ulrike

Okay, Thanks for continueing to post and update. My tank has turned around for the better. There haven't been any more deaths. Here are the ones who survived the brutal massacre. 4 electric yellow Cichlids 4 Orange Cichlids 1 Electric Blue Chichlids 3 Jack Dempseys 1 Spotted Shark 2 Plectos (1 large, 1 small) How many more fish could I ass considering that none of my fish (other than the 1 plecto) are bigger than 2 inches? The aquarium no longer smells Other than normal aquarium smells. I have been doing 3 x 25% water changes for the last week and a half. I am not sure whether the water changes, the vacuuming, or the aquarium salt for freshwater fish that I added helped. I bought an ammonia alert and it shows safe I tested the PH and have a PH somewhere around 6.7. I have to get a high PH kit just to be sure and more exact. If people are not supposed to vaccum the aquarium during water changes, then wouldn't their water get filthy? When do they vaccum then? Every 4 months? Another thing....we are moving in about 2 months. How can I best do it without any more deaths. Keep in mind that I have 75 gallons of water in there, 75 pounds of gravel, and precious fish. I will be moving about 25 km (25 minute drive) away. I do not have a big container in which I can take a lot of water or anything. I just have a car....not a truck or anything that can hold anything substantial. What can I do? Will I run into the same problem again if I put the fish into new uncycled water when I set up? Or will the bacteria from the aquarium still be in there and help it cycle so I can put the fish in again? Unfortunately, I have already learned that whoever wrote that a 24 hour water cycle is enough is really wrong!

Yes, the comments did seem harsh. I know that you were trying to speak for those that don't have a voice (The Fish), but it made me feel even more like a heel. I already felt like a killer and that made me even more upset. I did read online that a tank only needs to cycle for 24 hours. That is what I have done with aquariums in the past with no problems. I did have 3 good weeks without deaths. Then the dying started on Good Friday and that was the same morning that I was heading out of town until Sunday. I was even trying to stay home and look after my tank, but I had promised someone a ride out of town and had to take them. I really appreciate all the good advice on here. I will be doing another 25% water change today...this will be the 2nd one this week. I got the PH test kit yesterday and found that the PH level is around 7.5. That is very close to what Cichlids like according to what I have read on the instructions....so I am not sure the problem could be. I think my PH is still a little high and I put the PH Down solution in, but it didn't change. How long does it take? I think for now the salt and the water changes are happening. Dare I say that 24 hours have gone by without death!? Hopefully that won't jinx anything I have a cold right now so I can't tell if my aquarium still has any sort of odour....it is possible that the salt has cleared some of that up, I suppose. I don't think the odour could be attributed to anything in the tank because I first noticed the smell about 2 hours after setting it up and there were no deaths or any food pieces in there. I expect it to smell slightly fishy, but not so sour and strong....again,,,,maybe that has cleared up now...I can't smell. How many fish should I add at once---after my tank has stabilized? I do have one Columbian spotted shark left....they haven't all gone to the big fishbowl in the sky. Thank God. I have been told that Columbian sharks are hard to keep and that sometimes people have to buy 4-8 of them just to have 1 or 2 survive and grow. Is this true? Anyone know if they are just really sensitive fish? One of my Plecto's (hoovers) had a few cuts and I treated him with Pima Fix for a week before all the dying started happening. Then I did the partial water change like the bottle said. Could his infection or the Pima have set any of this off? Thanks for all your help. You are all lifesavers. Literally! I am very impressed with this forum...it was only about 10 minutes until I got my first response and was able to take action and save the orange fish

