NEW ADDITIONS

MetalMan

Yesterday I was out and about doing errands with my final being stop being the aquarium shop. I had intended to stop in for a few things but came home with more than intended.

I bought 2 of these guys

I made my list, a heater, couple thermometers, cichlid flakes and whatever else I came across that I needed. I ended up at the fish display
and picked up a few more. I watched the cichlids in their tank for a bit to see
which ones I thought would fit into my group at home. I was watching this one fish. He was so pretty, a metallic blue. In his tank there was another fish. I at first thought it was dead. I asked the aquarist to move the floating plant so I could see them together. I quickly found out why the other fish was hiding. They metallic blue was mean.

2 Electric Yellows and a BumbleBee

At first I moved on but I kept coming back to look at him. I decided to bring him home. I bought 5 others as well.

Introducing the 6 to my tank went well. All the others seemed to melt right in without a problem. MetalMan (his new name) soon found himself on the other end of the bully chain. I had a feeling my guys would put him in his place. I've watched for a while this morning and there are a couple that still chase after him but with all the caves and nooks he's fine. I'm sure things will settle for him soon enough. Nothing wrong with walking in someone else's shoes eh?

MetalMan is about 2 inches but the others are smaller. They have some growing to do.

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

Each morning I begin my day feeding my pets. After the furry ones are taken care of I move on the my Cichlids. As I feed them I  observe each tank for 15-20 minutes just enjoying them and checking for anything I need to be aware of. 

In my fish-room which is also my sewing-room I have 3 tanks, My 30 gallon tank is home to my New World Cichlids - 3 Parrots, 1 Oscar, 2 Convicts,2 new Angel fish, and I added a tiny catfish and a baby pleco. This tank is awesome. It gives me so much pleasure as these fish are funny to look at, full of personality and interactive.

Then there's my 20 gallon tank which is presently home to 3 pond goldfish. I use this tank for many things. The graduated fry move into there once they are bigger, quarantine for sick or weak fish or a recouping tank for mom's who need to gain some weight. I keep the fish in it and keep the tank active so it's always ready. I only need to heat up the water and move the goldfish. The goldfish belong in my pond but being in CANADA they would freeze pretty quick as my pond isn't deep enough for them. The rest I have in a tank in the basement.

Next is my brooding tank where my African Cichlid Stella is in holding mode right now. She's doing really well. I fixed up her tank and she's quite happy swimming through the rocks and tube I added for her enjoyment. 

My 55 gallon tank resides in our living-room. This tank is my favorite right now but once I get my 70 gallon tank up and running I'm sure it will become my favorite. Right now I have 3 males creating brooding areas. There doesn't seem to be any competition between them. It amazes me how hard they work and how much gravel they move. I can't tell you how much I love my Cichlids. Their beautiful diverse colours, personalities and intelligence will captivate you.

STELLA WEEK 2

It's time to consider moving Stella to a brooding tank. Recommendations are that the holding female be moved between the 7-10 day mark. It's the time where she is least likely to spit the fry out as she has held them long enough to have bonded with holding them and the best time for the fry as they could sustain injury or being swallowed moving the female too late.


Today I moved Stella into
her own brooding tank. This tank is one of 2 small tanks I use for brooding females, or at times just isolation when necessary. She is being moved from a 55 gallon. She has been sticking to a small corner of the bigger tank so she's not really losing any space. I figure she will be totally stress free on her own. Although Finn my cat has decided sitting on her tank is his new sleep spot. I've put a light layer of course sand down and gave her some rocks and an eve-trough elbow to swim through to keep her entertained.  Now that she's moved and settled it's just a waiting game.

Looking closely at Stella's jaw you can see the fry. The dark area are her fry. I can see them wiggling inside when I look closely. Can't imagine how that must feel.

DAILY OBSERVATIONS

I was watching my fish this morning after feeding them. I can spend hours in front of my fish tank - just watching their interaction. They like watching me as well. If I run my finger along the glass I get a whole trail of Cichlids following my finger. It's pretty cool how inquisitive they are.

