# Behaviour issues



## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi Guys im fairly new to this fish world and i hope u can help

I recenty set up my new tank ita 3ft tankabout 200 litres and just recently introduced a single electric yellow and bristlenose catfish to the tank.

The bristlenose goes about its business with no trouble what so ever but the problem lies with my electric yellow african.

When ever i approach the tank it hides inbwtween to plastic plants i have at the back is this normal ?

The second problem is feeding. I bought some cichlid pallets from the store and it seem that when it sees the food it attacks it fegeriously but then procedes to spit them out and eat and spit them out again but not swallowing the food in the end ? why ?

Lastly i noticed as the fish is by itslelf it tends to annoy the cat fish buy swmming near it and bumping it from time to time i plan on introudcing my africans but wanted to wait till my tank is 110 % in working order

does anyone no why these symptoms may occur !

Thankyou


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

My simple guess is that your Labidochromis caeruleus doesn't presently feel comfortable in your tank. The are rock-dwellers, so if your two plants are the only place it can retreat to feel secure, you can bet it will continue to do so.
Many people put too many individuals or too many species in their tanks - your problem may be the opposite - your Yellow lab's behaviour may normalize if it has more of its own as tankmates. A few more Yellow labs will mean more healthy interaction among the labs and likely less attention paid to your pleco.

Having said that, 3 feet is not a lot of tank to work with when it comes to Malawi cichlids. What other fish are you planning to introduce?

As for the eating and spitting of food, do you know what this cichlid used to eat? Perhaps it had grown accustomed to flake food and now it finds itself having to crunch pellets?

kevin


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

I plane on getting a few more Labidochromis caeruleus tomorrow and as for other species what would you recommend putting in with this particular spiecies! i was thinking electric blue , peacocks?

Also i have a rock in thier but plane also tomorrow to get another one as i have been told they love to play and hide in and out of holes in rocks !

As for the food im not sure what it used to eat maybe a good idea to find out ? would it get acustomed to the pallets over time ?

Thankyou


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

It's never a good idea to make drastic changes to a cichlid's food, but these things happen when they change keepers! Tell us what brand of pellet you're feeding them. Everyone has a different opinion on these things, but as long as it's not too high in protein and doesn't contain warm-blooded animal fats (beef, chicken, etc.) it's probably okay. I feed mine a spirulina flake, but the fans of NLS are legion.

Yellow labs, curiously enough, are more apt to eat crustaceans than algae in the lake, so you have more options there.

- - -

If your tank is the same as mine (36x12x20 inches (or 91x31x51 cm)), I wouldn't try mixing mbuna species...especially if you're new at this. They are too territorial to have multiple groups in such a small area.

You could do 5 Yellow labs, or possibly 5 Yellow labs and a single male Peacock (the Aulonocara genus).
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/r ... p?genus=17

Alternatively, (and I get sick of hearing myself say this) you could return the lab and go for a species tank of Pseudotropheus saulosi. They males and females are different colours, so it's kind of like having two species for the price of one!
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1

Whichever way you go, make sure you have lots and lots of hiding places.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/r ... _setup.php

kevin

P.S. Where's Tullar?


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Im currently using hikari cichlid pallets staple floating kind but they dnt seem to work .. the current fish dsnt seem to like them.. not sure which wat to go !

Is it normal for this kind of species to hide everytime i come near the tank ? it seems to do it everytime i go near it also. I have lights on during the day and turn them off at night is this fine or sould they be kept on or off

Tulla is short for Tullarmarine !

Thanks


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

adzy said:


> Im currently using hikari cichlid pallets staple floating kind but they dnt seem to work .. the current fish dsnt seem to like them.. not sure which wat to go !


