# My Haplochromis compressiceps is bugging out!



## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

AH. I've had him for about a week in my 125 and he stay at the very top of the tank with HALF HIS BODY OUT OF THE WATER! Hes about 6in long and 3inch tall. He keeps about an inch of his body out of water. And he jumps so much and splashes water everywhere. His color seems a bit dull. He doesn't look the same as when I bought him.

My tank contains
1 Green Spotted Puffer 
1 Flounder 
2 Albino clawed Frogs 
2 Angel fish 
1 Black Ghost Knife 
2 Albino Oscars 
1 Green Terror 
1 Iridescent Shark 
4 Powder Blue Gouramis 
2 Platinum Gouramis 
2 Blue Gouramis 
2 Paradise Gouramis 
1 Whip Tail Pleco 
1 Armored Catfish 
2 Red hook Silver Dollars 
4 Pictus Catfish 
2 Clown Loachs 
1 Lace Cat 
1 Electric Blue Cichlid 
1 Blue Dolphin Cichlid 
1 Haplochromis Compressicep Cichlid 
1 Red Empress Cichlid 
1 Electric Yellow Lab Cichlid 
1 red devil Cichlid 

There seems to be plenty of room but this jumpings starting to upset me big time. He jumps about once every 5 mins! Im going to have to exchange him if this keeps up. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: 
Im fuming, hes jumping as i post this somtimes he jumps so hard i can hear him hit the canopy. please help advice


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

Ok, you're really overstocked. Not necessarily the cause of the problem but it's something that needs adressing.

What are your water parameters? in such an overstocked tank they are going to be very difficult to keep on top of. Bad water quality could lead to stress on the fish - possiby why he is trying to get out?

there are also a lot of quite territorial fish in there that could be agressive with him. I know nothing about this fish in particuar but i think they too could be quite agressive, leading to territory issues and general nipping, bullying etc. 

The colour duling could be to do with stress from other fish, bad water quality issues, anything that causes him not to be too happy.


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

Yes I understand, most fish in here are still babies except for about 4 6" fish that I have. I make up for it with 300 gallons worth of filtration and water changes. Water params will be checked tommorow morning


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

Ok the parameters are 
Amonia: 0-.25 ppm
nitrite: 0-.50 ppm
nitrate: 1-2 ppm
PH: 7.4

Hes still doing the whole staying at the top. somtimes when hes foced to swim down it looks like hes struggling. Also there is a open wound on his face, probally from hitting the sides of the tank. There is stringy whit stuff coming off of it. He has lost all of his colors. thats about a $60.00 that i never get to see and when i see him i get annoyed


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
is there any chance you could seperate him ?
your water quality is an issue,and it will probably start to effect the other fish if it hasn't already.


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

Sorry about this...Just wondering does your LFS have a return policy. I know my local petsmart gives you 14 days and if the fish dies within that time they will replace it.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

GThiele113 said:


> Ok the parameters are
> Amonia: 0-.25 ppm
> nitrite: 0-.50 ppm
> nitrate: 1-2 ppm
> ...


even as babies you are still really overstocked and your water quality is suffering for it. I would definitely return about half of the fish. There will be a lot of agression issues as the fish mature as well which is another reasn why I personally would return so many.

i recommend a 50% water change just now and smaller 20% water changes every day or so until you can get your water parameters sorted. you should'n't have any amonia or nitrite as these are both toxic to fish and can kill them quickly. Your nitrate is very low. How long have you had the tank set up/ It doesn't seem to have completed the cycle, or perhaps you have added a lot of fish lately that has started another cycle?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

GThiele113 said:


> Ok the parameters are
> Amonia: 0-.25 ppm
> nitrite: 0-.50 ppm
> nitrate: 1-2 ppm
> ...


What brand of test kit are you using? Is it liquid or test strips?

