# Lots of Questions looking for general tips



## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

Hello All I just found this site. I am fairly new to having fish tanks (that I am responsible for) so everything is a learning experience to me.

Just some basic tank info...
55 gallon
8 fish
2 yellow labs (1 male 1 female) male about 3" female about 2.5"
1 electric blue male I think about 3.5"
1 flowerhorn male about 3"
1 eel 
1 catfish ( sorry I cant be more specific) about 3"
1 algea eater 
1 fish I have no clue what it is.. about 1.5" long but it is a bottom feeder

Some of my main questions regard feeding
We feed them 2 times a days. Is this enough? 
They get cichlid flakes everyday in the morning
and in the evening it varies.. sometimes more flake, sometimes cichlid pellets sometimes both
we also about 3x's a week feed them minnows and crawfish

They eat straight away, and my hubby swears they know what time it is, as when he walks to the tank they swim to the top and are just waiting for the food, then attack it.. We LOVE to watch the fish eat.

Next set of Questions is about growth. 
About how big can these fish get giving the tank size and their tank mates?
We have seen how big the flowerhorn can get, but just wondering inside our tank about how big he will get.

do we have to many fish in our tank? I want to add a peacock cichlid, but am concerned that it will be to many, hubby wants to wait to add more fish until we get a 150 gallon tank.

the coloring on my electric blue is gone. When i bought him he was very pretty and full of color. Now he is a drab gray. Only blue that is left on him is right around his face. is there anything I can do to bring back his pretty color?


Last question.. my water has an orangish tint to it. any ideas on what causes this or how I can get rid of it?

Thanks so much for any advice given.

Elsie[/img]


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

My only advice to you would be either dedicate your tank to the flowerhorn and possibly other SA(south Americans) or do only africans, the electric blue and yellows, peacock etc. The flower horn will out grow everything and possible eat or kill others in the tank. As for the electric blue and its color loss, some fish stores sell fish that have been feed food filled with hormones. These hormones give fish color at early ages and make them easier to sell because of their nice colors, but once you bring them home and stop feeding them this food they loose their color and return to how they would normally look for their age.

IMO I would get rid of your flowerhorn, add some nice rock in your tank and possibly add some more yellows 3-4, and look to pickout 2-3 male peacocks species that are compatible and do this style of tank. You should be able to keep the eel and the bottom feeder and unknown fish, depending upon what they are post pics in the un-identified section for help. Look in the cookie cutter tank set-up (library section) for possible ideas of peacocks and other africans which will work together. 
Hope this helps.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Welcome to the forums.



Cuppie Cake said:


> We feed them 2 times a days. Is this enough?


It is frequent enough, yes.



> They get cichlid flakes everyday in the morning
> and in the evening it varies.. sometimes more flake, sometimes cichlid pellets sometimes both
> we also about 3x's a week feed them minnows and crawfish


Keep in mind that in feeding live feeds, particularly those from the wild, you risk the introduction of parasites and disease.



> Next set of Questions is about growth.
> About how big can these fish get giving the tank size and their tank mates?
> We have seen how big the flowerhorn can get, but just wondering inside our tank about how big he will get.


Fish will grow to their maximum size, assuming they aren't stunted through poor water quality. The Flowerhorn will grow to over 12", and in most cases would eliminate many of the other fish.



> the coloring on my electric blue is gone. When i bought him he was very pretty and full of color. Now he is a drab gray. Only blue that is left on him is right around his face. is there anything I can do to bring back his pretty color?


Often small fish such as this, that are fully coloured at purchase, have been hormoned. The colour will fade, and assuming the fish is a male, likely to colour back up at maturity. The degree of colouration depends on the fish dominance position in the tank.



> Last question.. my water has an orangish tint to it. any ideas on what causes this or how I can get rid of it?
> 
> Thanks so much for any advice given.
> 
> Elsie[/img]


Orangish tint? Driftwood leaching into the tank? Overfeeding, if food left at the bottom? Poor water quality?


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

In addition, you should perform a water change 20-40%, weekly. If you have an orange tint you should definitely change some water. It is nice to watch the fish eat, but you need to be responsible and not over-feed the tank or you can cause mass issues you might not be ready to handle.