I'm sure the lab will acquire a taste, but in the meantime, do not overfeed! If the pellets are not being eaten, net them out. If no eating occurs over the next few days, it may be time to look into another food. Meanwhile, you may want to get some algae wafers for your pleco. My mbuna love algae wafers as well.



adzy said:


> Is it normal for this kind of species to hide everytime i come near the tank ? it seems to do it everytime i go near it also. I have lights on during the day and turn them off at night is this fine or sould they be kept on or off


If you're not trying to grow any plants, you can give the lights a rest. Many people (myself included) have the lights on a timer - mine are on for about 8 hours per day, sometimes less.

Again, most cichlids are pretty skittish when they change environments, but if you have one L. caeruleus and one pleco only in this tank, the Lab may feel like a target. Now I'm starting to sound like an "ichthyopsychologist," and I'm really guessing at this point.

May we back up? How long ago was this tank set up and how long after that were these fish added? Do you know if the tank has cycled?

kevin


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Not sure if it's cycled I set the tank up 5 days ago and added the fish on the 4 th day the bristlenose seems to move around on it's own with no problem and the yellow moves around but hides when people r around


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

It's not cycled if you set it up 4 or 5 days ago.

Now cycling is far from my area of expertise - I knew nothing about it when I got into this hobby either.

I would start a post in the "Tank Setups" forum called something like "added fish without cycling" and get some advice on what to do.

Most of it will centre around frequent water changes to get your ammonia levels down, but as I say, you will hear from people with more experience and expertise than me.

But this could go a long way toward explaining the lack of eating and skittish behaviour - your fish are likely living in a poisonous environment right now.

Don't let anyone give you flak for what's happened - if you want to make it right there are plenty of people on this forum who will help you.

You may lose both of these fish. But once you have the tank properly cycled, you can then worry about how to properly stock it. In the meantime, no more fish!

kevin


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

I will ask thankyou for the help !


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Good luck. If you hear from *prov356,* listen. He knows what he's talking about.

Kevin


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi adzy (and Kevin). It just so happens that another poster is in a very similar stage (I think) and I just finished typing up some explanation of why tank "cycling" is important. Although greatly simplified, it has links to some good articles in the Library section. Take a look
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=206752

I agree with Kevin that focusing on one species in your tank might be best, especially because you know you will have more tanks later :wink: Yellow labs are a great African cichlid because they are less aggressive than most. And Kevin's suggestion of Pseudotropheus saulosi is a great one too.

Good luck with your tank cycling and let us know how things go! Don't worry if your shy little lab doesn't eat for a few days---fish often fast in nature anyway. And you don't want to increase fish waste while you are still cycling the tank. I would keep the lights off for now, and provide him with some rocks/caves to hide in to feel more secure until you get him some friends. 8)

--Angela


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Thankyou so much for the help !!

I will let you know how i go ! im going to buy some test kits for ammonia and nitrite nitrate tomorrow and get this process well under way i just hope my fish will survive trough this process !

Thankyou again !


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Ask a fish person there if they could give you a little "seeded" filter media (stuff that already has the right bacteria on it to jump start yours). There is a product called "Bio-Spira" that has been said to speed things up (made by Marineland), and something by SeaChem called "Stability" that some people say has helped too.

Just keep doing water changes and that will dilute the ammonia and nitrite. I would probably do small ones throughout the day rather than one huge one, unless they are looking stressed. And of course, try to match the temperature of the water you are adding.

good luck 8)


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Hello

just to keep you posted my lil lab electric seems to be all of sudden moving around freely and loving its new surroundings , its very curious and dsnt seem to hide anymore when i approach the tank. I provided it with more rocks today and java fern and it seems to love this and be very acctive !

I havnt feed it as yet as i was told during the cycling the food can affect amonia levels. I purchased amonia testers and nirtrite testers and thier seems to be no nitrite in the water but low levels of ammonia which im assuming means the cycle is underway and in its first stages .

I have been changing 25 % of the water everyday now and will continue to do so until it gets through the cycling process. I dnt think i can do much more but wait and be patient but do you think i should still feed it now again again ? and also not to introduce more fish until after the cycle is finshed ! Also my britslenose is moving around and having no problems at all

Thanks Guys !