As I was watching I noticed a young male making a brooding area. I sat and kept watching and before long it was evident which female he had his sights on. He was doing his shiver-shake to impress her.

Now that Bubba is single again I expected him to start breeding quickly. He's been changing his colour almost like underwear! Today I noticed him digging a new home. He's also been doing a lot of shiver-shakes but it seems he's vying for the attention of more than one female as I've seen him do the dance for a few different girls now.

I will continue to watch these boys in action... I also need to name this blue boy. I'm thinking Blue - how simple is that?

AWESOME CICHLIDS RESOURSE - robOzwrld on YouTube

This is the "YouTube" channel that I go to for lots of information.
The videos are beautiful and Rob will answer any questions you may have!

MORE SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS PHOTOS

JUST FINISHED

I'm happy that's done. I did water changes in two of my aquariums and got Stella's new home ready. I took the 10 gallons of water for her new home from her old home so I wouldn't have to take the time to the water. I tested it and the parameters are pretty much dead on.

Since I moved her I was able to do a significant water change on my 55 I took about 1/3 of the water out. Then I removed the stones vacuumed and reset the stones. I did all this while the fish were in the tank. It went well enough and now they have all new nooks, crannies and caves to explore.

It really is a job I don't mind at all. To do both tanks it tanks me about 2-3 hours depending on how thorough I am. When it's done - what a great feeling just knowing my fish are happy fish!

STELLA'S NEW HOME

I have decided to ensure a higher survival rate of Stella's young I will be moving her to a separate broodingg tank. I want her stress free and mothering a large healthy brood. This will give me the best possible results.

The tank I will be moving Stella to is a 10 gallon tank. I have a white sand substrate in the tank. I've had trouble with sand interfering with the impeller in all my aquariums causing them to grind and be very loud. Since then I have removed the sand and replaced it with pea-gravel. That fixed the sound problem but I still prefer the look of the clean white sand.

Having the internet is such an amazing and helpful tool. You can find forums, videos, Q&A pages and so much help anytime you run into a problem or need advice - not just on Cichlids but on pretty much anything you can think of.

Having my sand/grinding/noise problem I did a search and talked to a couple different people getting advice for this issue. Of course after I removed the sand I was told raising the filter intake tube could be all that's needed. Because the Cichlids like to dig and stir up the sand, tiny particals were getting sucked into my filter impeding the impellers rotation and causing the noise.

Yesterday I picked up a new bag of sand that seems to be a little coarser. I'm hoping this will work. Changing the substrate is a huge job so I'm not going to tackle that anytime soon but if this sand works out then in my next setup I will use it again.

Stella gets to test out this sand in her very own brooding aquarium. So far Stella is looking happy even though she looks like she's pouting. Inside she is all smiles!

STELLA - WEEK 1

This is Poppa

This morning I was lucky to watch the entire breeding process between two of my Mbuna Lake Malawi African Cichlids. It's amazing and very interesting to watch. The entire process took quite a while. She would lay her eggs and spin around to pick them up while the Male would fertilize them. Spinning again and again they repeated this over and over again until all her eggs had been shed. From there she swam off and hid in the plants.

Holding Female

Stella is a healthy fish and I have no worries of her missing a few meals while she's holding but I do feel bad for he self-sacrifice. I have been reading forums and watching videos to glean information as to whats the best avenue for her. She will naturally hold her eggs for 3-4 weeks. I have read that allowing her to spit them out in my large community tank, although it's the most natural course, it can be stressful on her as she has more concerns for their welfare in a many-fish tank not to mention the survival rate is less then 50%. I will be preparing a tank for the fry so I'll move her there when she's close to releasing her babies. This is not her first spawn but I want her as stress-free as possible. The sooner she is free of her young the sooner she's be back in action to breed again. I'll leave her with her fry for a good couple weeks allowing her to regenerate her weakened condition through not eating before I release her back into the community tank.

AFRICAN MBUNA CICHLIDS

I had my camera out this morning and took these shots. Just a few of my Mbuna Cichlids. I have an assortment of species - each one special.

NEW WORLD CICHLIDS - 30 GALLON TANK

,

This is my New World Cichlid tank.

