# quick question recent lost



## Fiveoh (Jan 25, 2013)

I started my mbuna 55 gal 8 month ago , iam a noob at cichlid , i have the usual 4 to 1 ratio of saolosi, yellow tail acei and crabo, about 2 weeks ago a found a yellow tail with big belly like he was bloated, popped eyes whitish, he was dead 2 day later, didn't pay too much importance thinking its just aggressive fish , today i have lost another one , a crabo this time , fish are then eated by other , about 40% of the fish is left when i noticed it .

I have no idea if its normal , i have lots of rocks , cave , i do have found a little baby ( only one !) about 1-2 month ago during a wc , i was like wow , but liek a noob i think i syphon it by the window or the other fish saw him because of the reduced level and hate him, idk...

i do about 1 60% wc every 10-15 day, using prime , temp is 80, 6 hour light on a timer, i feed flake that the seller sold me , they seem to love it, i feed this 1-3 time a day, they always swim in the corner for food , they are extremly active all the time , they do look more fat than thin , but iam noob at cichlid...

So since my food bag is lowering a got some tetracichlid stick , is that ok for them ?

thanks and any food suggestion is welcome and about my 2 lost

Vince


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## Michael_S (Aug 18, 2013)

I am not sure what the sickness is, maybe someone else can help you on that, but for food I suggest New Life Spectrum. I don't know what the Nutrition Facts are for the foods you are feeding, but you want the Crude Protein to be around 32-38%. Also I will feed my fish the occasional (once or sometimes twice a week) vegetable, such as romaine or cucumber. Lately, I have tried feeding my fish some nori, but only some fish will go for it. The ones that did eat the nori were the larger ones and ended up not sharing too much, lol.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

Lots of fighting happens when the lights get turned off. Bloated stomachs can also be caused by internal injuries.


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Test your water and post your results? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate?

Could very well be aggression. Crabro are very aggressive and should be kept in a larger tank than a 55g.

And I agree with michael about the food - I only feed NLS cichlid pellets.


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## taccobender (Jan 20, 2013)

Hello I'm new to this forum, well not really new just love the helpful info I get from here. I'm new to the hobby but think I could contribute a bit on this one. I agree with chopsteeks. I have lost tree yellow labs because of one male kenniy. Had the same thing going on in my tank so I turned on the moonlight one night and and watched him torment anything smaller than him. It boggled my mind for a couple weeks of why I was loosing fish when water was ideal and everyone was healthy. Once I took him out stopped loosing fish. Hope that helps sorry about your loss.


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

hi fiveoh, i was wondering how much you are feeding per 3 times daily? as said by others use a good quality food, as in nls.
keep a good eye on your water parameters, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph.
it sounds to me that you are overfeeding since a crabro also died. inmo crabro are not a good mix in that size tank. go for a larger community of saulosi to get say 4/5m to 8/10f will look great.


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## Bowfront (Jun 3, 2013)

From experience I strongly believe feeding fish more than once a day is a recipe for disaster.
.


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## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

Bowfront said:


> From experience I strongly believe feeding fish more than once a day is a recipe for disaster.
> .


I agree. I feed my sub adult peacocks and haps once a day. Full grown haps and peacocks every other day. I have not had any major illnesses since I've done this. Remember a hungry cichlid is a healthy one. I do feed fry 2-5 times a day in small portions.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I agree about less feeding, and feeding NLS. But, Crabbo get to large and are too aggressive for a 55. I'd rehome them.


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