Re: Spooked-out cichlids

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Kelly,

When fish get "spooky" but the usual water parameters test OK, I suspect a
contamination problem. This could be anything. Aerosol sprays, new tank
decorations (rocks, drift wood, etc.), or any other change around the tank. Even
a crack in a heater tube that leaks a weak electric current into the water can
cause this behavior. Check around the house and see if anything new has be placed
in or around the tank. If you find anything questionable, remove it. Then do some
25% water changes every day for a week and see if this helps. Of course several
parasites can cause this behavior, too. Check for rapid breathing or white
stringy feces.

Mike Wise

Kelly Beard wrote:

> The scene: 26 gallon tank, some rocks, no plants save for some
> sagittaria, 2 20 watt bulbs.
> The inhabitants:
>
> 2 Crenicara punctulata (male & female)
> 1 Laetacara curviceps (male died some months ago)
> 2 Papiliochromis altispinosa
> 1 Biotodoma cupido
>
> other:
> 1 neon tetra
> 1 pleco
> 1 oto flexillus
> 3 corys
>
> It seems that over the past few months, the cichlids in this tank want
> to do nothing but hide.  The curvicep is the worst, but most all of them
> look at me like I'm going to eat them or something.  Another weird thing
> is that some of them (the crenicara and biotodomo, mainly) will become
> active right around the time they want to be fed.  Otherwise, they take
> on a dark color and sit at the bottom - sometimes so motionless that the
> fins don't even mve.  As far as I can tell, they appear to be healthy.
> Temperature is fine, KH is fine, nitrates, phosphates, etc are all
> great.  I've been scratching my head on this one because these fish
> should know me.  I've had all of them for several months.  They get fed
> twice a day.  Only the Cupid has enough courage to come to the top to
> get food.  The others wait for it to fall down before they'll eat.
>
> I guess I could get some dithers, but I thought I'd wait and get some
> opinions first.
>
> These fish haven't always been this way.
>
> --
>
> Kelly Beard, Cat IV (on sabbatical)
> President, Allanti Cycling Club
> Innovative Computing Corporation
>
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