 I have 3 Parrots -
1 black
1 orange
1 orange/black

He started of all black but not as dark as my other one.
Then he began to lose the blackness and it seemed to
fade into a light orange. I did look into this and
 it's quite normal.

There are also -
2 black convicts

One is quite small. The larger BC is probably triple his size
 but aside from the odd chase they get along well enough.

Finally
1 Tiger Oscar
rounds out this group.

NW Cichlids are far less aggressive than the African Cichlids.
I have to admit I love them both and really don't have a preference.

AFRICAN MBUNA CICHLIDS

SPAWNING

This morning when I came down to feed my African Malawi Cichlids I was fortunate to watch Bubba and Stella spawning. It was so interesting to watch the process. Stella would lay her eggs and quickly turn around picking them up. Bubba then came and did his shiver-shake while Stella gathered her eggs taking in his sperm thereby fertilizing the eggs in her mouth. I watched them repeat this process over and over again. 

Stella now is hanging out in the plants with a mouth full of eggs. In about 4 weeks we will have fry in the tank. I have thought about removing her but have decided to allow nature to take it's course and let her and Bubba protect their young as they would in the wild.

It's easy to tell if a Cichlid is holding eggs in her mouth. If you look at their gills and follow them down to below her mouth where they create a triangle. That triangle becomes a pouch where the eggs are held. I'm excited and will keep you posted as to the progress of Bubba and Stella.

WATER CHANGE AND MBUNA LANDSCAPES

I usually alternate doing my water changes. One week I do my New World Cichlid's tank which is 30 gallons; the next week I do my 55 gallon African Mbuna Cichlid's tank. That schedule was my intent but it seems water changes are much less work if you do them once a week so I've changed my strategy.

I did my smaller tank yesterday so today I was doing my Mbuna tank. I gather my supplies, algae brush, vacuum-pump, hose, mini net, pails and a couple old towels and I'm ready. My first step is removing the lids, light, and turning off the filter. Next I use a wonderful 25' hose running it from my tank to my kitchen sink and begin the siphon. I encourage you to get yourself a siphon pump to make the whole sucking thing a non-issue. I let the siphon take about 10 gallons of water out of the tank. That brings my tank down about 3-4". I remove my siphon and grab my trusty vacuum.

My Mbuna Cichlids are very actively digging brooding areas so I'm very careful not to disturb their hard work. If necessary I will move the plants but I leave the stones as they are. I vacuumed the gravel, poking at it just to loosen debris and suck it up. As my pail fills I'm passing my vacuum around the tank picking up any floaters. I sucked up a couple pails of old water.

Now it's time to replace the water I removed. I begin filling the first pail gauging the temperature just with my finger for now. While the pail is filling I brush the glass removing any algae build up. I never do the back wall of the tank. They do like their algae so I leave that for the Cichlids. Mind you, if it gets too bad I will clean it, but not often. Next I take my mini net and run it through the tank catching tiny floating debris. It's amazing how much that little net catches.

One pail is full so I fill the second pail. As the second pail fills I drop my thermometer into the first pail checking the temperature. I do the same with the other pail once it's full. At this time I add Prime to each pail and stir it around good mixing it in.

Double checking the temps of both pails I get ready to pour them into my tank. I slowly pour the water onto the rock formations so as not to disrupt the tank too much. I turn the filter back on and clean the lids, wipe down the light, clean the glass and put all my tools away until next week.

Work's all done. As you can see I didn't disturb 

the landscape and left their excavating alone. 

BUBBA RENOVATING HIS HOME

                 

In this video you will see how hard Bubba works to renovate his home creating a brooding area for his lady love. Stella comes into the picture and checks out the new home. Watch closely and you will see Bubba do a shaky shiver for his lady. It's truly fascinating to watch this whole process. I love my Cichlids! - See more at: http://debscichlids.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2016-01-20T18:56:00-05:00&max-results=4#sthash.GlsWKzoo.dpuf

MOSS BALLS AND CICHLIDS

I love Moss Balls. I think they are funny, interesting and like them in my tanks. They are not really moss but a ball of algae. They are also known as Marimo Balls named after a Japanese Botonist. Mari means bouncy ball and Mo refers to plants that grown in water.

