Why won't my chichlid eat?

Question

I got a small gold striped chichlid for my birthday and ive had it for 2 days. I put it into a tank with a molly to see if they would get along and see if the molly eats, maybe the chichlid will eat follow it. They follow each other and are very friendly to each other. The molly even eats the pellets for my chichlid, but the chichlid wont budge! please help. thanks.

Answer 1

Couple of quick things:

1) Is the Cichlid Gold with stripes? If so, he may be what's commonly referred to as a Yellow Lab. (http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/hobbyist_gallery/Image051%20Male%20Yellow%20Lab,%2090%20gallon%20Dec%2031,%202004.jpg) These guys are yellow most of the time, but will display stripes when they're ready to mate. I'm sure if you take a picture fo the fish in question and post it either on a Fish Forum or here, even, people with cichlid experience would gladly ID it for you. :) It'll help in the long run so you know what behavior patterns to expect from your fish and what diet requirements they have. :)

2) Your fish may still be getting adjusted to the tank.

3) What's in the fish pellets? Maybe try grabbing some specially formulated "Cichlid Pellets" and tossing a bit of those in th etank if he's still avoiding food after a few days. :)

4) Obviously, check your water params to make sure he's not stressed because of out-of-whack conditions.

Answer 2

Well, if your cichlid is only 2 days old, well two days in your home actually, then maybe he needs some time adjusting to the new environment before he feels safe enough to eat. He may also be eating when your not looking, because you cant be there every minute of the day. And, if hes hungry, chances are he'll eat. I dont think he would be stupid enough to starve to death with food right above him. Hope this helps!
p.s. he also may require a different kind of food then your molly, try doing some research on your cichlid to see if there is a varying food preference then your molly.

Answer 3

fish often need some time to get used to their new surroundings. i have had fish do this to me in the past. try keeping people away from it; if you were being watched be something hundreds of times bigger than you, you'd be kinda nervous too, right? you might even have to put the chichlid in a seperate tank to make sure it does eat. also, make sure you are feeding it food that a chichlid can/will eat.


unrelated note: on your 20 gal. tank question, your "best answer" said you can put gouramis in with african dwarf frogs. however, you have to have an even number of gouramis, because the "kissing" is actually a sign of aggression. i'm not positive why they kiss though. but if they do not have one other gourami to "kiss", they will begin to torment other fish, and have been know to literally suck the skin off of frogs! be careful buying kissing gouramis!!

Answer 4

I wouldn't put the cichlid in with your molly because they are aggressive and he may eventually decide to attack or even kill her.He probably just needs some time to settle in if you have only had him 2 day,it is normal for a fish to not eat right away.Do you know what type he is,it wouldn't by any chance be this guy would it:
http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show.php?id=284
Here are a few other web sites with lots of information about cichlids:
http://www.malawimayhem.com
http://www.cichlidforum.com

Answer 5

Just give him a little time to adjust to the new tank and new food. He will start to eat before long. Also be aware that once he settles in he will claim a territory and the molly will not be welcome in that territory. The cichlids territory might even be the entire tank in which case he will kill the molly if you don't separate them.

MM

Answer 6

How are your tank chemicals going? pH? Nitrate? Nitrite etc. They might be helpful to check.

If the fish is feeling stressed out by these chemicals then it may not eat.

Amanda