# Split and frayed fins



## TURRY

Hi every one, 
First of all my Tank is about 4 months old and has cycled.
It is 4ft x 18 x 12
At the moment I have 8 cichlids an two really tiny plecos, all my fish are juvies
2 venustus Male female
2 Labidochromis
1 OB marble peacock
1 red peacock
1 Other peacock all dark purple
1 hongi dominate

4 of my fish show split fines on the tail and pectoral fins and anal just a couple of splits
1 however is really really bad with bits missing every where, this fish although not the dominate is still good at warding of unwanted fish in its terroritory and I dont see alot of aggression.

All water tests are good although ammonia is 0.1mg/l
No nitrate
No nitrite

It looks as if this one fish has been burnt

I have put carbon in the tank for a day and its now been removed, Althouh the fins have healed a little I just notice several new splits on a couple of the fish

No problems with the tank for over six weeks, weekly water change of 50% although testing shows no increase at all in Nitrate ever since the first cycle,

Any help please!!!!

Thanks


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## ozman

g-day turry, well first off your venustus are going to be to big in a 48in and as with all mbuna are not pairers but harem breeders, as in 1m/4 or more female depending on the spicies.
please list your peacocks specifics so that other people may help some more.
also your filtration may help. i'll leave it to more advanced people from here, all the best :thumb:


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## DJRansome

The split and missing bits of fins are due to aggression. The fish that is really bad needs to go to a hospital tank by himself to heal with very clean water and no medicine. Can you post a pic of the one that appears to have been burnt?

If your tank is cycled you should have nitrates. Are you shaking the test according to the instructions?


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## 4RSo

maybe it's time for an inline heater.


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## Mschn99

4RSo said:


> maybe it's time for an inline heater.


Im curious what the heater has to do with the price of tea in china?? A heater has nothing to do with his problems :-? :-? :-? :-?

Definately agression, and as was suggested before you must not be testing for nitrates correctly if the tank is cycled, as EVERY cycled tank has nitrates. I also do not like your mix of fish, particularly for the tank size. You either need to build groups (low male count, high female count) or you need to go all male. Either way the fish too big for your tank will become a problem no matter what. Aquarium salt or stress coat will help the fins help a little faster and as was said before putting the beat up fish in a hospital tank (already cycled) would be best. Also the fact that you have any ammonia in your tests makes me concerned on two levels. First of all, was your cycle actually done.....and secondly is your filtration enough for the tank size.


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## 13razorbackfan

A single male venustus is not going to work in that size tank much less two. You need to take them back or sell them. As they mature they are going to kill off the other fish in the tank more than likely. They like really large tanks to swim back and forth in and being cramped up in that size tank isn't going to be good for your other fish. I would suggest moving the aggressor out to another tank. You are saying it is the Hongi?


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## TURRY

Firstly thank you for the replies

My filter is a cannaster type, 500 lts per hour filled with bio balls and ceramic rings
I am going to buy a new cannaster filter tomorrow.

I am also going to change the fish selection, can anyone help me out as a am new to the hobbie, I really want a colourful tank'

If my tank has not cycled after 4 months why would the happen????? I tested and saw the ammonia then the nitrite spike then the nitrate spike months ago, then I added 5 fish. All juvies
ammonia 0.1mg/l
Nitrite less than 0.1mg/l
I use a liquid base test kit mage by INTERPET
I also done a water change 3 days ago 50% and double dosed with stress coat.
I do not own a hospital tank either.

I have now noticed algey growing on one of my rocks.

Heres some pics
First the worst effected peacock




























HERES SOME PICS OF ANOTHER PROBLEM POSS FUNGI, ANY IDEAS. This fish swims back and forth all the time and it appears that there is this white mark on its lip its been there for a few weeks now



















HERES MY TANK


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## TURRY




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## DJRansome

Do you have a pic of the burnt one?

Maybe the Member thought the fish was burned on an in-tank heater?

I'd trade in the venustus and the hongi (quick!) on some more haps and maybe a peacock or two (Aulonocara stuartgranti Maleri Maleri Island for yellow?) that mature at or under 6". Shoot for 12 fish total.