I actually did do a lot of research and read up on Cichlids both online and in a Cichlid book. On top of that, my sister has both a 150 Gal tank and a 66 Gal tank as previously mentioned and she breeds and sells Cichlids all the time. I thought everything would be just fine with all three of those resources at my disposal. I don't understand why my tank would be overcrowded, some of my fish are less than one inch! And my herefore mentioned sister has tanks TEEMING with fish and they never die or get any problems. I barely am lucky to see a fish in mine they are so small and the aquarium is so spacious. She also has Columbian sharks that have grown to several inches in with her Cichlids and she has had no problems...so I was not expecting to have any either. The last thing I wanted was to kill a fish--believe me. The aquarium has smelled foul and very gross ever since the day I set it up. On a brighter note--there have been no further casualties since the 25% water change late last night and the orange fish is back with the others and was eating and seems to be hanging in there. Maybe he will make it. I will try Pegasus' advice and keep up the water changes 3 times per week and see what happens. I also don't understand how adding circa 8 small fish to an aquarium could cause too much bacteria. They are really small fish and I have a good pump. :-?

For how long would I do the regular water changes? I have a vacuum that siphones out the water. You know...one of those plastic tubes that sucks up gravel and cleans it. Is that Okay to use? I don't find the shrimp, flakes, and pellets all at once. I alternate. They only get the brine shrimp every other day or so. I do feed some flakes and pellets all at once though. How long should I have waited before adding more fish? It's a big aquarium and most of my fish are only about 2 inches long so I don't think they are overcrowded. My sister has a 66 gallon aquarium that she only does water changes on every few months and her fish are FLOURISHING and constantly pregnant! I don't understand why mine are in worse condition than hers.

Okay, I just fished out one of my electric blue fish...DOA and one of my orange ones is still iffy. I just finished an emergency 25% water change as you suggested and followed that up by adding a bit more salt. I did some vaccumming while I was changing water. Is that what I should have done? Or did you mean to change only the water and not stir up the gravel? That may be a stupid question, but it would be great if it could be clarified what exactly the 25% water change SHOULD consist of. I am so sad for my fish that I barely want to even look at my tank anymore. Every time I do...Man Down! How do I fix PH levels if I get the test kit for the water tomorrow and discover that any of the numbers like PH or Nitrate , etc are off?

I have had Cichlids for about 4 months now. I started out with 6 Cichlids in a 10 Gallon tank (GACK! I KNOW=BAD) They were fine and I knew I owed it to them to upgrade to a bigger tank. 3 weeks ago I got a 75 Gallon aquarium. I added the 5 yellow Cichlids I had I sold one of my bigger Peacock Cichlids I also added 4 Columbian Sharks and 4 Orange Cichlids 3 Electric Blue Chichlids 3 Jack Dempseys 1 Spotted Shark I have not added any new fish in about 14 days. Everything was fine. Then on Friday, March 25th--3 of my Columbian sharks were dead in the aquarium. They had not been chewed or anything and hadn't been eating for the last few days although they were still swimming around fine Saturday, March 26th--the last Columbian Shark bites the dust. Sunday, March 27th--Down goes one of my Electric Blue Cichlids and a Yellow Cichlid (keep in mind they had survived for 2 months in a 10 Gallon tank and should be better off now!) and now.... it looks like one of my orange Cichlids is dying The last time I did a water change (25%) was about 1 week ago That was just around the time my Columbian sharks stopped eating and I wonder if that water change started a series of events I do not know the PH levels and do not have a measuring kit until tomorrow when the Pet Store opens Ever since I set up the aquarium (maybe the day after), the aquarium has smelled pretty foul. I was told that is normal and just takes cycling I waited 24 hours to add the fish just like the Cichlid book said, but that was 3 weeks ago and shouldn't be killing them now. I added salt today to try and help them, but ever since I did the orange one has looked woozy All of my 4 orange Cichlids seem to have bulging eyes No white dots or any sort of marks on any of the dead or alive ones I feed Sinking pellets, frozen brine shrimp, and Tropical Fish Flakes several times a day I have a Flu-Val 400 pump which can cycle up to a 100 gallon tank I really need help! I feel like the Grim Reaper. I want this dying to stop. Please help if you have any solutions. :-? SOS!