These moss balls or Marimo Balls can be purchased at most pet stores or aquarium shops. They look fuzzy and feel soft and plush. They retain their round shape naturally by being rolled around by the currents. Marimos are easy to care for. They are not alive but an accumulation of algae formed into a ball. However they do give the impression that they are alive because they move around the aquarium.
They can easily be kept in a glass of tap water on the counter. There are only a couple things you need to do for them. Change their water weekly and turn them so they retain their round shape. They are fine in indirect sunlight but do just as well in regular household lights.Over time they do grow and have been known to reach 12". If you find they are getting too big, just pull it apart and make more. They will round up again. If you squeeze the water out they will float.

I have one in each of my Cichlids tanks. The fish don't eat them but will nibble at them and roll them around the tank. Any nibbling that does occur is so minor that they replenish themselves as quickly as they lose volume from the odd nibble. They are a great addition to any fish tank, fish bowl or aquarium as they work as mini filters cleaning the water as they move around.

THE WATER CHANGE

I usually do my water changes on Mondays. It's a perfect time for me because I'm home every Monday all by myself excluding one dog and three cats. The only one that assists me is my kitten Finn.

Today I did my 30 gallon New World Cichlid tank. New World Cichlids I find to be messier eaters than their African cousins. I have three Blood Parrots in this tank, along with one Oscar and two Black Convicts. The Blood Parrots with their interesting shape, are actually deformed through breeding leaving them with an odd shaped mouth. Their mouths don't close making it more difficult to eat and causing more waste in the tank. As much as I love the Parrot fish, it saddens me that they were bred to produce deformities.

I purchased a new little Black Convict yesterday and looking at the tank I new it needed a good water change before introducing this new little one. I began by getting my pails, vacuum and other supplies ready. First I begin removing about 10 gallons of the tank water keeping it in pails as I work. Next I remove the decor, plants and rocks setting them aside but not washing them. There's great healthy bacteria and algae on them that I don't want to disturb.

Now my tank is about 2/3's full of water and my Cichlids. At this point I usually just vacuum the stones allowing the fish to swim around as I work. Today I really needed to do a deeper clean so I moved the fish into one of the pails of water I was saving. That gave me a good opportunity to really shake things up and get the gravel cleaner then I could with the fish still in the tank.

Keep in mind the Cichlids weren't suffering any stress until Finn decided to go fishing. Luckily the pails are 5 gallon pails and Finn's little arms only reach about half way. Mind you he was soaked right up to his kitty pits.

Once I had the gravel vacuumed there was 10 gallons of water left. I began the next step of setting up the landscape. In this tank I like to change things up moving things around yet still creating the same hiding spots. They each have their favorites places to hide and I try to respect that. Everything this is set, filter has been cleaned and changed, bubbler is set and heater ready to go. All I have to do is turn on my power supply.

My next step I begin by pouring the water I saved back into the tank. I continue to fill the tank with fresh water that has been treated with Prime matching the temperature as I go. As soon as the water reaches levels high enough that I can turn my filter on I get that going. I give the landscape a quick check as it could have moved a little as I added the water. Finally I slowly add the final pail of water that the fish are in.

Taking my paper towel and vinegar bottle I clean the glass and wipe down the top/light and I'm done! The entire process takes me around 1.5-2 hours. It's one I love to do because these fish give me so much pleasure.

SECURE YOUR SCAPE

In setting up your aquarium and designing your landscape, it's crucial to make sure it will not tumble down and injure your fish. Even when you think you have things nice and solid your Cichlids may have other ideas.

I use larger flag stones that are easy to layer creating lots of nooks, crannies and caves but I still have to set them securely. I dig my base stones deep into the gravel, giving the upper stones a solid foundation to build on.

This photo shows you my newly set up African Cichlid 55 gallon tank.

My Cichlids, especially the larger ones are amazing little contractors and hard workers in digging out their purposed brooding areas. They like a smooth bottom and will scoop up mouthfuls of gravel or sand spitting it outside their renovated home. It's amazing to watch how long and hard they work.

