# It seems to be happening at night



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

I have a 10 gallon that I am placing my new juvies in rather than mixing them in with my larger haps, peacocks and a few mbunas. I am talking one inch or so for the various juvies. The juvies came from two LFS and two on line vendors. Everything was going fine, then I lost one....then a day or two later another and it continued like that until 12 became four. They each looked like the tail was eaten off. During the day there was no signs of aggression. When I got to four I just decided to put the remaining four in with the young adults. Then another of the four died! What's up do you think? Are there any peacocks or haps that are known to attack, to kill, at night. There are also some bottom dwellers as well in the ten gallon, specifically a Pleco and a synadontis angelicus.


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

Oh yea, chemistries were fine, no ammonia or nitrates, minimal nitrates, 8.4 ph, tank at 79, regular water changes, plenty of hiding places, etc.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the species? Even with a group of fry all from the same clutch, I would grow them out in a 20G Long or even better a 40G Breeder.


----------



## Ichthys (Apr 21, 2016)

I would suspect the cats. Angelicus especially is not going like new additions to such a small tank... or the two cats could be fighting at night and the deaths are just an unlucky byproduct?


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

DJRansome:

I am going to have to look them up. I know there was an:
Orange back cobue
Ruby green hap
Red sun peacock
Reuben peacock
Nagara
Mdoka Flame tail
Yellow head
Yellow Maleri island

My plan was to move them to a 20 gallon high as a grow out tank in a few weeks when I move the current residents to the new 210. Now though, the remaining three are in with the others that are moving into the new tank. I was going to use the 65 for the mbunas and not keep them with the peacocks and haps. Some day I will take your advice and add a 40 breeder, but I have to space that out as the 210 overall was an expense. Getting close one the cycling on the 210, ammonia and nitrites go to zero within 24 hours. I am doing partial water changes now daily, 10% and hope to start putting fish in within a week.

Ichthyus:

I was suspect of the angelicus. I thought that they were compatible tank mates with cichlids?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Angelicus is not from the Rift Lakes. I have no experience with them.

Did you get the fish too soon?

I think too many fish/wrong fish in a 10G. 10G is 20" long. 20G High is 24" long. Not much of an improvement to give fish more room to grow out?

Usually if it is 10G and Africans I have one fish in there, even a one inch fish. If these fish are one inch, how do you even know you have males? We would not expect much color until they are 3"?

Red sun looks like Rubescens? Both in the red/orange/pink family? And Red Sun is a hybrid?

Ngara and Mdoka are basically same fish from different locations?


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

Noted, thanks. I don't know if all these were meant to be questions?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes. But you don't have to answer...my info is based on those assumptions. That was a lot of question marks, now that you mention it, LOL.

I am assuming some of my guesses are true and advice is based on that. Assume the fish are larger than 1". Assume the red sun is red...never heard of it.


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

Red sun and Reuben were from <vendor name removed> which has pics on the web site. Since I just set up the 210 gallon, I have to live with what I have for tanks. I plan on moving the fish that are in the 65 and 20 tall into the 210. They are all 2 1/2 to 3". The juvies are too small to be added with the bigger ones, I think. I have been told to just load them all together into the 210. What do you think? I originally was planning on separating the mbunas out and place them in the 65 and place the 20 juvies that are in the 10 gallon in the 20 tall. If I don't seperate the mbuna and just put them in with the haps and peacocks I could use the 65 for the juvies. Also, some of the bigger ones have not colored up yet so I need to put them somewhere until I know if they are males or not. I wouldn't want to put them in the 210 if I don't have to because if they are females I would have to try to get them out of the 210.


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

A quick check of their website shows the Red Sun is a cross between a Sunshine and German Red peacock.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'm still confused about exactly what fish you have as you listed only Cynotilapia for mbuna, but it sounds like there might be others.

How long is the 65G and how long is the 210G? Stocking is by length, no gallons.

If all your fish are 2.5" or more than can be together size-wise...now the question is what species can you mix.

Larger fish that have not colored up may be low in the pecking order...that is what they do...turn off the color.

What you are shooting for is no two fish that look alike. So your 2 red peacocks...even with some variation, are likely to compete and cause poor color or danger of illness to one of them. Same for the Ngara and Mdoka...they are basically the same fish.


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

The mbunas that I have are mixed in with the haps and peacocks now, either in the 65 or the 210. They consist of a cobolt blue, two rusties, an albino red zebra and 3 labs. There are several white and yellow labs in the juvies tank. The juvies were mixed in a batch order when purchased. The 210 is six feet long and the 65 is 30 inches.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't have a good idea on what you can do with that fish list and a 30" tank plus a 72" tank.

I would not mix the cobalt or zebras with haps and peacocks because they are too aggressive. I would not keep them in a 30" tank. I would not keep them together even in a 48" tank, as they are both Metriaclima and likely to crossbreed and/or fight.

The problems may not start for several months or a year.


----------



## Dooner (Mar 10, 2019)

Ok, thanks for the time you spent on this. The 65 gallon is 36", not30". Not that makes a difference.


----------

