# Keyhole Cichild Care (with picture)



## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

I was recently on another thread asking about help identifying my cichlids. Someone told me they are keyhole cichlids but look stressed. I have raised cichlids for a while now and know all the basics. Was wondering if there is any special care for keyhole cichlids specifically. As soon as I come in the room they freak out and hide under a rock and won't eat unless all the lights are off in the room and they can't see me. But, they look healthy to me. I got them about 4 months ago when they were full grown. Could they STILL be adapting to the tank? Here is a picture:


__ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/573012752569905301/

Does he look stressed to you guys?

fyi, I have two in the same tank


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Yes, he looks like a VERY stressed Keyhole. Or sick Keyhole.

No special care needed. Treat like any Angel, Festivum, Serverum, ect.


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

How would I help ease the stress? I have super great water conditions, good tank mates and plenty of hiding spaces. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> How would I help ease the stress? I have super great water conditions, good tank mates and plenty of hiding spaces. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?


Maybe some details. Size of tank and what specifically you have them with, and how many?


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

BC in SK said:


> Q75peacock said:
> 
> 
> > How would I help ease the stress? I have super great water conditions, good tank mates and plenty of hiding spaces. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
> ...


It is a 40 gallon bow front tank. In it are two keyhole cichlids, 5 gold tetras, 5 African three striped catfish, and a German blue ram. Hope this helps!


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> As soon as I come in the room they freak out and hide under a rock and won't eat unless all the lights are off in the room and they can't see me.


Just a thought but maybe the 5 gold tetras are just not cutting it as dithers. You might want to consider more of them and/or another schooling dither as well.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Also, what is the water change schedule and what are the water parameters/measurements?


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

BC in SK said:


> Also, what is the water change schedule and what are the water parameters/measurements?


I do a weekly water 40 percent water change.

Temp: 80
ph: 8.4
nitrate: 1.2


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

They are an incredibly shy fish. How is your lighting? Maybe subdued lighting with plenty of cover would help? Your ph maybe a little higher than ideal, but for tank raised fish I doubt that's the problem... Unless of course your accidentally altering your chemistry? Like if your water is soft & acidic out of the tap but you have lots of coral or other buffers in the substrate? The resultant ph swings that would accompany your weekly water changes could stress the fish.

Others may disagree but I am a big believer in consistency with fish. If you can keep the chemistry consistent, it's generally a good thing.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> nitrate: 1.2


What kind of instrument do you use to get a reading with a decimal point? 
That is very, very low nitrate for an aquarium. Lot's of plants? Very good if it's an accurate measurement.
On the other hand such a low reading might indicate that the nitrogen is not being converted. What is nitrite and ammonia? 
I know once a tank is established, it's usually unnecessary to measure nitrite and ammonia, but there is sometimes chance of something going wrong and such a low reading for nitrate might be a red flag.


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

BC in SK said:


> Q75peacock said:
> 
> 
> > nitrate: 1.2
> ...


 I am checking NO2- with a dip strip. It says 0. Howver when I check NO3- It says 40. I had plants but took them out as the light caused way to much algae and didn't enjoy them. I have a piece of drift wood now and some plastic plants.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> when I check NO3- It says 40.


40 ppm makes a lot more sense then 1.2. It would indicate that you should up the % of water change. Nitrate creep over time might require a couple large water changes to reset the level down. Would be better if it were no more then 20 ppm before a water change, unless your tap water is already coming with some nitrate (?). In the very least, higher nitrates could be a contributor to stress.
These are older fish that may very well have been used to different conditions previously.


Q75peacock said:


> nitrate: 1.2


So what exactly does this refer to?
Have you checked for ammonia levels?


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

nitrate: 1.2[/quote]
So what exactly does this refer to?
Have you checked for ammonia levels?[/quote]

I honestly don't know what nitrate 1.2 means. I normally don't test my water in any of my tanks as this is the first fish I have had issues with. The test does't test for ammonia. I will have to order some. My water is actually really clear but I will definitely try upping the % of water I take out. I really appreciate you guys being patient and trying to help me out. Just want the best for my fish  Also, you mentioned if my tap water comes with nitrates. I'm not sure if this matters, but I do have a water softener at my house. After treating it with water conditioner, I put that water in my tank.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> I'm not sure if this matters, but I do have a water softener at my house. After treating it with water conditioner, I put that water in my tank.


