The Cichlids have landed

[blizzack1]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to say thanks to the numerous people across the forum that  were extremely helpful in helping me setup my tank, from deciding on what size of tank to actually selling me fish.  

I now have five yellow lab fry exploring my pristine 48 gallon tank, much to my amusement.

I have to say, though, they are much more energetic than I'd imagined (and I'm basing this on the only other place i've seen cichlids being a fish store).  Is this normal?  They are darting around all over the place when I figured they'd be in nighttime mode.

How much food do I feed these guys?  And how fast do they grow?

Many thanks,

Josh

[darkdep]

African cichlids in general are energetic fish.  Not in a danio "constantly on turbo" kind of way but they are not lazy for sure.  Especially at first...they are exploring and getting comfortable with their new surroundings.  They are ok

Yellow Labs are gonna grow at a decent rate...how big are they now?  When I got mine they were maybe 2", and doubled in size in about 8 months.  Depends on available space, food, etc.  

Go with the standard "feed what they eat in about 2-3 minutes" rule.  Ideally smaller amounts twice a day, but if that's not possible due to your schedule they will do fine on a once-a-day feeding.  Feed LESS than you think you should; they will ALWAYS appear hungry.  That's normal.  It is far better to underfeed than to overfeed (logic that is contradictory to most people, but it's true).  Food that isn't eaten will start to rot extremely quickly and will foul your tank.  And you don't need anything else to worry about with a new setup

Congrats on your new tank!

[repeej]

Pics?

[blizzack1]

Pics?

Good idea - I'll see what I can come up with tonight.  

So, I fed the fish this morning, but they are constantly at the bottom of the tank and didn't come up to eat... the tank is about 20 inches high...  I guess they'll turn up there eventually when they get hungry enough, but in the mean time i've got food floating around...

[repeej]

My yellow lab fry rarely come to the surface to eat.  Primarily because they are the smallest fish in the tank so they wait for some of the pellets to sink to the bottom.

I'd use sinking pellets if I were you.

That's why I like the New Life Spectrum food since it's 1mm sinking pellets so even the little guys aren't swimming around with a huge piece of food in their mouths.

[blizzack1]

Hrm, I just bought flakes yesterday... so many variables!  

It would make sense that they avoid the surface given their size when they've got company... I'll try it for another day or two, but if they don't eat I guess I will have to get some sinking pellets.

To answer Darkdep's question: they are about an inch big thus far.  I think I'll stick to adding fry from other species to avoid them being eaten (if they're not too big already).

My yellow lab fry rarely come to the surface to eat.  Primarily because they are the smallest fish in the tank so they wait for some of the pellets to sink to the bottom.

I'd use sinking pellets if I were you.

That's why I like the New Life Spectrum food since it's 1mm sinking pellets so even the little guys aren't swimming around with a huge piece of food in their mouths.

[darkdep]

repeej:  That's half the fun!  When my cobalts eat the spirulina sticks, sometimes it looks like their swimming around with cigars (well, not anymore I guess, since they are big enough to eat em whole, but they used to do that).

What did you decide to get for food, Blizzack?

Something to note...some fish won't eat for a day or two after being put in a new tank.  This isn't a big concern.

Cichlids are usually pretty skittish too, until they "know" you.  Put in some food and step away from the tank.

[repeej]

blizzack1: Your 1" labs will not get eaten by bigger fish.  I have mine in with fish that are 3.5" in size and I'm yet to have any casualties.  Mind you, I have provided them with quite a few hiding spots.

darkdep:  I know what you mean about the cigar looking spirulina sticks.  That was funny 'til I saw a 1.5" rusty with food comming out of his gills.

[darkdep]

darkdep:  I know what you mean about the cigar looking spirulina sticks.  That was funny 'til I saw a 1.5" rusty with food comming out of his gills.

Some of the bigger Africans actually eat that way...they grab a mouthful of substrate with food in it, and blow the non-food bits out their gills.

[blizzack1]

I went with HBH Flakes, as per someones recommendation here.  I haven't tried it yet, and neither have the fish, so I can't really comment yet!

So, how long until I can add some more fish to my tank?

repeej:  That's half the fun!  When my cobalts eat the spirulina sticks, sometimes it looks like their swimming around with cigars (well, not anymore I guess, since they are big enough to eat em whole, but they used to do that).

What did you decide to get for food, Blizzack?

Something to note...some fish won't eat for a day or two after being put in a new tank.  This isn't a big concern.

Cichlids are usually pretty skittish too, until they "know" you.  Put in some food and step away from the tank.

[darkdep]

Don't be in a rush...add fish slowly.  You need time for the biological filter to build up.  Was the tank already cycled or not?  If not, you should wait at least 6 weeks.  If so, then I'd say you'd be safe adding a couple more every couple weeks.

[blizzack1]

No, the tank wasn't cycled yet, which is why I just went with some very small fish... Probably a good idea to wait until after the holidays to throw more fish in, in any case.  

Don't be in a rush...add fish slowly.  You need time for the biological filter to build up.  Was the tank already cycled or not?  If not, you should wait at least 6 weeks.  If so, then I'd say you'd be safe adding a couple more every couple weeks.

[darkdep]

Yes, absolutely.  Once the tank is cycled, adding say, 1-2 a week is a good maximum, IMHO.

[repeej]

But do you mean 1-2 full grown or 1-2 fry?  You can add more that 1-2 1" fish per week IMHO.

[Julie]

Why not try some cycle or some media from a mature filter to speed things up.

My lab eats flake from the top of the tank and is a little piggy.

Julie

[darkdep]

1-2 medium sized...yes you could put in more if they are only 1".  But, as a general attitude, it's best to introduce slowly.  

As Julie said, you can speed up the process if you add some pre-seeded media to your filter.

[blizzack1]

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, Julie.  I got some used filtermedia from fellow forumite.

However, I have canister filter and I was told just to drop the media right into the tank, which in retrospect would make it much less effective.  Should I throw it into the canister now, or am I too late?  Or will I be fine as it is?

Who knew I'd find myself excited about bacteria?

Why not try some cycle or some media from a mature filter to speed things up.

My lab eats flake from the top of the tank and is a little piggy.

Julie

[Julie]

Canister would be more effective.

Julie

[darkdep]

Yes, canister.  If you throw it in the tank without flow it'll have minimal benefits.

[blizzack1]

Yes, canister.  If you throw it in the tank without flow it'll have minimal benefits.

Yeah, I threw it in when I got home from work today.  Fish seem to be more comfortable, too.  I'm really impressed with how active they are, and they totally love the current from the inflow jet on the filter.