 Help me identify my Cichlid? [message #9681] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 12:39  |
|
Can anyone help me identify what kind of African Cichlid I have, and perhaps the gender?
I've had this little guy (or girl?) for about, maybe 9 months now. He was a gift from my sister so I had no idea what I was getting until recently. Where ever she got it, told her he was only semi aggressive so thought there would be no problem putting him in with the tiger and rosy barbs I had at the time. Well, he or she quickly killed them all.
I found out that he or she is an African Cichlid, and have done much research about them but I would like to specifically what kinda and its gender.
Right now he or she is the only one in my 10 gallon tank. It's a VERY aggressive little bugger. I've tried a few times since his or her killing spree on my barbs to introduce other Cichlids to the tank but she seems to always kill them. Being the novice that I am I didn't know the proper way to introduce new tank mates. I have since been set right, but I need to wait a while (aka: money issues) until I can get more.
I am still somewhat of a novice when it comes to being a fish-mommy. But I have fallen in love with Cichlids. They have so much personality! My little buddy certainly does. Everytime I clean his tank, he takes the white rocks one by one from under the bubbler and clears them out giving him a little hidey-hole. It's really fun to watch.
  
|
|
|
|
| Re: Help me identify my Cichlid? [message #9684] |
Thu, 15 May 2008 09:48  |
|
Your little fish is called a Metriaclima Estherae in Latin which is what you will use to find info on it but it's common name is a Red Zebra.
Yes they are very aggressive but there is quite a few fish you can mix with it.
You can mix, any of the Metriaclima Estherae, Metriaclima Zebras, Pseudeotropheus Zebras, or Melanochromis Breeds. There is actually a lot more you can mix with it.
Here is what you need to know,
It comes from Lake Malawi in Africa. It is a mouth brooder which means it carries it's eggs in it's mouth if it is a female. With this paticular kind of fish you would want to have 1 male to every 3-5 females to help calm it's aggression. It's diet should be 1-2 feedings of a good fish flake a day, maybe a serving of pellets 1 time a day and a veggie such as zucchini or romaine lettuce 1-2 times a week. Your fish should be getting fed 3 times a day. Careful not to over feed because these fish are known for getting Malawi Bloat which is pretty much like constipation but it is fatal to fish 50 percent of the time. That's why it's important to give veggies a couple times a week.
There should be a 25 percent water change done on the tank 1 time every week or if your ammonia and nitrates are staying in the range they should be, you can even do the 25 percent water change 1 time every two weeks. It depends on your aquarium and how clean it is staying.
Yes these fish do move the gravel around and make little nest for themeselves. I would say that yours is probably a male being that it is making nest. That's not 100 percent sure as once in a blue moon the female will also dig.
When you add fish to this tank here is what you have to do. Because the fish has been alone for sometime and it's a ten gallon aquarium, you can only put a 2-3 fish in there. These fish get somewhat large, 4-6 inches on average. You will find that if you have 2-3 fish in the tank and they become full grown, they will seem quite large for that size tank. 10 gal tanks are really hard to keep more than one cichlid in because of the closeness of these fish. It would be like sticking 3 toddlers in one of today's playpens. It works but you will see issues. Now here comes the other issue, when ever you have only two african cichlids in a 10 gal tank, there seems to be a lot of aggression because there is no other fish to become targets. I'm not sure how to say it any clearer then that. These fish get a long better in larger numbers but to many in a small area can equally cause just as many issues. So it is my opinion that if you want more African cichlids, you really should get a larger tank, but if you just want to keep this one, he will be fine by himself in that tank.
When adding another fish, you have to mix all the decor up in the tank including gravel. Change everything around just before you add the new fish. Turn the lights out and add new fish. Keep watch to see how they are going to react. Most times there is a period of adjustment and you may see a little aggression, like cats and dogs smelling eachother. You are not quite sure what is going to happen. Make sure you get a fish that you have asked the store if they have a return policy. Don't buy a fish if there is no return policy because if you do purchase a fish and it just can not get a long with your other fish, you have to return it or purchase a new tank.
Well I hope this has helped. If you look around the whole site you will see tons of info on your fish, on cycling a tank, on feeding habits, on mating (spawning), on aggression. These fish are not for the person that just wants something pretty to look at in the tank. When you start purchasing more, you really have to know what you are doing and what is happening with your fish. Good luck.
Please come visit me at www.atozthatsme.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
