THEY BOTH WAS FOUND NEAR THE HEATER, NOW MY WATER TEMP. DROPED FOR A DAY I FOUND IT A 70F DO U THINK THAT'S WHY THEY MAY HAVE DIED? AND IF MY TEMP DOES DROP CAN MY FISH DIE? I TRY TO KEEP IT BETWEEN 80-82F. SHOULD IT BE THERE FOR THOSE FISH? ALSO I FEED THEM FOR A SNAKE FRESH FROZEN PEAS (ONLY TWO MASHED) I READ THAT'S OK.. ANY ADVICE ON CICLIDS..
2006-08-14 13:18:56 · 2 answers · asked by ayolandan 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
The african cichlids you have prefer temps of 78-82F. They can tolerate and survive lower temperatures (like 70F) as long as it wasn't an abrupt drop.
It was probably something else that caused your fish's death; probably AGGRESSION. If they are sub-adults or full grown, then it's probable that one of the other fish (probably the other auratus) killed it.
Auratus are one of the most aggressive cichlids around and are capable of great violence even at a small size. Bumblebees are also aggressive; not as aggressive as the auratus, but they get big (7 to 9 inches).
To successfully keep these fish you need at least a 75-gal (to somewhat minimize the aggression). You also need more of them (with only a few of them, the dominant one can eliminate the others one by one; a healthy number of african cichlids in a 75-gal would be 15-20 and in a 55-gal 8-15...these type of fish don't do well in smaller tanks...they get meaner due to the lack of adequate territory.
For the african cichlids you have, you'd be best to feed them food specifically for african cichlids (important that the protein level is less than 45%; preferably under 40%). They can eat peas and other veggies, but the veggie flakes are probably better for them as a staple food. Avoid high protein foods or live food, these fish can develop a bloat and die from it.
2006-08-14 14:06:48 · answer #1 · answered by Kay B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
POssibly cultural shock. Did you float the fish before releasing them? And the cichlids can tolerate 70 but not for long.
2006-08-16 21:39:25 · answer #2 · answered by Nikki 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