My first Cichlid tank (stocked too), but is 1 fry unhealthy? :(

This is my first cichlid tank and it finished cycling 1 week ago (still kept putting 1ppm of ammonia in there per day & did 90-95% PWC yesterday). Finally got my cichlids today, which happened to be 6 juv & unsexed Ps. Saulosi's   They seem healthy thus far and quite active, super excited ^_^ Only 1 concern though, in the last 3 pictures is 1 juv that I've kept my eye on and have seen him rub his body against the gravel a few times.. not sure what's causing this Any insight on that would be great  

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

He doesnt look sick and all cichlids rub there body against the gravel its normal

Its called flashing& I kno its also a sign of ich too in its being stages. But It don't look like it has it. They also do that to make territory but don't quote me on that on. Just Google ((cichlid flashing))

Nice, looking set up. Sure this is your first cichlid tank? Looks like a pro set up to me.  

Congrats on your new salousi tank! I'm also pretty new to dwarf mbunas and have 3 salousis. They used to flash more often when I first got them but only do it occasionally now. Other than that, they are doing fine. In fact, I now have 9 of the cutest yellow fry.  How is your ph?

Flashing is actually a sign of something worse. Sure they may get an itch once in a while, but if the little guy is doing it often, then he may have some bacteria issue that is irritating him. I know that you just set the tank up, and most people dont have the luxury of having a quarantine tank. Just an FYI, regardless of who I get fish from, I immediately quarantine them for up to 6 weeks before I put them into their permanet home. It saves a lot of lives this way. I would bump the heat a bit on your tank 84 degrees, add some aquarium salt, 1TBL/5 gal, and do 25% water changes every 2 days. The last thing you want is that fish developing a bad case of something and spreading it to the entire tank.

I've been watching him and haven't seen him rub his body, so maybe it really is that he's just getting used to the water or trying make his own territory. The water parameters are 8.2pH, 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm NO2, and 5.0-20ppm NO3. And indeed it's my first tank, I just researched aquascaping and such as much as I could before setting up this tank to make sure they have the most natural looking tank ^_^

How new are the fish to the tank? Could it just be irritation from being recently netted?

Nice job on your setup...the fish will be happy in that tank.

Hope whatever is irritating them clears up. If you are still seeing signs, Madness had some great suggestions. Flashing in cichlids can also be a dominance thing but if it continues or is regular then there is more to it.

I know Madness is right! They say African cichlids do that to mark territory but when I had Africans whenever one fish would do it after a few days a couple more would do it. After I would add parasite meds no fish would do it anymore! After awhile I realized It only happened when new fish were added to the tank!

What parasite meds did you use anthony? I've been watching and they haven't rubbed against the gravel, then again I haven't been watching them ALL day lol.

Rubbing seems to have stopped for the most part, but they seem to be growing pretty fast    My smallest one grew to be the size of the biggest one already   
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Looking good, glad things are better now.

those guys are looking great. liking the sand color as well, itll be interesting to see how their color pans out (ive only ever done white/black) also rebury your plants, if there is exposed roots like that they will nip and pick at them. also consider adding some anubias/java ferns. these plants are fastened to decor and stand up to africans much longer. they LOVE to dig... like a dog after a bone.

I've been feeding them often, so they haven't ripped into them too much just yet lol, but I'll definitely re-dig them when I do a PWC in two days I also considered java ferns, but I've heard of mixed opinions on them since the chances and speed that cichlids tear into them varies between each one's personality, but I'll probably grab some the next time I visit the LFS ^_^

Oh also, some of the roots stem from pretty high up on the plant. If I dig them that deep, then would the plant be affected in any way?

My saulosi and other mbuna flash occasionally.  I think it's a territorial thing with mine because they do it after I've disturbed their sand piles from their digging, which is why I can't even keep plastic plants with them.  They don't eat the plants -- they constantly dig them up!

Yeah they've started to dig them up, possibly due to the exposed roots since the one with no roots showing is left alone, I'll re-dig everything tomorrow when I do a PWC

I just did my first PWC (25%) and they seem kinda spooked :(They weren't really territorial that much beforehand, but after the PWC I see them chasing one another around a lot more. Maybe they sensed danger and wanted their own hiding spot? I dunno  About 45 minutes later I fed them and it was the first time the flakes ever reached the ground (I always put one flake in at a time until it's devoured). Just hoping that the PWC didn't make them too spooked :(My parameters after the water change was 8.2pH, 0 Ammonia & NO2, and 10-20 NO3. Maybe I should do a 35-40% PWC next time to get the NO3 to 5-10ppm? Also, should I add Epsom salt or baking soda after each water change?

**EDIT** I turned out the tank lights and left the regular room light on and noticed that one of the juv's black bars REALLY blackened and another juv's top fin started turning black. Maybe they really are getting more territorial and showing dominance? I dunno  
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]