The Puffer Forum

My tank is getting red looking algea, is this normal? Also i really need to talk to someone who knows anything about african cichlids, mine keep dying, and i dont know why?!?

55 gl tank
2 gsp's
1 african cichlid

Red algae is normal...but i would get something to try to clean it up, naturally of course. Is the algae slimy or hairy? Except i don't think FW tanks get cyano so nevermind .

I don't know much about cichlids but, depending on if there African or American, they need different levels of alkalinity.

Are they in the same tank?

ok pardon my mistake, for i am colorblind and my husband just pointed out that the algea is brown ... yes they are in the same tank for now. i have had the puffers for a bit. cichlids are new, lost 2, havent got one to live longer than a week...

also water is brackish, 1.005

Cichlids are generally bred in oddly neutral fresh water and if they are rift lake cichilds, generally do best in neutral to hard water, not brackish water. Also, spotted puffers are not suitable tankmates for cichilds. Recommend a second dedicated tank for any fish other than the two puffers.

i have a 5 gl tank i can emergency cycle if that would be an ok tank for the cichlid for the time being. he is about 1 1/2 in and is some sort of african cichlid. i cant figure exactly the type for the life of me.

If you have some way to get it totally cycled, it would be OK for a week for two.

trichardson15718 wrote:My tank is getting red looking algea, is this normal? Also i really need to talk to someone who knows anything about african cichlids, mine keep dying, and i dont know why?!?

55 gl tank
2 gsp's
1 african cichlid

cichlids and gsp's ar not compatible. Both by temperament and by conditions.
+1 to nicks statement. Perhaps a friend or local store would be willing to hold on to your cichlid until you get a new tank for him ?

I think perhaps i may return him, i think buying another large tank and properly maintaining it is just too much for me, money and time wise. thats sad, my tank is sort of boring, its huge, and i have to look for the fish... i hope my gsp's grow fast! i just feel like my tank is so pitiful, i have had so many people ask if i even have fish in there. i wish something would get along ok with them. they have been getting along just fine so far, zero chasing or nipping.

How long have you had those puffers? The more you learn and become friends with your puffer, the more they will come to the class as soon as you enter a room...

Puffs are far from boring:)

zero nipping of each other or no gsp nipping of the cichlids?

unless they are stunted. with good conditions, food and water changes they'll grow up just fine. why dont you look at some member photo albums of gsp tanks there are tons of cool rock and driftwood formations you could do.

no one has been nipping or chasing at all, puffers and cichlid just hang out. the puffers are great and i love them for sure, we have been through A LOT so far. when i first got them i was horribly mis-informed and had them in a 5 gl tank using aquarium salt.. that didnt go so well. i have slowly been able to add some more decor. i just read about gsp's in full marine and im very interested, though i know NOTHING about full marine. i dont know what i need to do so, and i know its a slow process. and what is live rock? also whats the differene between decor marked fresh water and decor marked salt water? ooh and, i have 1 small light on the tank for now, and i dont know what i should bump it up to, and if the light should be on all the time or not

would you like to sleep with the light on? LOL

Save money on your power bill..

The non fin nipping and the lack of agression will not last long, probably for the first year of life. The GSP will start to become very territorial and will eventually kill the chchlid. Also the type of salt that chchlids should be kept in is totally diffent from marine salt in composition and if the cichlid is kept in the brackish water it will suffer great harm.

Once the Cichlid is out of the tank your GSP will become more friendly and more interactive too.

Taking a GSP to full marine requires a little bit different set up than what you have now. The main pieces to a marine tank are: Live Rock, Live Sand, Sump, Skimmer, power heads, appropriate lighting, and of course water and fish. You asked what is live rock, it's exactly what it sounds like. It is rock that has many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of it along with your nitrifying bacteria. Same with the Live sand. The LR/LS is your bilogic filtration and the skimmer is what takes dissolved protiens out of the water column. The basic set up is water comes from the tank, via an overflow, to the sump that houses the skimmer where mechanical filtration takes place, and then returned to the tank. The flow from the return pump and power heads circulate water over and around the live rock/live sand where biological filtration takes place.

A little bit more costly to start up but well worth it in the end IMHO.