A busy cichlid tank changes constantly: juveniles grow into territories, pairs form and split, a bully moves tanks, a rescue arrives, a surplus male leaves. Memory fails within weeks, and an untracked move makes later trouble impossible to trace. A good system needs only two records kept in step: a move-event log that tells the story in order, and a stock list per tank that shows the present truth.
Record One: The Move-Event Log
Write one line in the log for every addition, move and rehoming, on the day it happens. The log has exactly six fields: date, fish identity, source tank, destination, reason, and acclimatisation method. Date anchors the line in sequence. Fish identity names the individual, using the description from the stock list below. Source tank and destination state where the fish came from and where it went, with rehomed written as the destination when a fish leaves your care. Reason captures why in a few words, such as pairing, bullying, growth or rehoming. Acclimatisation method records how the fish entered its new water, such as bag floating with gradual mixing or a drip line, so a fish that struggles afterwards can be judged against how it was introduced.
Record Two: The Per-Tank Stock List
Keep one stock list per tank, showing only the fish in that tank now. Each stock list has exactly four fields: tank name, fish identity, date added, and current status. Tank name heads the list so pages never blur together. Fish identity uses the same wording as the log, built from species, sex where known, size and distinguishing markings. Date added copies the date from the log line that brought the fish into this tank. Current status uses short, consistent wording such as resident, paired, holding, or recovering, updated when the situation changes. Cross a fish off the list when its log line shows a move out, and add it to the destination tank's list the same day.
A Worked Example Using Only Those Fields
Suppose a young male is moved because a dominant fish bullies it. The log line reads: date, today; fish identity, male with the torn dorsal and blue cheek; source tank, the large display tank; destination, the smaller grow-out tank; reason, bullying by the dominant male; acclimatisation method, bag floating with gradual mixing. The display tank's stock list loses that fish, while the grow-out tank's list gains a line reading: tank name, grow-out tank; fish identity, male with the torn dorsal and blue cheek; date added, the same date as the log line; current status, recovering. Nothing else is recorded, and nothing recorded is missing, which makes the pair trustworthy months later.
Make Fish Identity Strong Enough to Use
Cichlids of one species can look near-identical, so identity wording does the heavy lifting. Combine species with sex where known, approximate size, and one or two stable markings, such as a torn fin or a paler flank. Photograph each fish against the same background when it arrives and keep the photo labelled with the same identity wording, updating the photo after fin damage heals or adult colour develops. Avoid naming fish only by personality or by owner nicknames that a helper, buyer or new keeper cannot interpret. When two fish genuinely cannot be told apart, record them as a counted group under one identity wording rather than pretending to track individuals you cannot recognise.
Use the Pair of Records to Solve Problems
When fighting erupts or a fish vanishes, read the log backwards: the most recent change is the first suspect, and the log shows which fish moved, why, and how it was acclimatised. The stock lists confirm who should be present before you move rockwork to search. Review both records before any new addition, because the lists show which tank holds a fish marked recovering that should not receive a newcomer yet. Five minutes of reading replaces guesswork about a tank whose population has changed many times over.
For a fish leaving your care, open KinsLe and complete the handover inside Transferrable Profiles, attaching the same identity wording so the receiving keeper inherits a recognisable history instead of a verbal summary.