
|
| FAQs on Convict Cichlid
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Convicts,
Freshwater Angels,
Discus, Juraparoids,
Neotropical Cichlids,
African Cichlids, Dwarf South American
Cichlids, Asian Cichlids,
Cichlid Fishes in General,
Related FAQs:
Convicts 1,
Convicts 2, &
Convict Identification,
Convict Behavior,
Convict Compatibility,
Convict Selection,
Convict Systems,
Convict Disease, Convict Reproduction,
& Cichlids of the World,
Cichlid Systems,
Cichlid Identification,
Cichlid Behavior,
Cichlid Compatibility, Cichlid Selection,
Cichlid Feeding,
Cichlid Disease, Cichlid
Reproduction,
|
|
Sick Convict Cichlid - not eaten in 3 weeks 11/15/08
Sick Old Convict Not Eating
Hello, I have a 8-9 year old Convict Cichlid whom I adore and am extremely
concerned about. He has not eaten in over 3 weeks now that I can tell, and he's
always been a voracious eater. I have tested his water, everything is where it
should be. He did this about 3 months ago (not eating for a long time) and he
got a large "dent" (not a hole) in his front forehead, reclusive behaviour,
etc.. I treated him with Melafix for 7 days, religiously changed his water,
began adding sea salt as directed and I have even gotten him a heater (his whole
life he was fine without any of these things, but I am really trying to help
him). He magically recovered one day, started eating and his dent grew back
until it's as if it was never there. We thought we were in the clear and I went
back to a 20% water change every week with a small amount of sea salt to just
add back in what I had taken out.
This time he has NO dent, but he looks REALLY off. He has reclusive behaviour,
when I come to the tank he hides under rocks, and his color is a bit off. He is
also scratching on rocks and gravel, plants, anything he can reach, but it's not
constant. i have added nothing new, and there is nothing else that I can see, no
holes or wounds, nothing that looks strange on him, but I am really afraid we're
going to lose him, I mean how long can a fish go without eating? I've asked pet
store fish guys, but everyone of them has a different idea and I don't trust any
of them. Most say he could just be at the end of his life, but I read online
that Cichlids can live up to 20 years in the wild. I know I didn't do all the
"right" things his whole life, but I would really hate to lose him if there is
anything at all that I can do to help him. He's got such personality and he's
really quite large... i just want to him to go back attacking anything that
moves near his tank, digging fun holes, and eating like a shark attacking a
seal.
Thank you for your help. Lynn and Greg Y ---------------
< You convict has lead a very long life. The Melafix is more of a general tonic
than a specific cure. It has probably affected the biological filtration and you
may be having spikes in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. This may account
for the scratching. Without seeing the fish I will assume from you description
that you convict has an internal infection. This is basically a blockage in the
intestines and the fish can't eat. I would recommend a 50% water change, clean
the filter and vacuum the gravel. Treat with a combination of Nitrofurazone and
Metronidazole. After treatment you can use a high grade carbon and remove the
medication. I would add Dr Tim's One and Only to bring the biological filtration
back on line. All these can be found online at Drsfostersmith.com. These meds
will cost you a lot of money. It may make more sense ($) to get a younger
convict that you will have for another 8-9 years.-Chuck>
Convict Cichlids... And Nemo! Feeding 12/28/06
Hey there, WWM! I emailed you back in June, maybe July about my little Red
Zebra Cichlid, Nemo. He had the 'incident' with a Cobalt Blue Zebra, and had no
fins, and a huge infection. He made it through all that, thanks to your help, as
I've probably told you. THANK YOU SO MUCH! He is now roughly 4 inches, I think
he's fully grown now. He is full of health, and still living alone in a 10
gallon. He seems happy. I've just switched him over to Tetra Cichlid flakes,
since he won't eat anything else but flakes. He won't touch pellets at all.
Nothing but flakes. I had been feeding him TetraMin flakes, but was looking for
some Cichlid flakes. All I'd found was Wardley's Cichlid flakes, and they didn't
seem too high quality,
<Agreed... they're products are bunk nutritionally>
and plus the food was expired. (Eww, bleh! Wal-Mart needs to check their
expiration dates more often.)
<IMO they need to get out of the aquatic trade period, be ignored by consumers.
Yes>
Anyways, he seems to like the new food just fine, which is a huge relief. One of
my questions was this. Would he have been better off with the TetraMin tropical
flakes? Or will the Tetra Cichlid flakes be better for him?
<I would alternate between these>
He won't even touch frozen foods. He's that bad. But I still love the little
guy. He's almost dog-like, and won't come out of hiding unless I'm around. But
enough of my rambling. On to the real reason I emailed.
I am considering Convict Cichlids. I have a new 20 gallon tank, with a filter
(AquaTech 20-40 gallon) and a heater, lid, and all the rest of the equipment. I
also have some plastic plants, and a large piece of driftwood. I was wondering,
how many Convicts should I get?
<Two, three...>
I would love a mated pair, but I've heard that they don't ever want to stop
making babies. I don't want that. I was thinking maybe just one, but would it
get lonely?
<Mmm, no... will imprint on you... be fine by itself>
And could two males or two females live together?
<Yes>
And what kinds of fish can live with convicts anyway?
<In a twenty... a sturdy armored (versus "naked" species) catfish perhaps>
All the websites I've found labeled them as the rabbits of the fish world, and
axe-wielding homicidal maniacs.
<Heeeeeee!>
I didn't find very much consistency in any of them, and I am even more confused.
Thank you so much in advance for your help and I shall send along a picture of
Nemo eventually! He's gotten very pretty, I must say, for having no fins a few
months ago. :)
Zhara Zorgon
<Thank you for this update, sharing your enthusiasm. Bob Fenner>
Re: Convict Cichlids...And Nemo! 12/29/06
Thank you so much for your help! I just had a few more questions regarding
Convict Cichlids...
I was wondering, if I did keep two males or two females together, would they
fight?
<Possibly, yes>
I tried several times to put one or two other African Cichlids in with Nemo, but
that never worked out, no matter what the gender was.
<Mmm, no... most African Cichlid species offered to aquarists are too aggressive
to mix with Neotropicals>
I know there's a difference between African Cichlids and Convict Cichlids, but
are they as aggressive towards their own species?
<Yes>
And what would they eat? I was told Tetra Cichlid flakes...
Thanks again!
Zhara Zorgon
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cichlids.htm
and the linked files (in blue), where you lead yourself. Bob Fenner>
|
|
Cichlids, feeding fish
-02/20/08
Hello I am new to keeping cichlids, I recently bought a convict about 1 and
a half inches long and on the second day I fed her floating cichlid pellets and
she would not eat. I was wondering what to do?
Thanks mark
<Try something else. Convict cichlids eat insect larvae, so go buy a pack of
frozen (not freeze dried) bloodworms. They will enjoy those. Floating cichlid
pellets aren't a terribly good staple diet anyway because they tend to cause
constipation if used alone. As well as wet frozen bloodworms, you could also try
krill and chopped seafood of various types (prawn, clam, squid). Some people
have success using freeze-dried foods but in over 20 years of fishkeeping I have
yet to own a fish that enjoyed them! Hence I recommend the wet frozen foods you
store in the freezer. All fishes go wild for these! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: feeding fish
-02/20/08
Thank you so much today I will go buy some frozen blood worms today. And
would they like brine shrimp?
<Quite possibly. Though none of my fish seem to like frozen brine shrimps, and
never have done. So I'd buy a small package and try them out first if I was you.
Cheers, Neale.>
|
|
|