Here you can see how Bubba has been working

hard digging his brooding area for the Mrs.

Finally - This is Stella, Bubba's mate. Bubba pursued Stella vigorously for a bit but she finally accepted his advances. She follows him around proud to have caught the big boy in the neighborhood. 

NEW WORLD CICHLIDS

New World Cichlids also known as South American or Central American. This group of Cichlids are diverse, hardy and an easy to care for species that adds an array of brilliant colours to your aquarium. N.W, Cichlids are sought after for their amazing colourations, their interesting shapes and their unique characters. They display an uncanny intelligence, curious habits and some aggression when it comes to feeding and claiming


These Cichlids are territorial and will need enough space to choose a home and have ample room to defend it. They will grow so when purchasing you must consider their future size. Ideally it’s recommended not to go smaller then a 50-gallon tank. My NW Cichlids are presently living in a 30-gallon tank. This is temporary as my 60-gallon tank had a leak over Christmas and I needed a quick fix.

In my 30 gallon tank I have 5 NW Cichlids and they are doing fine. I find African and NW Cichlids equally interesting. It’s not recommended that you mix them as they do have different requirements as to PH levels. African Cichlids seem to be more common and have a larger variety to choose from. Once you get your first tank going it won't be long before you are thinking about expanding.

SETTING UP YOUR CICHLID TANK

When pursing an interest in Cichlids first you must decide on the size of the tank. It’s only common sense that the bigger the better in this case. Having a larger tank affords you more choices in the cichlids variety and nature as well. It's a natural evolutionary trait for Cichlids to be aggressive when it comes to their territory, food and mates. Keeping that in mind, it's imperative you give them a resemblance of their natural habitat to flourish in.

The most important aspect for a peaceful Cichlids tank is to provide them with enough rock work, arranged so there are nooks, crannies and caves for each fish to make a home in. It’s actually fun designing a layout that is functional for the fish and pleasing to they eye. I do my set up dry on the table first so I can get some ideas before I start building. They never end up exactly alike but it gives me a good foundation to start with.

Because Cichlids like to renovate their homes/territories, it's important to make sure the rocks and other housing materials are secure. I have read that some people glue their rocks together so they don't shift or topple over, perhaps injuring the fish. The rocks I am using are too big to glue but just their size gives them a measure of security. By following these simple suggestions, you can avoid a significant amount of aggression within the tank.

In my 55 gallon tank above, there's still  lots of room to add more rocks which I will do soon. I just need to get more. There's really no point having all that empty space up top that the fish could be using. My Cichlids are doing great, seem to get along, with very little aggressive displays. 

WHY CICHLIDS

Cichilds are a unique fish set apart from all other freshwater aquarium fish. They are the most intelligent by far. They recognize their caregivers and come to greet you when you approach the tank.. When I sit before my aquarium watching them it's not long before they are all joining me at the glass watching me right back. The are so funny and actually interactive with each other and me. If I put my fingers in the tank they come and nibble and poke to see what I'm doing. Usually looking for snacks but I like to think they just like me!

Cichlids not only claim and defend their territory but actually rearrange it until it suits them. They are hard working and take pride of ownership of their homes. They display mating rituals, by dancing and shaking in an effort to attract their mate. The males work hard preparing a home or brooding area for their future Mrs.hoping to attract her by his actions, colour changes and hard work.

All Cichlids are parental in that they care for their young as parents working together. They defend their territory and protect their own from outsiders. The females lay their eggs and then pick them up and carry them in their mouths until they hatch. The fry are released and kept herded together by both parents. If their is danger present the mother will scoop up her little ones into her mouth until the danger passes.

Because Cichlids are territorial they can be aggressive in defending their homes, sometimes to the point of serious injury or even death. When setting up a Cichlid aquarium it's important to glean as much information as to their requirements so they will have ample room to thrive and establish their own territories with out too much rivalry.

Cichlids come in a multitude of colours, sizes, personalities and are so diverse they are a joy to watch and care for. I'm learning more and more about them everyday. I find them fascinating and love to share what I learn and my own experiences as I explore and develop this new hobby of mine.

