# Convicts not swimming



## rturow (Sep 3, 2014)

Hi I have a question for you. We purchased 2 convicts yesterday afternoon. From everything I've read they are great fish! Our fish aren't swimming around. One looks like a female and the other one possible could be a male. Both of them lay under the filter and sometimes the other one will hide in another corner. It's a 29 gallon tank with plenty of room for them to swim. Do we need to buy a bubble diffuser for more oxygen? We're new to cichlids but we have another fish tank and haven't had any problems with them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to C-F

What are your water parameters- ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? Is the tank cycled? Any other fish in the tank? How long have you had them? Are they feeding?


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## rturow (Sep 3, 2014)

The ammonia level is between 0 and .25. The nitrate and nitrite levels are zero. The tank is cycled and we bought the 2 convicts on Tuesday. They are not eating and lay underneath the filter almost all day. Sometimes one goes in another corner for a little while. It does look like we have a male and female. Could they possibly be spawning? Thanks for your help!


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Well any ammonia is not good and indicates a tank that is not cycled or experiencing a mini cycle. How did you cycle the tank? You should also have a nitrate reading.

They're new to the tank. I'd give them some time to settle in. Adding a dither type fish like a fast moving tetra could help them come out more and feel that it's safe to do so. But ya gotta get that water/cycle under control before even thinking about adding fish or meds.


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