# Help! Cichlid tank going awry



## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

I have been dealing with alot of brown/red algae. Within 3 days of changing the filter cartridges, they clog up and water runs over the top. I do a 20% water change once a week. I turn the light on for 4 hours a day. The tank does not get any direct light from outside. I bought some Algone and have placed that in my filter, and i also have cleaned the whole tank, rocks, plants, and swept the gravel. Still the filter clogs. Now, i just bougt a test kit for nitrates, alkalinity, hardness, ph. The nitrate level is around 60, and the alkalinity is 300. The tank water has a brown tinge to it, not very clear. Any suggestions on how to correct these problems would be greatly appreciated!!


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## Jake at River City (Jul 31, 2007)

How long has your tank been running? Your nitrates are still high. What size is it and how many fish do you have? Your nitrates are still high, the volume of water changed needs to be increased.


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

You may be over feeding.

Also, test your tap water if that is what you are using for your partial water changes.

Alicem


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

I have 25 fish in a 60 gallon tank. It has been 2 weeks since the plant and rock cleaning.


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## co-photo (Apr 3, 2007)

what food are you feeding?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Rocko, please give us a little more info.
1. Tank size=60 gallons
2. Filter model=
3. Fish=what kind and approximate size
4. Food brand & how often you feed=
5. How long has this tank been running?=
6. Water parameters:
Ammonia=
Nitrite=
Nitrate=60  
pH=
gH=
kH=300?


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

1. Tank size=60 gallons 
2. Filter model= Whsiper 60
3. Fish=what kind and approximate size - Veggie flakes, 1" sticks
4. Food brand & how often you feed= Once a day, Tetra sticks & Veggie flakes - I bought the flakes in bulk, not sure of the manufacturer. But one thing i notice, is once the fish start to eat, it seems like the flakes explode into little particles everywhere. What kind of food do you recommend?? It does seem like this is a struggle point.
5. How long has this tank been running?= Tank has been running over 1 yr.
6. Water parameters: 
Ammonia= 
Nitrite= low
Nitrate=60 
pH= 8.1
gH= Hardness was 75
kH=300?

I did test the tap water, nitrates were very low.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The Whisper 60 filter is rated for up to a 60 gallon tank. You should consider getting additonal filtration based on the type of fish you have.

You really shouldn't have any Nitrites on this tank if its cycled unless you are cleaning the filter cartridges in tap water and/or are excessively cleaning your gravel. I don't think the excess fish food would cause these to increase.

Also your Nitrate is a bit high for my taste. I would do PWC's (partial water changes) every day til they were lower, about 25% each time.

What kind of fish do you have? If they are cichlids, you might want to use a pellet type food instead of flakes. You just need to get the appropriate size pellets for your fish.

Do you have an ammonia test kit? Really should get one.

Do you know the names of the fish you have? This would help pinpoint your problem. Or post a picture of your tank & we could try & guess what they are.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

I am now doing the water change everyday to bring the nitrates down.
No, i do not have an ammonia kit, but will pick one up tomorrow.
I do rinse the filters out in tap water, just because they clog up in 3 days. What is your advice on that. Do i just let them go, or change them out? What causes the filters to plug like that?

Fish, yes they are cichlids. Firemouth, green terrors, jack dempseys, red devil, not sure of the names of the other ones.

By the way, Thank You you guys have already been a big help.


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## jwal (Jan 17, 2008)

The chlorine/chloramine in tap water can kill off the beneficial bacteria on your filter media, which is why I think you should only use tank water or conditioned water for rinsing off filter debris


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

Rocko said:


> I do rinse the filters out in tap water, just because they clog up in 3 days. What is your advice on that. Do i just let them go, or change them out? What causes the filters to plug like that?
> 
> Fish, yes they are cichlids. Firemouth, green terrors, jack dempseys, red devil, not sure of the names of the other ones.


So you have 25 of those fish in a 60 gallon with only a whisper 60 as a filter.!!??
No wonder you have problems.
You are way overstocked and under filtered. Get rid of a bunch of fish, and get more filtration, alot more.
If not, you will always have problems, even if you do water changes everyday for the rest of the fish's life. (which won't be long in those conditions).
And no, don't clean your filter sponges in tap water, do it in the removed tank water.
That many fishes poo causes the filters to plug so fast.

Boomr


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## gbleeker (Jul 31, 2007)

25 fish is ok in a 60 gallon... but not the fish you have. In 1, 60 gallon tank, I wouldn't put more than 2 Jack Dempsy. Hardly any other fish + 2 jacks and you are stocked in my opinion.

