chiclids dying

Question
I just recently (about 2 months)started a 35-gallon chiclid tank. I'm not exactly sure the exact kind of chiclid but 2 of the smaller ones have gotten sick and died. They don't seem to have symptoms, they just start staying at the top of the tank and then die. What could cause this?

Answer
Hi Melissa
I just saw your question posted in our answer pool.  Did the fish look like they were gasping for air at the top of the tank?  And do you happen to know what your water parameters are-ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?  Your ammonia & nitrites should be reading 0 ppm, and nitrates under 20 ppm.  If you don't have a test kit to test for those, you should really get one.  Most problems that people have with their tanks and fish, it's related to water quality issues.  If they were gasping, it could be ammonia or nitrite poisoning.  How often did you do water changes?  And how many fish did you have in the tank?

Here's a link with some fish profiles, has photos as well.  Try clicking on the American & New World cichlids, and the African cichlids.  Try browsing through and see if you can find what kind you have.  That can help too, I can think of one small cichlid that is fairly hard to keep and needs really good water quality.  Most cichlids are pretty hearty though.

Let me know what you find out!

Christy