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## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

so my flowerhorn isnt compatiable my labs??? Thanks I did NOT know that. Then why would the fish guy sell me them then??? Grrr.... that makes me think he was just after a sale, he is also the same guy that sold me the electric blue that is now gray. You said the color depending on age?? Can you point me somewhere that I can see a chart? so I can know if he is gonna come into his color.

I was planning on keeping the labs in the 55g when we moved to the 150g, but I guess I will need it to house the flowerhorn. As he really is a beautiful fish, although aggressive, he killed a knife fish and a bala shark. Same fish guy failed to tell me about his aggressiveness until after the fact. Also my fault for buying a fish based on how pretty he was. I learned my lesson. However, I like the cichlids much better than the tetras and other fish I had.

Think they will be "ok" for another 6 months together in this tank? They seem to be ok together now. the Flowerhorn was pretty rough when the blue was first introduced. But the lab and the blue seemed to have teamed up. And we rearranged the tank.

And just to make sure I understand you. After moving the Flowerhorn out, I can add another 5-7 fish? And the algae eater is one I bought from Walmart 2 years ago that started out in the 10g tank.

Oh speaking of that is that to small(10g) to put the Flowerhorn in?

Sorry had another question, I have read that the ciclids will eat the plants, is it bad for them to do so? If not are there any benefits?


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## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

Thank you for the warnings. I am completely new to being responsible for a fish tank. And hadn't thought of either of those things. What kinds of parasites and diseases should I be watching for?

Yes, we have driftwood in the tank. I thought it maybe the culprit. Think tossing it out in the pond for a month or 2 be long enough to help it cure?

No the fish eat the flakes before they hit the bottom. And the pellets last a bit longer. They take it in there mouth for a few seconds then spit it out and repeats this a couple times.

What kinds of mass problems?

How would I know if I am over feeding the tank?

Sorry about the double post. And sorry for the all the questions.


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## jmangels (Apr 1, 2005)

Cuppie Cake said:


> so my flowerhorn isnt compatiable my labs??? Thanks I did NOT know that.


Definitely not as labs are Africans and the flowerhorn is an Asian hybrid. The species have different behaviors and care requirements, not to mention the flowerhorn will end up much larger and more aggressive than your labs and will eventually snack on them.



Cuppie Cake said:


> Then why would the fish guy sell me them then??? Grrr.... that makes me think he was just after a sale, he is also the same guy that sold me the electric blue that is now gray.


You seem surprised at this.  I'm as likely to take advice from an LFS owner I didn't know as I am the advice of the guy at Best Buy trying to sell me a flat screen tv. Buyer beware! You'll know next time that the better informed you are the better off you will be. Consumer Reports seriously needs to consider adding cichlids to their list of product reviews... 



Cuppie Cake said:


> Yes, we have driftwood in the tank. I thought it maybe the culprit.


Most likely tannins then. Basically you'll just have to do regular water changes until the wood settles and is done leaching. Tannins are harmless to the fish they just make for ugly water.



Cuppie Cake said:


> How would I know if I am over feeding the tank?


Most cichlid species don't require more than 1-2 light feedings per day. Only feed what they can eat in a minute or two without much hitting the bottom. If you see lots of extra food floating around the bottom that will just decompose and cause higher nitrate levels. You'll end up with poor water quality and higher risk of sick fish. A little experience and you'll know how much is too much.

HTH :thumb:


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## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

Thanks, no flakes ever make it to the bottom.. lol

How would one find a local breeder? As i live in a rural area and only have 2 stores (aside from walmart and petco) that sell fish. And the other the fish gal(owner) seemed to know as much as me when it came to the fish I was asking about. And it does irk me that he lied. As I did ask about the compatibility as the fish were more costly than the ones from wally world.. lol


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

Tannis can lower the pH of the water, which could become an issue with your fish. African Cichlids are better of on the basic side of 7.0 to about 8.0. Depending on the type of wood it could take a very long time before it stops leaching tannins.


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## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

I only have a PH tester and just tested the water. 7.2


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

You should be fine, but if you go long periods of time, say 2-3 weeks, between water changes then pH could be impacted.


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## Cuppie Cake (Apr 3, 2009)

we are doing a water change this weekend. Pending the outcome of the swingset being put together...

So can I house the Flowerhorn in a 10 Gallon tank for about 6 months?


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

> Pending the outcome of the swingset being put together...


 :lol: Been there, and may the Force be with you!


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