What is stress and it's effect on fish?

A fish can get stressed out for many reasons. Aggressive tank mates, transporting, too much water current caused by power heads, poor water quality, disease, too much light, hitting the glass, lack of privacy in a transparent tank etc. are common causes of fish stress.

Stress directly affects the normal functioning of a fish. It's mental and chemical balance is affected making it prone to disease as the immune system gets weak. After prolonged exposure to stressful situations, a fish can develop chronic conditions, organs may malfunction or fail causing imminent death.

One example of fish stress is keeping 2 male convict cichlids together in one tank. They are territorial and aggressive in nature and will fight each other from time to time. In the wild, the loser runs away never to be seen again but in a fish tank, such a thing is not possible. This causes stress of the very presence of the dominant male. These fish may display signs of fear by sticking close to the surface of the water at the corners. Appetite may be affected too.

So please keep in mind the basic idea about fish stress while keeping fish and give them the best experience possible to make them happy and healthy.

The Convict Cichlid (Kindle Edition Ebook)

Danger of keeping large amount of fish together

It's never usually a good practise to have a large number of fish stocked up in a single tank. The reason for that is if any illness strikes, it strikes with a bang and can be more fatal than otherwise. Heavily stocked tanks are a perfect place for any disease to spread and thrive and persist which makes the disease more fatal than it actually is. Some examples are diseases like ick.

In situations like this, you should immediately reduce water level and start medicating with the right medicine for the problem with the correct dosage. Beware of overdose as that can easily kill your fish. Read the dosage and apply the right amount depending the volume of water in tank.

Do regular water changes. Make sure any dead fish are removed immediately.

The Convict Cichlid (Kindle Edition Ebook)

How i dealt with green water problem

My tank is located in a sunny spot as it's too big to be kept inside the house. I'm sure many of you too got your tanks or ponds in the open with no shade.

The sun along with its benefits brings along some problems too. Well I wouldn't quite say this is a problem as it does not affect the fish health, but it can be a nuisance to owners as they will not be able to admire their own pond or tank.

I'm taking about green water. Many call it green soup. This is known as phytoplankton which is a microscopic algae that does not attach to any surface but exists freely in the water and spreads super fast in certain conditions.

Phytoplankton are a natural water conditioner. They absorb the bad stuff from the water and multiply their mass. Thus the water is better conditioned for your fish.

But now I'm going to talk about the bad side. I personally like to admire my fish on a daily basis and if anything, even this kind of good stuff block my view, I consider it a problem. So here's what I did to bring this problem under control.

Breeding Convict Cichlids in Bulk in a Single Tank

Convict Cichlids are very aggressive fish and cannot be kept together. Especially when they begin to form pairs and raise young. This causes huge amount of stress to the tankmates. Here is a solution to your problem if you house many of these cichlids.

Place containers facing upwards inside your aquarium. They should be big enough for an adult pair of convicts to move around in. Its as simple as that. The pair will not take much time in finding it and making home there. You can use a glass bowl which will give you the privilage to view them spawn and raise their fry.