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

I'm glad he is perked up. Yep, sounds like the first stages of tank cycling. What kind of filter do you have on the tank? I think it would be alright to feed very small amounts. You will need to have *some* ammonia in there to start the bacterial growth, but since any concentration is bad for fish, I would keep careful watch on it, keep doing water changes to keep it low, and watch for the nitrite to rise.

Some advice from another recent thread, by Prov356, who has tons of experience:
"Even very low amounts of free ammonia can be harmful to fish, but if using something like Prime or Ammolock, it binds up the free ammonia into a non-toxic form until your biofilter can handle it."

I think it would be a good thing to pick up these products if you can.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4057
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4019


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Its funny how you say get something like prime because when i first started my tank the guy at the local fish store gave me a bottle of prime and told me to use this to dechlorenate and keep my amonia levels and nitrite levels non toxic while my tank is cycling !

I have a ehim canister filter setup ! ... Should i feed him a small amount of spirunlna flakes once a day or once every 2 days? it wont die of starvation will it :-?

Thankyou !


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Lots of folks here seem to use it. Man, the people who work at fish stores seem to tell people _anything_. Anything to sell you something I guess. I can't imagine anyone here suggesting you cycle a tank at the same time you get your fish. But I hope yours make it through okay. :wink:

Eheims are great. Sure you can feed your fish, but I recommend tiny amounts until you are cycled.

Fish won't really starve except under extreme conditions. Since they are cold-blooded, they usually just stop growing. A lot of fish stop eating for long periods of time during reproduction. Steelhead for example (sea-run rainbow trout), do not eat at all while in fresh water, or at least very, very rarely; and some will be there for months holding or migrating. Male largemouth bass do not eat for several weeks while they guard their nest and then fry. I was once involved in a lab experiment where we kept wild bass in large troughs and moved them to huge pools containing a certain amount of goldfish. In order to be sure they were hungry, we tried fasting them before each trial. We ended up fasting them for five weeks because some would not feed in that situation even after not eating for five weeks. (I once did a satiation experiment with one of these medium-size bass. They were tame enough to eat feeder goldfish from our hands within days of having them. He ate 44 feeder goldfish in a row from my hand.) 

In fact, if you go on vacation, it is much better to let them go without food than to have a friend feed them.


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

that sounds awesome !!

well i guess all i can do now is change the water daily and wait till my tank is fully cycled ! i have low levels of ammonia but no nitrite for now ill keep u posted and feed my fish minimal once a day !

Thanks again


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi

just a quick update the ammonia levels are now zero but im seeing a surge in nitrite levels that im assuming means im getting on my way to cycling my tank.

My yellow lab has survived to date very well and is full of energy. i have a few questions you may help me with

Firstly i was going to bye 3 more yellow labs for my tank i currently have a male would it be wise to get 3 more females or even it out with males and females also i wanted to introduce maybe 1 or 2 more species im thiiknng red zerbras and maybe something else what do you think

cheers


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

If (after cycling is complete!) you are able to buy sexed Labs, three females is the way to go, not equal males and females. This tank is too small for multiple males.

As for a second species, please refer back to the first page of this thread - don't do it!

You might be able to add one male Aulonocara if you're desperate for some colour/variety, but it's just too low percentage, and too hard on the keeper and the fish to try multiple species in a three foot tank.

If you want three species you need at least a four foot 55 gallon tank.

Kevin


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

What's the best way to tell the diference between a male and female yelllow lab I'm preerty sure I have a male? The lfs should know?


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Fortunately, this is not so important with Yellow labs, as they are a milder species.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gender.php

kevin


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## adzy (Jan 10, 2010)

Hey guys

my tank is finished cycling  Their is no ammonia nitrite present in the water and all the fish seem to be going along great.

I have a few questions though ! the first one is i have noticed green algae growing on the tops of a few rocks i have ? why is this and should i get rid of it ? and what is the best way too ?

The second one is the gravel am i meant to be cleaning the gravel on the bottom of my tank or leave it ? Also what is the best way of doing this without making a mess 

Thank you!


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