Definitely, choose some smaller Mbuna to start with, you are quite overstocked.

Green Terrors, Jack Dempsy, and Red Devils... all of them can not be in a 60 gallon together for long. Choose 1 of those 3, and then add some other Mbuna (lake Malawi - what most pet stores carry) if you want. Long term - any of those 3 fish listed could kill off the others in your tank. They are great "wet pets" if you want 1 fish in your 60 gallon tank.

Personally, I hate them.... heh. I like a mix of fish - 20 or so in a 60 gallon tank. There are so many more options to me, than just 1 fish. Trust me, with a JD, GT, or Red Devil, you can only have 1 of those species in a 60 gallon tank... and probably only 1 of that species. You might get away with 2 or 3 of the same species, but definitely not long term.

Hope this helps. If you get rid of the fish, post back here and we can help you set up something that will work better. you will need a different filter for African Cichlids also. The fish you have now would require at least 4 or 5 of the filters you have.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Rocko, I second the advice everyone has given. The water changes will help tremendously but with those type fish in that size tank, you will be doing water changes every day to keep the nitrates and ammonia down.

Just take a 5 gallon bucket of fish tank water & swish your filter cartridge around til it looks cleaner. Then put back in the filter. Though you really need to add another filter or get rid of at least half the fish you have.

Keep posting back with what you are doing. We are here to help you keep your fish healthy, answer any questions and also help you to enjoy your fish.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

Once again, Thank You guys for all your help. Since then, i have gotten rid of 16 fish. We are down to 11. That is where i plan to stay. Looking at getting a filter for a 110 gl tank. So far the water has been maintaining well.


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## strat1960s (Oct 17, 2007)

Rocko,

If you reduced the number of fish you have by half that will help the situation. The amount of food and waste being drawn into your filter is most likely your number one cause for the algae explosion and clogged filter. I wasn't a big fan of UV sterilization, but it helped clear up my tank within a few days. Also, more filtration! You may want a filter that can handle 1 1/2 to 2 times the capacity of your tank.

Have you considered a larger tank? A 100 gallon or bigger tank would allow you to keep most if not all of your fish, but you you need more filtration.

Ted


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## Derow69 (Nov 5, 2007)

just askign a quick question on top of this topic.. I have roughly about 42 Assorted types of peacocks in my tank rangeing from 1 inch to 4 inchs. (most fish are in the 3 inch range) I am running a xp3 and xp2 would u consider that overstocked in a 75 gal tank.


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## strat1960s (Oct 17, 2007)

I'd say you are very over-stocked. There is an equation out there somewhere. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm a little off, but if I recall, its one 1/2 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water.

Ted


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## Derow69 (Nov 5, 2007)

if that is the is the equation for how much fish u have i would also agree i would be abit over stocked too lol but like. my levels are all good and i have alot of live plants and i jsut overkilling filterration so i dontk now i will see how things go.. but thanks for your equation. if i get bored tonight i will roughly put a guess of the total amount of inchs i got in the tank.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

Ok, things were going better, now the tank is getting cloudy. That is 3 days after the overhaul. Here are the checks.
Nitrates 30
Nitrites .5
Hardness 75
Alkalinity 150
PH 8.0

Any more ideas?
I looked for any dead fish, don't see any.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

Ok, now the water is getting cloudy, filters have clogged in 3 days since the major overhaul. They were new filter bags. Looking at new filters online. The Whisper 60 moves 330gph, which is what i have. I have looked at Eheim canister filters, the $200 one only pumps 264 gph. Would that be better?? Really looking for any suggestions on filters. The tank is a hexagon, so there is only room for a 13 1/2" wide filter.


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## IrkedCitizen (Apr 26, 2007)

Rocko said:


> Ok, now the water is getting cloudy, filters have clogged in 3 days since the major overhaul. They were new filter bags. Looking at new filters online. The Whisper 60 moves 330gph, which is what i have. I have looked at Eheim canister filters, the $200 one only pumps 264 gph. Would that be better?? Really looking for any suggestions on filters. The tank is a hexagon, so there is only room for a 13 1/2" wide filter.


Instead of dropping $200 on a different filter what I would do is buy a large rectangle/square tank. From there that will open your options to different filters such are bigger HOB's along with more area in the stand for canister filters and/or a wet/dry sump. Even if it is just a standard 55g with a 48"x13" footprint. After buying the new tank and getting all your fish swapped over I would sell the hexagon that will give you money to look for another filter.

You DEFINITELY need a bigger tank if you keep any of the fish you have because all of them get pretty freaking big. JD's get 8-9", GT's get 11", and RD's get 16". A 60 gallon hex is like 22" flat to flat. They couldn't live in that tank once full grown.