Ah, we may have found our culprit. It is generally not recommended to take water out of a water softener to use in an aquarium. If there is a way to bypass it, that would be advisable.
I see from this thread here, you have GH listed as 0  http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=385129
Keyholes are not soft water fish. Fish base lists them as coming from dGH 20, which is actually very hard.http://www.fishbase.ca/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=11136&AT=Keyhole Also this site lists them as dGH 20, though I would think that info probably originates from fish base.http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile64.html
Despite common recommendations over the years, lake Malawi is not hard water at all. Here's the measurements:http://malawicichlids.com/mw01011.htm Equates to a dGH of less then 4-5, which could be viewed as on the cusp between barely hard and borderline soft, depending on where you draw lines. Any ways, despite the fact your peacocks come from fairly soft water, many aquarists are quite adamant about keeping Malawi in very hard water and you might get a bit of 'flak' by some for keeping them in such soft water. It's not ideal, but they are hardy fish that probably won't be affected too much. I think it's likely to matter a lot more for a more sensitive fish like a keyhole plus the fact your water is much, much further away from the hardness they originate from. 
I think there are some other reasons as well ( not only the lack of water hardness), as to why it is recommended not to run aquarium water through a softener, though off the top of my head, can't remember exactly why.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

BC in SK said:


> I think there are some other reasons as well ( not only the lack of water hardness), as to why it is recommended not to run aquarium water through a softener, though off the top of my head, can't remember exactly why.


I think that people often claim that the salt level is too high in softened water for use in aquariums (or drinking) but I think they misunderstand how much salt is really there. The salt is only used to regenerate the resin bed so there should be a minimal amount in the actual water used.


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

Okay, I got a chemical last time I went to the lfs that adds gh. Ill try adding that to all my tanks for now on. I had no idea about the water softners. Thanks guys!


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

UPDATE: I went ahead and added 5 capfuls of replenish seachem which restores and replenished gh. Gonna retest in the morning and go from there. I hope to see results!


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> UPDATE: I went ahead and added 5 capfuls of replenish seachem which restores and replenished gh. Gonna retest in the morning and go from there. I hope to see results!


I think that is a good idea for your tanks because 0 GH is an extreme you would want to avoid. Even fish that come from extremes will often do better in captivity with more 'normal' water. I think you wouldn't want to get too carried away with additives. Use enough to bring your GH up to 5-6 and then add an appropriate amount with each water change to keep the levels up. Might take a little bit of experimenting to get it right.
A cheaper alternative to the replenish would be Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). GH is a measure of magnesium and calcium; both cations with a +2 charge. My understanding is that it doesn't really matter what the ratio of magnesium to calcium is, as both work the same way. But since you have 0 calcium, I think you still sort of need it as a trace element (?) and would have to add a small amount of calcium in some form. A bag of dolomite in the filter would provide a little calcium, though it would dissolve very slowly in your pH.

I also think you may still want to consider some of the other points brought up in this thread: 
1) test for ammonia levels, though it may be fine.
2) a few larger water changes to reset the nitrate levels, and then enough water change to keep the levels from climbing above 20ppm.
3)addition of more gold tetras and/or other schooling dither to make the keyholes feel more safe and secure.
4)some kind of cover, like floating plants, or maybe more subdued lighting.


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## Q75peacock (Jan 8, 2016)

Okay, I added a chemical that boosts Gh and the water is now sitting at 20. Haven't noticed a change in the fish yet, but will keep you guys updated. Thanks all for the help!


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Q75peacock said:


> Okay, I added a chemical that boosts Gh and the water is now sitting at 20.


What's done is done, but I think going from 0 GH all the way up to 20 is very drastic. 
If 5 capfuls of replenish did that for 40 gallons, I would be looking at using only one capful for a water change of 40%+, to bring it back down slowly over time.


Q75peacock said:


> Haven't noticed a change in the fish yet


Well, I wouldn't expect your keyholes to lose their scared/stressed coloration anytime soon by changing the water from one extreme to another. 
But given some time, some increase in GH should be of benefit compared to before, when your water was completely void of any calcium/magnesium.


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## Riippasaarni1 (Jun 21, 2016)

I was wondering how this fish is doing now? I have had these fishes for years and they actually have became very tame. One thing we use here in Europe is Oak leafs to soften the water and kill some bacteria. (leafs contain tannin or tannoids) Was thinking if there is possible to use leafs too?

Here's a cichlid pic of one of mine. Doesn't look shy.http://aijaa.com/W68ONu


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## meghanbridget33 (Aug 21, 2016)

I think it is just there personality, I have a trio, they always stay close to the bottom. They will go to surface when I feed everyone. They were really small when I got them. I feel that they are a pretty hardy fish.

They will not fight tho, my smallest german blue has made one swim away. All they want to do is eat, and hang out together. When one of mine got some weird thing a few months back (that thankfully no one else got), the other two were attached to its side. They will be around 4-6 inches when full grown.


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## Riippasaarni1 (Jun 21, 2016)

meghanbridget33 said:


> When one of mine got some weird thing a few months back (that thankfully no one else got), the other two were attached to its side.


I think they were trying to help a friend in trouble. After all they are quite different than most cichlids.


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