (the last time it happened I lost a few tetras, but they
were at the end of the plague and I attribute it to water quality because of
the decaying fish that I couldn't find in the plant jungle).

Symptoms have varied, meaning that sometimes I get skin lesions on the
labyrinth fish, or dropsy or emaciation in the dwarf cichlids, or gasping at
the surface from angelfish.  Most of the time, though, a fish that appears
healthy in the afternoon is found dead later in the evening.

I've heard it suggested that perhaps the fish are building up heavy metal
deposits from my tap water.  I've also heard it suggested that I might have
some kind of a "bug" in my water that afflicts certain types of fish
preferentially.  I'm willing to accept poor husbandry as an explanation,
because I'm not the most conscientious aquarium keeper and it's been a very
long time since I've tested the nitrates/pH, but it seems to happen when my
plants are growing well and I've been maintaining the tank regularly.
Perhaps that's the problem?  A skin cream or deodorant that could affect
certain fish and not others?  I just can't figure out what might affect
cichlids, labyrinth fish and the occasional catfish, but not affect the
cardinal tetras or harlequin rasboras.

Alysoun McLaughlin
Wheaton, MD




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