New Fish!

[tankman2]

Hey Guys,

Quick question on adding new fish....

I have a 55 gallon tank setup pretty nicely and have had it running for quite a few weeks now, went through the cycle and whatnot.

About 6 days ago I added 3 new fish; a red zebra, cobalt blue, and a yellow lab- all of which are pretty nicely sized (almost full grown).

I've tested the water everyday, all levels check out good, I dont believe I got a spike of any kind from introducing the new fish last week.

I just did a water change (10 gallons) for the first time tonight.

So, my question is...do you think I should go ahead and introduce more fish tomorrow? If so, how many? If not, how much longer would be an appropriate time to wait?

Thanks!

 

[Moby-Krib]

2-3 fish a Week should be fine. Just keep an eye on stats after you add em. don't over feed and all should be good.
All the fish you already have do better in groups. 1 male to 3 female. You might consider upping those numbers a bit as well.
The red zebra and yellow labs may interbreed due to similar colors. I think the cobalt s may as well.this could end up a problem long term

 

[tankman2]

I need some help!!!!!

So I went to the LFS and added 4 new cichlids in tonight.

The problem is that my cobalt blue which was one of the first fish in there has been very aggressive for the past 2 hours and has not stopped chasing everyone around, causing much stress. All of the other fish are fine its just this one that is causing the problem.

There are a total of 7 fish in the tank now. Should i be concerned and remove the cobalt blue? (I have no where to put him but back to the LFS).

Should I really be worried about the agression- will this die down?

Or would my other option be to add more fish tomorrow?? But I dont want to risk overstocking my tank and causing a offbalance in my water too soon!!

I NEED SOME ADVICE ASAP, GOING CRAZY OVER HERE!!!


THANK YOU!

 

[Moby-Krib]

I need some help!!!!!

So I went to the LFS and added 4 new cichlids in tonight.

The problem is that my cobalt blue which was one of the first fish in there has been very aggressive for the past 2 hours and has not stopped chasing everyone around, causing much stress. All of the other fish are fine its just this one that is causing the problem.

There are a total of 7 fish in the tank now. Should i be concerned and remove the cobalt blue? (I have no where to put him but back to the LFS).

Should I really be worried about the agression- will this die down?

Or would my other option be to add more fish tomorrow?? But I dont want to risk overstocking my tank and causing a offbalance in my water too soon!!

I NEED SOME ADVICE ASAP, GOING CRAZY OVER HERE!!!


THANK YOU!

when adding new Cichlids there WILL be a play for dominance.
What did you exactly add?? Crap I feel now I should have warned in my prior post.
This is normal.


I normally preform a maintenance and totally rearrange the furniture, while refilling the tank I add the new comers so as to confuse lines in the sand.

As long as he is only chasing and hasn't actually taken a bite from anyone leave it be.

by tomorrow you will see a bit of lingering aggression but in 2-3 all will be gone as the pecking order will be sorted,You could also leave the lights out for a day or 2.

If any sign of real damage then segregate.
This happens in African tanks, you are the judge of when it is just too much.

Blurring territories is a good practice when adding territorial fish, confuse em in to accepting each other.
A small extra tank while keeping Mbuna is needed for just this reason. It can happen in a established tank. One just goes all ape crap one day..

A quick fix, just maybe, do a 50% and rearrange everything!! , You can put it all back day after tomorrow if you like, this will make even the established fish feel new. Even ground and new territories.

edit: larger , older fish are much more aggressive and will be a bit more prone to attacking a new comer.
P.M. me if you need a bit more, I've played this game allot.