Dead krebensis cichlid found encased in white/clear goo!!!

I got a 30 gallon tank from a friend with a large 8 year old Red Devil. Unfortunately she died from the shock of the move. I noticed the tank was really dirty as the previous owner hadn't cleaned it out in several months. So after the Red Devil died I did a 50% water change and vacuumed the rocks really good. I also added new decorations and let the water filter for a few days. I checked the PH and found everything, even the nitrite to be in the safe regions. Then last week I bought 2 Yellow Convict Cichlids and 2 Female Krebensis Cichlids from Midway Pet.

One of the Female Krebensis Cichlids established dominance the very next day and chased around the other 3 cichlids and the other Krebensis Cichlid found friends in the two Yellow Convicts. Everything was going great. I have a bubbler, good filter system and an auto-feeder that feeds them twice a day.

Before I went to bed I checked on both my fish tanks and everyone was good and swimming around!

But then I went downstairs this evening (insomniac) to find the non-dominant Krebensis Cichlid encased in what at first looked like ice. But then I could see it was a goo like substance. I could barely see the once beautifully colored fish inside the goo! I could see what looked like open wounds on her stomach and her tail had been partially removed.

What on earth happened to my fish!?!? And how do I prevent my other young cichlids from facing the same fate???

 

First, you should read up on the nitrogen cycle, it's a very important part of fish keeping. Basically,we have beneficial bacteria in our tanks that break down the waste our fish produce (ammonia) to nitrites then nitrates, in a cycled tank, there should be no ammonia or nitrites and some nitrates which will then need to be removed by doing weekly water changes. Have you tested the water for ammonia? Ammonia and nitrites are both toxic to fish so it's important to cycle the tank before adding fish.

 

I tested my water before adding the fish and the nitrogen levels were in the safe zone. And there was on ammonia indicated on the test strip. Otherwise I wouldn't have added the fish.

 

It sounds like a build up of decay after a fish passes away. The sores and bites could be from the other fish nipping at her after she died I'm sorry for the loss of your fish.

Test strips aren't a reliable source to test your tank. The accuracy isn't as good as a liquid test kit. NO amounts of ammonia/nitrites are safe and it sounds like the tank is beginning its cycle again. When the tank was up and running with fish, it had their waste to feed the bacteria colony for the cycle. Once you cleaned it out, ran it for some time without fish, the bacteria died off and the cycle was no more.

Getting a liquid test kit, test it for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, would be my first step. That way you know EXACTLY where the tank is at. If you can find some prime water conditioner, that will keep your fish safe with daily water changes, until the cycle completes. The prime will detoxify the ammonia/nitrites for 24 hours so the water changes will be your best friend. It can take weeks to cycle, so have patience.

Also, can you share pics of your yellow cons? Ive never heard/seen them before. Good Luck!

 

Hmm I had no idea the test strips were so unreliable. So should I continue to do daily water changes? I do have:

- Tetra Bio-Bag filters
- Tetra Correct pH 7.0
- Prime
- Stress coat
- Tetra EasyStrips 6-in-1 Aquarium Test Strips
- Tetra EastyStrips Ammonia Aquarium Test Strips

Should I add those each time I do a 20% water change each day? Also when should I add my rubber-lip sucker fish to start eating the "junk" on the bottom of the tank. I have been vacuuming out the gravel but it never seems to get totally clean.

Also thanks for your help!

Yellow Convict Cichlids

 

Well, I'm not a fan of altering ph, so I would say not to use the Tetra Correct pH 7.0 (almost all fish will adapt to a ph between 6.0 and 8.5).

The Prime will do everything that the Stress Coat does then some (i.e.detox ammonia & nitrites), so there is no need to use the Stress Coat.

Do I really need to answer about the test strips at this point?

Also, you should up those water changes to 40%-50% to keep the ammonia/nitrite levels low enough for the Prime to fully detox them.

And lastly, you should not add any addition fish until fully cycled.

 

well your numbers were 'good' because there was nothing in the tank at all. but once you added those fish, the ammonia and nitrites started to rise. and without the good bacteria to process it, your fish were in danger. that's why you have to cycle a tank, so there is enough bacteria to handle fish waste/food etc.

but that fish fuzz looks like what happens when a fish dies. I went away for a couple days, and came home to one of my small firemouths like that. I have no idea what killed it...but in the back of my mind I suspected the cons did it. they are a breeding pair and can get quite crazed at times.

do you know what gender yours are? just seeing if it's a possible that they killed her for any reason...breeding being the most likely.

 

I was told my Yellow Convicts were too young to sex when I bought them a week ago. So I don't know what gender they are yet.

 

By 'junk', do you mean fish waste? The fish will probably eat any leftover food it finds but nothing will remove the waste they produce other than water changes and gravel vacs.