lamprologus ocellatus died: full color :S ?

I set up a small tank for keeping shell dwellers, I got male ocellatus
yesterday, the color was absolutely stunning, but soon he'd just lay on
the sand, a couple of hours he wouldn't move is pectoral fins, I came home
a few minutes ago and now I had to take him from the tank because he was
dead, still in full colors. last evening I also put a couple of females
in, yesterday they were swimming throughout the tank, but they too started
getting very colored and they hid themselves in snail shells now, but I
fear they'll die too.

do you have any clues to what has killed him? I suspect some water value,
but I don't know which one, it'd be helpful if I knew because I could act
accordingly then.

"Tjaard de Vries" <tjaard.TakeThisOut@seeraamuun.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2004.03.06.15.56.20.126606@seeraamuun.net...
> I set up a small tank for keeping shell dwellers, I got male ocellatus
> yesterday, the color was absolutely stunning, but soon he'd just lay on
> the sand, a couple of hours he wouldn't move is pectoral fins, I came home
> a few minutes ago and now I had to take him from the tank because he was
> dead, still in full colors. last evening I also put a couple of females
> in, yesterday they were swimming throughout the tank, but they too started
> getting very colored and they hid themselves in snail shells now, but I
> fear they'll die too.
>
> do you have any clues to what has killed him? I suspect some water value,
> but I don't know which one, it'd be helpful if I knew because I could act
> accordingly then.
>

If the tank was just recently set up, I'd guess they died from new tank
syndrome. Take a water sample to the Local Fish Shop (LFS) or buy a test kit.
Test for ammonia and for nitrites. Either one could be the culprit. A web search
on cycling a tank may also be in order if you haven't already researched the
tank cycle process.
AC
www.amateurcichlids.com