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FishOCD
08-28-2007, 06:17 PM
Lightbulbs in the cichlid tank needed to be replaced as the algae had covered the glass. (For those of you who don't know, old bulbs, while still looking bright, change their light spectrum and can cause an otherwise unexplained algae bloom.) The poor ol' cichlids get short attention in the summer so the tank was truly icky.

Last week I changed the bulbs and decided to move all the fish into a black Rubbermaid bin while I cleaned the glass in order to count all in the tank (they are very prolific). As I returned the fish, all at least 5" long, I tallied each variety and noted gender. The Pseudotropheus Acei alone had multiplied from 3 to 19.

Today, 8 days after the tank cleaning, I noticed that I must have gotten distracted last week and hadn't dumped the water out of the holding bin. (A little ADHD over here) As I carried it to the drain I was horrified to see that I had overlooked a Haplochromis sp. 44 “red tail”. Its ulcerated body was laying on its side and I assumed it was dead but saw a slight movement of the gills. Then its pectoral fin slowly raised and, I swear, pointed right at me. I immediately moved it to fresh water and added air, but it died within a short time.

What a stupid mistake. I knew that my cichlids turn very dark when stressed so I was careful (I thought) to drag the net back and forth to make sure no man was left behind. (And it was the only male I had of this rarely-seen variety.) This isn't the first fish to have died on my watch, but it is the first to do so from utter carelessness.

(Condolences aren't needed, btw, as I am not emotionally attached to my cichlids. In fact I am planning to sell them all to free up the tank.)

warrenrrrr
08-28-2007, 06:28 PM
Whats going in the tank.

FishOCD
08-28-2007, 06:39 PM
Fantails who have outgrown their home. Maybe sarassa fry from this year.