Hmm Can Some One Help Me Out

[xNOTLOCx]

alright so my grandma has had an african chichlid since it was a little egg, electric yellow with black stripes. she got it from my aunt who worked in a pet store. and it has been in a 3.5 gallon tank its 5" long... so we went out and got a 30 gal and let it cycle made everything perfect. two months in the tank it still acted scared and stayed in the corner scared of every movement anything that made noise ect.... so we put it back into the 3.5 gal and its happier than ever moving around and such, so i took the aquarium back and now were gonna try a 10 gallon. but im confused as to why this fish liked the small tank and not the big tank full of hiding places and plants? sorry im a salty so i dont know much about fresh water... if anyone could help thatd be great.

 

[JamesTee]

Probably because it;s lonely? Theres safety in numbers and they should be kept in larger numbers not on their own.

 

[jayjay]

Probably because it;s lonely? Theres safety in numbers and they should be kept in larger numbers not on their own.

Your abit off there. That applies to shoaling fish. How would that make it happy in the small tank on it's own aswel. That doesn't really answer the question.

It could be shock, how long did you leave it in the new tank? Did it eat etc.?

 

[Ferris]

It could be shock, how long did you leave it in the new tank? Did it eat etc.?

As stated in the original post - 2 months, so its not shock.

JamesTee is probably correct, labs do much better in groups and pretty much are shoaling fish, in a large tank their natural instincts to be wary of predators would be more prevalent and the absence of other fish will make them feel insecure. However in a very small tank, the fish is completely aware of its surroundings and therefore feels much more secure and safe.

If it was me, i would have stuck with the 30 gal and added another 3 or 4 labs for company.

 

[mamafish68]

so we put it back into the 3.5 gal and its happier than ever moving around and such, .

yea, go BACK again and get the 30 back or even BIGGER, because no fish deserves to live in the conditions you've given this one and buy more labs like ferris said, anyone thats especially been in salt should have known that a frigging 3.5 gallon bowl is cruel.

dont bother with a 10 it's still too small for what your african cichlid needs, it's not a guppy....













(FERRIS, I'm being nice aren't I? cuz my tongue hurts from bite marks )

 

[Ferris]

(FERRIS, I'm being nice aren't I? cuz my tongue hurts from bite marks )

Apart from

anyone thats especially been in salt should have known that a frigging 3.5 gallon bowl is cruel

 

[mamafish68]

theres a fine line between NICE and BRUTALLY HONEST, want me to turn it up a notch??

I can I can I really can!!

 

[Ferris]

I like this new laid back approach!

 

[xNOTLOCx]

k well you can be as mean as youd possibley like, like i stated earlier ITS NOT MY TANK OR FISH, so i cant do anything about it, my grandmother is a little too lazy to come onto a forum, so i did. shes aware she will need another one eventually she will shes slow lol, but its hard to find one at the stores the same size as the one she has, we had a smaller one in there only 3 cm or so and it picked on it (its name is ed) so we upgraded to a 30 and she figured it didnt liek it NOT ME and put it back, ya im plenty aware that it needs a bigger tank, thats why i asked the question as to why its so happy in the small tank it confuses me since it needs 30 gallons or more, Itl have a 10 gallon for now sice shes too old fashion to get a bigger tank, the 30 gallon took months of pressuring her..... so im sure itl be better than 10 gallons, and i will try and find one the same size. I didnt think a fish coudl have so much personalty but this one does are cichlids like that?

thnx for being so nice FERRIS!, hey is that fish in your pick real would that be okay to add with the one we have, again i know nothing about fresh

 

[Ferris]

hey is that fish in your pick real would that be okay to add with the one we have, again i know nothing about fresh

Yep it's real, Pseudotropheus Demasoni. Not a chance of keeping 1 in a 10 gal, you'd need at least a 40 gal as they are seriously aggressive fish.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

i wdnt but if i do fresh ide do it right, and um get that fish, can a plecostomas (spelling) live in the same tank with it??

 

[dthoffsett]

Bristlenose plecos do best w/african cichlids, and they stay around 5 inches which is great for a smaller tank. I've been thinking about talking myself into a 40gal tank to set up a breeding colony of demasoni, they are great little fish, just full of personality.

And please tell your grandma she really needs to get her fish friends. W/a 30 gal she could put in the one she has, and get 3-4 juveniles, that would be enough so Ed would be able to pick on just one fish. They are really great fish and worth the effort.

 

[Ferris]

Any Plecs may struggle with Demasoni as they occupy the very bottom of the tank, something which is fairly unique to their species. This means they will come into constant contact with any bottom feeders. Synodontis catfish would cope better with this, especially Eupterus because of their temperament and large adult size.

 

[mamafish68]

And please tell your grandma she really needs to get her fish friends. W/a 30 gal she could put in the one she has, and get 3-4 juveniles, that would be enough so Ed would be able to pick on just one fish. They are really great fish and worth the effort.

He's too busy calling his grandmother LAZY- SLOW-OLD FASHIONED

 

[dthoffsett]

Any Plecs may struggle with Demasoni as they occupy the very bottom of the tank, something which is fairly unique to their species. This means they will come into constant contact with any bottom feeders. Synodontis catfish would cope better with this, especially Eupterus because of their temperament and large adult size.

Thanks for pointing that out Ferris, I have had only one dem, and he did seem to hang towards the bottom.