Your list is composed of an odd mix of fish. Some will need rehoming. I will try to comment later if possible.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

1 Green Spotted Puffer-I believe this one is a brackish water species. 
1 Flounder-No comment and never kept them.
2 Albino clawed Frogs-Predatory. Care must be taken when selecting tankmates.
2 Angel fish-What size are they now?
1 Black Ghost Knife-A 125g is fine for one however select tankmates carefully.
2 Albino Oscars-One oscar needs a 75g minimum by itself. Heavy waste producer so filtration must be maximized. These are also piscivores so select tankmates carefully.
1 Green Terror-Aggressive. Select tankmates carefully.
1 Iridescent Shark-Grows to 4-5 feet. This is _Pangasiodon hypophthalmus_ I believe which is the largest ID shark.
4 Powder Blue Gouramis-Best kept in a planted tank with other small community fish.
2 Platinum Gouramis-Any pictures of these fish?
2 Blue Gouramis-Semi-aggressive and have the tendency to bully smaller tankmates. 
2 Paradise Gouramis-Semi-aggressive. Same as blue gouramis.
1 Whip Tail Pleco-What species is this? This is better off with small community fish, not with large and aggressive tankmates.
1 Armored Catfish-What species is this?
2 Red hook Silver Dollars-Plenty of space is required. A 125g is fine.
4 Pictus Catfish-A 125g is fine. If you want these, you may have to reduce your number of bottom dwellers.
2 Clown Loachs-Should be kept in 3 minimum. These are sociable fish to start with and having the potential to grow to 12 inches, always maximize feeding and water change schedule.
1 Lace Cat-What species is this?
1 red devil Cichlid-Another aggressive fish. Select tankmates carefully.


> 1 Electric Blue Cichlid
> 1 Blue Dolphin Cichlid
> 1 Haplochromis Compressicep Cichlid
> 1 Red Empress Cichlid
> 1 Electric Yellow Lab Cichlid


These are Lake Malawi cichlids and best kept by themselves. Don't try mixing them with other species. These could become your biggest issue aside from other cichlids due to temperament and compatibility issues.


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

Alright. 
Returning fish is out of the question.
Water change has been done.

I understand the whole problem with the overstocking but there really isnt aggression between the fishes

I asked about the Haplochromis not about the overstocking problem. Please help me with that, and ill work on the overstocking problem


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

ok soon i plan on moving out the angels, gouramis, and puffer and possibly the ID shark, even though hes still only 2". You guys really dont iunderstand, this tank may seem crowded by the list but its not, all the fish except the midas and the malawis are still tiny, 3" max.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

You still haven't answered the brand of test kit I am asking. I never understood how your nitrates are 1-2 ppm. I cannot proceed from there without knowing the brand of test kit you are using. How much water did you replace? Is the fish okay or still doing what you had described in first post?

If you have a hospital tank, remove him and place him there. A dose of Melafix along with series of water change should sort his wound out.

As far as the stocklist, we are only concerned about you and your fish. It becomes a burden eventually when you see them harass each other later on and it becomes a burden for the fish to struggle surviving any possible harassments. It won't happen today but it will sooner or later which is why now is the right time to help you sort out your stocklist so you can avoid any future issues. We actually understand your situation. A lot of us have been there before hence we had issues when we do something like that.


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid test kits. You really cant get a good number so I guessed The first color is between 0-5 ppm and it was light so i guessed about 1-2 ppm.

I did a 30% water change. Its not a big wound its just a cut the some fish get when the hit the side of the tank, soon it will be a callous.


I have no hosptial tank.

Alright. I unde stand the whole stocking thing but the fish are small and if there are problems later on I will move some. Please dont post anything else about the stocking list, its getting pretty annoying. once again i understand but theres nothing I can do about the moving and returning of the fish so lets drop that.Im beginning to regret this post.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

All good advice so far, I don't see what the problem is, GT. I mean that's what you wanted, right? Advice. Sometimes problems related with one thing have to do with other problems with the tank.

I would monitor the cut on your fish, and make sure it does not get any worse and infected...cause there may be a chance that it will not heal on its own and turn into callous. Keep up with frequent water changes, to keep your water quality up and in pristine condition. 

Your water parameters seem a little out of whack. How long has the tank been set up? What kind of filtration on your running? How often you feed?


have any pictures of your tank, or of the fish with the cut?


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

OK, here is the bottom line. Your fish are not compatible with each other. You need to rethink your stocking scheme. Lupin broke down the requirements of each of the fish you had listed. There may be no aggression now, but you are going to be losing smaller fish to the larger ones. The Haplochomis compressiseps is an ambush predator and will eventually start feeding on the smaller fish. 

As for the problem with the Hap, I would say your ammonia level is too high. The tank is not cycled. It takes anywhere from 2-12 weeks for a tank to cycle. It is obvious to me, you did not exercise the proper patience to insure the tank would be a healthy one for your tank's inhabitants. Now, both you and the fish are paying the price. You are paying with your sanity and pocketbook and they are paying with their lives. Not a fair trade-off at all, in my opinion.