If the frayed fish is still getting injured after the hongi is gone then you might need to put him in a breeder box for a while so he can heal. Can you buy a hospital tank set up? With an all-male tank you are likely to need it as you have found.


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## Yael

I dunno, but those really frayed fins look like fin rot has set in - looks like more than just bites at this point although it might have started with bites.

When you say you're going to buy a new canister filter does that mean you are adding it to the one already there? I hope so, you don't want to replace your main source of biofiltration - you'd send your tank into a nitrogen cycle crash.


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## lilscoots

The one with the white lip is a Copadichromis borleyi not a peacock "1 Other peacock all dark purple", who will be quite large for a 48" tank, The white is most likely from rubbing or possible lip locking and should be fine as long as it doesn't go red or get fuzzy. The rest are being bitten by someone probably at night when you're not watching. +1 to the venustus being too large and I'm not sure what's going on with your tests but I'm thinking it's either the test itself or the procedure. You're going to need a hospital tank if you're keeping africans...


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## 4RSo

Mschn99 said:


> 4RSo said:
> 
> 
> 
> maybe it's time for an inline heater.
> 
> 
> 
> Im curious what the heater has to do with the price of tea in china?? A heater has nothing to do with his problems :-? :-? :-? :-?
Click to expand...




TURRY said:


> It looks as if this one fish has been burnt


fish don't get burned from teeth, this happens to my ahlis all the time and i'm 100% sure it's from them resting by my heater while it's on and drifting over and touching it.
purchasing an inline heater is something i'm considering, because it removes that hot piece of glass and places it in a place where the fish can't get to it. Thus removing the possibility of burns.

I'm not sure what you mean by the price of tea in china....


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## 13razorbackfan

Wow...those fish have been shredded and aggression leads to stress which leads to more serious illnesses. You need to take both Venustus back and the Hongi. I would do this immediately. As a matter of fact I wouldn't even spend the time to respond to this message and go ahead and take them back. Do a water change and black the tank out for 24-48hrs to allow them to heal without stress. You might also want to buy some melafix.


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## DJRansome

4RSo said:


> Mschn99 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 4RSo said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean by the price of tea in china....
> 
> 
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> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

It's an expression.


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## 4RSo

ah.


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## TURRY

lilscoots said:


> The one with the white lip is a Copadichromis borleyi not a peacock "1 Other peacock all dark purple", who will be quite large for a 48" tank, The white is most likely from rubbing or possible lip locking and should be fine as long as it doesn't go red or get fuzzy. The rest are being bitten by someone probably at night when you're not watching. +1 to the venustus being too large and I'm not sure what's going on with your tests but I'm thinking it's either the test itself or the procedure. You're going to need a hospital tank if you're keeping africans...


No I just brought a otto 450 does 1800 lts per hour, I will run them both for a couple of weeks then remove my old one


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## TURRY

4RSo said:


> Mschn99 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 4RSo said:
> 
> 
> 
> maybe it's time for an inline heater.
> 
> 
> 
> Im curious what the heater has to do with the price of tea in china?? A heater has nothing to do with his problems :-? :-? :-? :-?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TURRY said:
> 
> 
> 
> It looks as if this one fish has been burnt
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> fish don't get burned from teeth, this happens to my ahlis all the time and i'm 100% sure it's from them resting by my heater while it's on and drifting over and touching it.
> purchasing an inline heater is something i'm considering, because it removes that hot piece of glass and places it in a place where the fish can't get to it. Thus removing the possibility of burns.
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean by the price of tea in china....
Click to expand...

My heater isn't even on its summer here I actually have to run a fan over the top to keep the temp down, which is 27 celius at the mo


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## meangreenstompa

There are several heater guards on the market and suitable.

http://www.google.com/search?q=heater+g ... 80&bih=899

Due to my absolute fear of my synodontis burning himself on the heater in my tank (they are very prone to this, I've seen several returned fish at the lfs bearing burns), I placed two very powerful airstones directly underneath the heater, making it an uncomfortable and busy place to be, so noone will want to settle there and no drifting will occur and there's a strong updraft there.


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## 4RSo

DJRansome said:


> Do you have a pic of the burnt one?.


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