#Pregnant red zebra cichlid how to

Often times, you can easily find remedies for diseases and parasites. Some of them can be even fatal, which is why you need to act immediately once they appear. They can spread rapidly if the water conditions are really bad. Diseases and Parasitesĭiseases and parasites can develop over time if you don’t clean the tank. They are rather sensitive to changes in water temperature and consistent deviations as well. Pouring in water that is really cold can cause a lot of stress for them. This is why you need to buy a filter and set it to the recommended temperature.

The water is warm there all the time in the African climate. In Lake Tanganyika, Victoria and Malawi, they got used to tropical conditions. Water Temperatureįor African cichlids, the water temperature has to be bigger than room temperature. Make sure to look into it and buy a tank that is big enough for the African cichlid species you want to keep. As a result, they are going to get so sick that you might not be able to cure them. They are going to be so stressed that their immune system is going to suffer a devastating blow from it. Leaving them little to no space to live is going to make them go insane. These species are especially territorial and aggressive. The problem with an overcrowded aquarium is that it can cause a lot of stress to your African cichlids. They need their daily dose of proteins, fibers and such.Īlso, cichlids typically need to eat twice a day, the amount they can consume in about 2 minutes. Omnivores and carnivores also have a specific diet you need to provide. It is going to make them sick in the long run. Feeding pastry, flavored cereals or bad quality fish food is not okay. This way, they are going to thrive and be healthy throughout the day. If you have herbivores, feed them the right portion of veggies and algae. Overfeeding / Wrong Foodįor African cichlids, eating junk food is just as bad as for us, humans. Since it is very toxic to them, this is something you need to be careful about. Again, African cichlids generate a lot of waste, which means a lot of ammonia.

#Pregnant red zebra cichlid how to

In case you know exactly how to keep it low, then you might not even need to measure it.īut if you are not sure, then you might need to check it from time to time. If you don’t filter the water or change it, ammonia levels are inevitably going to raise. This point goes back to the importance of water changes and filtration. This practice ensures that your fish are not going to be poisoned with ammonia once you introduce them to the aquarium. African cichlids live in high-pH water, which makes ammonia particularly toxic to them.

The reason why you need ammonia is because bacteria that break down ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate need to develop in the tank. For this process, you need to buy ammonia that doesn’t contain any surfactants or scents. This includes gradually adding ammonia to the water, approximately 4-5 ppm per gallon. Non-Cycled Tankīefore you put your African cichlids into the aquarium, the water in it has to go through some cycling. Providing them clean, well-oxygenated water is the first step towards making them healthy and thriving. Not to mention that African cichlids especially generate a lot of waste. All the leftover foods and waste generates over days are going to make the water quality worse and worse. Although filters are necessary too, you can’t solely rely on them. The rule of thumb is to remove 20 percent of the water weekly and pour in some clean water. Without further ado, let’s get into the main reasons why African cichlids can get very sick. You also need to make sure that the species in your tank are compatible with each other. Keeping fish in a home aquarium is all about replicating the natural environment of your fish. We are talking about tropical fish that come from African lakes such as Tanganyika, Victoria and Malawi.

Most of the problems that can cause your African cichlid to get sick and die can be prevented in time.Įvery fish that people keep at home requires proper care on a daily basis. Simply put, there are lots of factors to talk about and we are going to bring up all of them in this article. Most of them are also aggressive and territorial, meaning that you need to provide them enough space. The thing about African cichlids is that they are especially sensitive to changes in water parameters. If you do so, the chances that your cichlids are going to live a long and healthy life are very high. This is why learning about the needs of the particular species you want to keep is key.

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