ASSORTED AFRICAN CICHLIDS

Sharing some photos. These are before removing the white sand and replacing it with gravel.

This is Bubba. He's about 4" long and the largest of my Cichlids. They grow quickly. Bubba is 4 years old.

Handsome devil

Mbuna - African Cichlid

African Cichlids - community fish

Love this guy. The colours are so vibrant and vary greatly. This is a female. The males have black under bellies.

These are all photos of my 55 gallon tank.

BUBBA

MEET BUBBA

This is my largest African Mbuna Cichlid. Bubba is about 4 inches long. As you can see he's quite happy in his little home. Unfortunately he's a bully to anyone who comes near his abode. I change the landscape when I do my water changes but he always finds that same cave to hide in. He loves it so much that sometimes he spends an entire day inside and I don't get to see him except for dinner times. I decided it was time to make some drastic changes so he loses his possessiveness. I stacked rocks making many nooks and crannies removing the large cave rock he loves so much. He's more social and gets lots of exercise now that he's not protecting his cave. He's even gotten himself a girlfriend. I think Bubba is a happy camper. 

SAND VS. GRAVEL

I continue to learn something new everyday when it comes to caring for my Cichlids. I found as much information as I could to help me on my way. I had no idea Cichlids were so popular but I've found there are millions of Cichlid aquarists out there all willing to impart their knowledge and share their passion.

From what I had been reading many prefer sand to gravel in their tanks. I loved the look of the white sand so I decided that's the way I'd go too. Cichlids are also very active, like to dig and actually roll in the sand. These activities send  bursts of sand floating in the water. It settles quickly enough so that was no problem.

Over the next couple months I was finding my filters getting louder. They seemed to have a grinding noise to them actually to the point of irritating me. During my bi-weekly water change I would clean my filter system and replace the filters. It just seemed my filters needed to be cleaned more and more often.

I tried trouble shooting this issue but I was already doing everything I found as suggested. Finally I decided I had to change the sand to gravel. The tiny particles of sand were getting into the filter causing the grinding sounds.

Over this weekend I purchased gravel and got busy with this job. I did the 30 gallon tank first. It took me a couple hours but it came together nicely and I had the job done in a couple hours. The Cichlids adjusted without issue. I saved all their water and only needed a few gallons to top it up. Immediately I could tell this was going to be much better for the noise.  The tank is now whisper quiet and the tank looks just as beautiful.



My next job was switching out the sand in the 55 gallon tank. A bigger job but not a problem. It took me a few hours. In this tank I have 20 assorted African Cichlids. I moved them into a holding tank while I worked. I only had to top the tank up with 20 gallons as I saved all the water I could. I also like to change the landscape every-time I do a water change. This seems to keep things interesting for the fish and also put everyone on even ground again as to choosing their homes.


Finally my work was done and I felt much better. The filters I use are Marineland Bio-wheel Power Filters which hang on the back of the tank. I find the gravel made all the difference in the world. I'm so happy I made the change. My tanks look great and I have solved the noise issue.

30 GALLON NEW WORLD CICHLIDS

This is my New World Cichlids tank. In here I have 5 fish. 3 Blood Parrots, 1 Oscar and 1 Black Convict. I find the NW Cichlids aren't as aggressive as their African counterparts. It's always best to give them more room so they can each pick a territory. Keeping your number of fish down is essential to their well-bieng and happiness. My 5 in this tank get along really well. I have no fighting or bullying. I can sit for hours just watching them interact. They are very social and come watch me as I watch them. I do intend on adding a few more once I repair their original tank. Over Christmas it started leaking. I plan on re-sealing it soon. When I do that I will consider adding a few more fish. I have read some things online but there is much less on South American Cichlids than African. I believe that advice is crucial to being a successful aquarist but we also learn by trial and error.

AFRICAN MBUNA CICHLIDS

This lovely little lady on the above is 2.5 inches long. She was quite aggressive at first but has since settled in well and has partnered up with my big daddy BUBBA below. He's my largest Cichlid; also a Mbuna. It's fun watching him shake his booty for this little lady. They are each other's shadow.