Your priority along with getting more filtration is getting a bigger tank. Or getting rid of all of your fish and starting over with different species. If you get rid of all your fish and get different fish I would avoid getting anything that grows larger than 5" for the 60g hex.

Eheim makes good canister filters without a doubt. But I think the main concern is getting a bigger/different tank while increasing the filtration.

But that's just me. You can do whatever works best for you. :fish:


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

Rocko, I agree that you still have too many fish that get too large for that tank. And you don't have enough filtration.
But thats not your biggest problem right now.... it's the cloudy water and the fact that you have a nitrite reading.
WHY ARE YOU ADDING NEW FILTER MEDIA???
Don't, and don't clean the old stuff in tap water either (as previously stated to you).

You have a huge bio-load in that tank. (i.e. lots of fish creating lots of waste) And every time you replace filter media and clean it in tap water, you are effectively killing the only thing helping your aquarium stay alive, the bacteria. Leave the filter alone, just let it run and don't touch it, Period. Get rid of more fish and let the tank build up the bacteria it needs again to deal with their waste. The ONLY thing you need to do to that filter is RINSE the sponge in DIRTY TANK WATER (removed) like once every 2 months.
Feed cichlid pellets sparingly, STOP WITH THE FLAKES, they are too messy.
What part of the filter is "clogging" and how do you know it is clogged? Are you completely losing all water return?


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

Derow69.. 
42 peacocks in a 75 gallon is WAY too many.
Although you have good filtration, your fish won't be 1" to 4" for long. They will soon be all 5" to 6" and unless you have all males, they will also be breeding and creating more. When breeding they will also get aggresive, especially with that much crowding in there. The aggression will likely be spread out so you may not have many deaths, but nobody will be very happy.

If I were you I would get rid of about 1/2 those fish. You will have a much nicer looking tank and be much happier (your fish too!) with about 20 to 25 peacocks MAX. in a 75 gallon. (I have 12 in my 55 gallon)
I would suggest at least a 125 or 180 gallon for 40+ peacocks, especially if breeding.

Good luck.


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## IrkedCitizen (Apr 26, 2007)

Boomr99 said:


> But thats not your biggest problem right now.... it's the cloudy water and the fact that you have a nitrite reading.


The cloudy water doesn't necessarily mean a problem. Cloudy water usually is an algae bloom. But in this case the tank is way overcrowded and way under filtered. Their tank is only overcrowded because of the types of fish they have in the tank. If they had different fish then 11 of them wouldn't be an over population. The fish they have just happen to be very messy/dirty fish.

They have nitrite because they are creating a mini cycle from how they clean the filter.


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

> The cloudy water doesn't necessarily mean a problem. Cloudy water usually is an algae bloom. But in this case the tank is way overcrowded and way under filtered. Their tank is only overcrowded because of the types of fish they have in the tank. If they had different fish then 11 of them wouldn't be an over population. The fish they have just happen to be very messy/dirty fish.
> 
> They have nitrite because they are creating a mini cycle from how they clean the filter.


Ya agreed. 
You could easily have that many of a different type of fish. But the ones you have, there are too many for that size tank.
The cloudy water is likely from the fact the tank is cycling again. It may be algae, but a healthy filter with enough bacteria, will prevent that from happening. So his first concern is to get rid of more fish, then let the tank build up the bacteria.
Which is what I explained. 
Irkedcitizen, I think we're both saying the same thing to Rocko, just in a different way. Hopefully he gets it.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

I get it. Still too many fish. The filter pretty much totally clogs. The water that runs out is over the top of the filters and in the center section where the vacuum tube is. In the last couple of weeks, i have only rinsed the filters in tank water. Still, 3 days and they are clogged. It is a brownish red slimy coat of something on the back of the filter.


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

Sounds like food gunk clogging it up.
Try this:
Clean the filter and media in dirty tank water enough so that water will flow through it normally.
After that, stop feeding for 4 days, completely NO FOOD. Don't worry the fish will be fine.
If it does not clog up, then it's a food problem and you were WAY over feeding. if it still completely clogs up it may be an actual problem with the filter, take it back and get a new one (bigger one too while your at it.)
Other wise you may just have too much media crammed in there and the water can't get past it.


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## Rocko (Mar 15, 2008)

That was it! Too much food!! I have gone to just sticks and have not feed as much. Filter is running 100% wide open and not clogging. Tank is clear and looking great!!

Thanks to all!! :thumb:


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## Boomr99 (Dec 19, 2007)

Excellent! Glad that worked out for ya! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


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