FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have had cichlids in a new tank before, and seen many a poor fish pass on to my then incapable fish skills. I have just started my new 55g, and one of my assorted africans passed last night.

Are cichlids that sensitive that they can be poisioned at .25ppm Ammonia and .25 ppm Nitrites? I have been using Cycle and a live bacteria product called Fritz-Zyme #7 (I couldn't find Bio-Spira locally, supposed to do the same job).

Has anyone used this product, and what results, if any were produced?

How Many cichlids do you have in there?

What are the cichlids?

Cichlids for the most part are pretty hardy fish. I still wouldn't cycle a tank with any africans.

Thoughs number are not right out fatal, but again fish experiencing any level ammoniam, nitrite, and/or nitrate is not natural and shock and/or posioning can occur. It could have been a weak fish. Environment causes are a major factor causing a lot of disease and chronic illness.

A biological starter is a good idea.
Biospira- we don't have it in Canada
Fritz-Zyme #7- never used it
New and Improved Cycle- this is what I use. It is readily avaible to me. I know it works and with good results


Last edited by openwater at 21-Feb-2005 11:58

Last edited by openwater at 21-Feb-2005 11:58

Doing water changes while you're cycling will help. There are a few who say don't change water but when Ammonia and NitrIte start climbing I do a water change to bring it down. The bacteria will keep multiplying as long as some Ammonia and Nitrite are present.

Good luck, Mike

Minus the one fish that passed last night, I have 5 assorted Africans. They all look like Malawai, but it's hard to tell sometimes. My LFS doesn't sell the large ones by species, and I am planning on adding my 2 year old Socolofi, so large was my only option.

I live by Cycle, but have used Bio-Spira when setting up my 30g, with beautiful results. The highest the ammonia and nitrite got were .25 each. I had to order it online, so I looked for other options this time.

All the other 5 seem to be doing fine at the moment, but I haven't gotten around to testing the water yet... I just got home from work.

So you think the tank would cycle more safely if I changed a small portion, like 5%? Should I also cut down feeding until finished cycling?

I'd change 50%. As long as some Ammonia remains the bacteria won't starve and the fish continually produce more. Right now the bacteria aren't keeping up. It's up to you to remove some so the fish don't suffer.

Good luck, Mike