[MrHydroGrown13]

Hello Cichlids Community,
I am very new to starting and maintaining an aquarium, I actually never knew there such a thing as cycling your new tank before introducing fish! I always thought you just had to condition and throw in some QuickStart , and then your good to go....however, the last time I had fish I was 5 years old and I'm sure you could tell! Haha...Well to get to the point , I bought a quick little 10gal setup with some water conditioner , QuickStart & purelive balls....Ran it for few hours then introduced 1 African Peacock Cichlid & 1 Pleco..... 24 hours go by , I do a water change , and add A Convict Cichlid & Albino Pleco, ....After 3-4 hours of adding the new fish on the second day the AfricanPeacock Cichlid I got on the first day is now starting to lose color, tail fin looks as if it's starting to fall, sits on the gravel barley moving....What can I do ?! I definitely don't want him/her to die, any suggestions?

Thank you so much!!! -MrHydroGrown

 

[DJRansome]

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!!

I split your topic so the other topic could continue to receive replies and you can receive replies that pertain to your situation.

Sorry to start off with bad news...

First to save your fish, get a test kit and post your test results. The API Freshwater Master Test Kit has tests tubes and liquid reagents and most of the tests you need. Start with pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. This will tell you whether toxins are in the water (due to lack of cycle) and making your fish feel unwell.

Do not add fish. For peacocks you usually want a tank that is 48" long or longer. Not sure if the convict will do well in a 10G. What kind of plecos did you get? Some stay small and some get huge.

You may want to change either the tank size or the fish to create an ideal environment.

 

[ryandrapr]

Ok hold up, you say you have a 10g??? with a peacock cichlid and a pleco???? Ok this is extremely to small of a tank for those fish, for any cichlid! Peacocks need at least a 55 gallon tank or larger for these fish. No cichlid will be able to thrive, or even survive in a tank that small. You need to get a larger tank, possibly 40 - 55 gallon at the least. And if you intend on over stocking for aggression, get at least 600 gph of filtration, 300w heater, ect. In this hobby, don't just go out and buy a tank and some fish and not do your research. I recommend taking the fish back to your LFS and research how to properly take care of these animals.

 

[DJRansome]

You can keep a pair of convicts in a 30" tank (which is bigger than a 10G) so maybe you can get away with the single convict and a pleco depending on what kind.

However, now that the peacock is sick, you have to get him healthy before you can rehome.

 

[MrHydroGrown13]

Hello DJRansome,
Thank you for the response and polite greetings...After 12+ hours of research I am deciding to keep the convict & 2 Plecos in the 10 Gal for 6-8 weeks (as a quarantine) while I setup and cycle a new 60 or 70 Gal that I am looking into. I have added Seachem Prime to the tank and the convict is doing great with lots of energy. I picked up a master test kit & my results were PH: 8.0-8.1 , Ammonia: 0.25 , Nitrite: 0.50 , Nitrate: 15 ....I checked about 4 hours after adding the Seachem prime. As for the Plecos I got one of the common Plectostomus & an Albino Plectostomus...I know the common's usually get pretty huge, but I do not mind upgrading as needed for them because I have read they grow out to various sizes. Unfortunately, it looks like the convict has been attacking the peacock , so I did take the peacock back to my LFS to get cured & rehabilitated. Fish seem to be okay and fairly happy, last water change was 2 days ago....will be conducting one every 3-5 days , so water parameters can be good but also have bacteria & cycle still building up....any thoughts or suggestions? Hit me with it all! Thank you again , very kind and helpful of you! Really appreciate that brotha

 

[DJRansome]

For the common pleco you will a 72" tank.

I would not mix the convict with the peacock even later when you get a 75G (make sure to get 48x18). Since you have chosen convicts,
you might want to look at the Cichlid-forum Library in Quick Reference for what can mix with convicts in a tank this size. Go by length and width...not gallons.

You will probably have to change 50% daily for six weeks until you are cycled...keep ammonia and nitrite under 1ppm. Allow six weeks for the cycle.