sick frontosa and chiclids

Question
QUESTION: Good day. i am so stressed!  I relocated a month ago - i have a 5 feet tank. It is mainly a chiclid tank with frontosas, venestus, malawi;s. There is a sylodontis, a clown loach, a plec and a pictus. After the move, the pictus first lost its colour - i thought it was stress, but he is still white. How the other fish is also loosing colour. the frontosa;s skin almost looks pink. The nitrates, nitrites is in order and the amoniak levels are non existant. Three weeks ago the clown loach got white spots, which we treated, took the carbon from the filter and after a week turn up the temp to 30degrees. It is back to normal now.

Any advice plse





ANSWER: Hi Rica,
  Did you change the gravel when you moved?  Did you clean the old gravel or just move it?

  Also, is the light level any different in the new location (e.g., now the tank is getting a lot more or less sunlight)?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: we used same gravel but bought new filter. There is more light now and i do not switch of aquirium light at nite.  I saw that the ph are a bit low. 6.7

Answer
Hi Rica,
  I wouldn't worry about the pH a whole lot.  

  If you didn't clean the gravel when you moved, that could create problems.  The issue is that when you took the gravel out of the tank, you stir up all sorts of stuff that was sort of "locked in" it.  Now all that is being released into the tank water and that can be pretty stressful for the fish for awhile.  If that is the problem, then using a gravel siphon to give the gravel a good clean will really help.  I also strongly recommend that you do several partial water changes of about 25% , maybe 3 days in a row.  This should really help.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>