So, the decision is yours, and your options are few. Decide on what you want to keep, get rid of those that are not compatible. Or you can keep having the problems you are having. These members are here to help out. Believe me they have all asked for help themselves. If you don't want to heed their advice, don't ask for it.

This may be a stern lecture, but you have the chance to learn. Take advantage of the situation. Your fish will love you if you do.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Let me see if I can help a little by breaking down the exact problem in a different way. The Compressiceps is an african cichlid, needing hard water, upper 70's for temp, lots of space/territory, and usually live foods. For as strong of a fish as the Compressiceps is, it will be vulnerable to fish like the red devils, green terrors, puffers, and even the dolphin and ghost knife. The Compressiceps is a predator, but it is not as aggressive as these others mentioned. Things that will make a Compressiceps jump out of the water... poor water quality (caused by overfeeding, overstocking, lack of maintenance, or any combination of the 3), severe and extreme stress caused by the other named fishes attacking it to defend their territory, and water temps that are too high.
If pH is too low this will also cause your fish to "freak out". The problem you will find in trying to fix any of these issues is that not all of these fish need the same conditions to survive. Things like oscars, ghost knife, terrors, etc are all softer water fish, while things like your Compressicep and the other african cichlids are hard water fishes, and as Lupin was kind enough to map out, your puffer is a brackish to salt water fish.

Put simply, if one fish isn't sick another is going to be because you can't meet all of their needs in 1 tank. As the others have kindly pointed out, to fix your problem you will need to seperate these fish according to their needs. Once that is done your Compressiceps will stop jumping out of the water.


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

alright sounds good. Thanks alot for your help. For now. I will keep the water PH neutral. and the temps at 75. It seems to be that one of the oscar seem to be bothering the eye biter, forcing it to the top. Im going to find a way to make it better. Thanks for your help


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## GThiele113 (Dec 19, 2007)

> All good advice so far, I don't see what the problem is, GT.


Excuse me?, You dont see what the problem is? The problem is that you guys are very repetitive. I asked you to stop posting about the overcrowding. The day you come over my house and see my tank, then maybe you can say its overcrowded. 
Causing me and my fish stress?
The tank is not causing me stress. In fact I would say its your repetitve answers that are stressing me out. My water IS crystal clear and my fish are happy.the fact that one fish,(who has resumed normal behavior) .ONE fish is having problems doesnt mean my tank is on the brink of collapse. 

Now why dont you read through your "advice" and then ask me what the problem is again , friend.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

GThiele113 said:


> > All good advice so far, I don't see what the problem is, GT.
> 
> 
> Excuse me?, You dont see what the problem is? The problem is that you guys are very repetitive. I asked you to stop posting about the overcrowding. The day you come over my house and see my tank, then maybe you can say its overcrowded.
> ...


GT, I don't think there is any cause for anyone to get nasty. Everyone here was trying to help. The reason everyone mentioned the overcrowded tank is because that is the biggest reason why one of the fish was having a problem. The people on this forum are friendly and helpful, and when we see someone heading for disaster, we try our best to warn them and help them avoid it. Some of the fish you have will eat the other fish soon. Did you know that an oscar grows up to 15 inches long, and as it grows, anything it can fit into its mouth becomes food?
I'm sure many of our members were concerned about the puffer fish, who needs brackish or salt water to survive. The problem is that if you salt the water in the tank with those other fish, you will kill a lot of them quickly.
The clawed frogs feed on fish, and get to be the size of a softball, and are extremely dirty, yet sensitive to any fluctuations in the water quality. The green terror doesn't have to be an adult (at 6 - 8 inches) to terrorize everything in the tank, and an irridescent sharks gets to be 3 feet long, and also very sensitive to water quality, and silver dollars get the size of a dinner plate. Even a young red devil is horribly aggressive, but when full grown, he also will kill and likely eat all of the other fish. 
Nobody here wishes to see your fish die, that was the whole point of the advice everyone has given. The situation you have right now is deadly enough, but over the next few months those fish are going to grow a lot, and get more aggressive, need more space, etc. Due to the animals you mixed, it is obvious to us that you didn't have someone who knew what they were doing to help you select your stock for that tank. All we're offering to do is to help you sort it out so you can decide what to get rid of and what to keep before anything bad happens... which it will, guaranteed, and prob not too long away, either.

Please don't get angry at those who are trying to help save you a lot of money, frustration, and time in the long term. We're here if you have any questions.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Enough has been said. I don't think there is any more reason for this thread to continue anymore.


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