wisecrackerz

Somebody put 3 young black convicts and a jack dempsy in tank my 20 gallon goldfish tank (I keep my tank in a science classroom in a local high school, and a local college donates their fish to the local high school when they are finished with behavior labs every semester). They almost ate my comet, so a friend moved them to a 5 gallon. I thought this move would be temporary. However, the school took so long to get the cichlids a new tank that one of them died, and the rest of them are losing their color. They're not their ravenous, scary selves; they just kind of drift around, and take forever to notice food.
I picked up a 37 gallon tank, and it's cycling right now. My plan is to move my two comets, and two golden loaches into the 37 gallon, and put the remaining 3 cichlids into the pre-cycled 20 gallon. I have the fluorescent light and the filter on, and I conditioned the water with "aqua plus". I asked the woman who sold me the tank, and the "cycle" I purchased to help moving the nitrogen cycle along, she told me I should wait at least 3 days before moving my fish. The directions on the bottle of cycle also said 3 days. But from what I've read, that's not nearly long enough. I'd gladly wait a month for the cycle to run through the stages, but I really don't think the cichlids will last that long. I don't want to stress the loaches and comets, but I also don't want to suffocate the cichlids. What nitrite/nitrate levels should I be looking for, and how long should I wait before I move all my fish?

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!
the cichlids wont make it in a 20 gal the JD will get way too big..the cons will be ok till they pair up (if they are a m/f ratio)
see if you can find some tetra safestart and that is the ONLY bacteria suppliment that works..the product cycle isnt the right kind of bacteria needed....or you can take some gravel, filter floss and decorations out of your 20 gal and put it in the new tank to have an instant cycle...good luck!

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore, and sorry you are going through trouble. Personally i would transfer the cichlids to the 37g tank. If possible, though, check craigslist.com for cheap aquariums. The JD needs at least 55g, so with the 3 convicts in there they should be alright. The convicts will be fine in the 37.

Cycle by hagen wont help you cycle your tank at all. It will consume ALL ammonia which is necessary for the cycle to begin with. It contains the wrong bacteria.

You could buy TSS (tetra safestart) as it is the only beneficial bacteria in a bottle that really does cycle your tank.

Do you know about the Nitrogen Cycle?

by shawnie

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore

wisecrackerz

How fast is "instant cycle"? Because if instant means really truly instant, I'll do that tomorrow!
Pairing?! Once these crazy fish get their color back, how do I sex them? Also, how do I stop them from breeding? I do NOT have space or resources for fry.

wisecrackerz

I read the info about the N cycle on this site, that's why I was confused about the conflicting info. the "Cycle" I used was by Nutrafin, not Hagen. Are they related companies?
I know when the 4 were first introduced, there were 3 black convicts, and one jack dempsy. unfortunately, they're sick, and have lost almost all their color, and one has died. I can't tell which, and probably won't be able to until they get well again. I have no intentions of leaving the cichlids in the 20 gallon with any kind of permanence. I just want to leave them there until I can make sure of their species, get them well, and find a new place for them. Are there any other species of cichlid that looks like a jd or a convict? Because my local friendly fish girl could only hazard a guess.

gmen4life

well female cons get oarngeish on their bellies when they color up

Lucy

I'm sorry about your fish.
I think it was typo. Cycle is made by Nutrafin.
It's one of those suppliments that you have to keep adding because it's not aquatic and will die off quickly.

wisecrackerz

thanks for the info about the orange bellies, i'll separate them if need be. and I did see that the cycle needs to be added over the course of several days; i'm hoping that after a while it'll foster some more permanent stuff.

Jaysee

If you already have a tank that's cycled, you don't need to wait for the new one to cycle. Add media from the established tank and add the fish. You still might get a little spike, but it'll be WAY better than the fish spending another minute in the 5.

michaelb323

If you don't want the chichlids you can always put an ad up on craigslist and make some decent bank. I had a similar situation to yours once. :/