<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (phishphorphun @ May 18 2008, 09:06 AM)
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I think it may depend on how often she is fed, and the size of the tank that will determine her size. The males get larger, if I remember correctly. [/b]
She had a previous owner who had only been into fish for a short time. I got her when I bought his 55 gallon tank which was advertised on Craig's list. She was the last survivor of a dozen or so small Cichlids. He warned me he still had one fish when I first called him on the phone, but I had no idea. :unsure:
Anyway, she appeared misshapen from the start. Her back side seemed too small for the size of her head. Maybe that's normal; I don't know. Since her former owner gave me everything he had that was fish related, I got two bags of food - Hakari's Cichlid Staple. One was nearly empty and the other un-opened. Every time I tried to feed her this stuff, she just spat it out, so I've been giving her flake food. Even now that she's much larger, she'll only eat the pellets if they float for a while and get thoroughly water softened. This all leads me to think she wasn't fed properly and perhaps that was the downfall of her tank mates. Is this the right food for young Cichlids?
Then this past weekend, I moved her 10 gallon tank next to another one full of Guppies, to make space for the larger tank that will ultimately be her home. The Bumble Bee responded by starting to dig holes in the substrate. Since her tank was originally a nursery for plants, busted leaves and uprooted plants were everywhere. I was not amused.
So I made her a little shale cave in the corner which she excavated deeper, and I slipped some cardboard between the two tanks so she can't see the Guppies anymore. This seems to have stopped her digging... for now. My question: do all Cichlids that would make a good tank mate dig? Are there species that don't dig? I really like the looks of planted aquaria and I'm absolutely convinced plants provide for a healthier environment. What are my options?
Further, does this digging behavior indicate that she is a she and not a he? Lately I noticed that she has a spot on her anal fin which I read somewhere is a male trait, and this morning when her light came on, she was almost entirely black for a couple seconds, another male trait. Do I have a male and how does this impact the selection of a tank mate?
As always, thanks in advance.
Jim