29 gal Julidochromis?

[FishAddict74]

In a couple months I’m gonna have an open 29g and am considering a group of julies, maybe 1 male and 3 female. I was going to use dry base rock and create lots of nooks and caves and use aragonite sand. I haven’t decided on which species but probably one of the smallest types. I have kept lots of Malawi and Vics but never any tangs other than frontosa. Does this sound like it will work? Is a 29 big enough for this?

 

[Sprinkle]

I no aware what fishes r those but get them lolz

 

[dudley]

I think a 29G would be just fine for them especially with a lot of rock work for them to hide in.

IMO starting out with a group of six is the usual way to go and then hope you get at least one male out of the group. Some people also had some luck with more than one male per tank but that can be hit or miss.

Did you have a particular species in mind and will you be buying locally or ordering online?

 

[FishAddict74]

I think a 29G would be just fine for them especially with a lot of rock work for them to hide in.

IMO starting out with a group of six is the usual way to go and then hope you get at least one male out of the group. Some people also had some luck with more than one male per tank but that can be hit or miss.

Did you have a particular species in mind and will you be buying locally or ordering online?

Thanks you
I’m leaning towards transcriptus mainly because the size seems good for a 29. I like the look as well. I’ll probably order online from imperial or maybe cichlid shack. I just have to see what’s in stock at the time.

 

[Wyomingite]

Personally, I'd stay away from J. regani and J. marlieri. Both can reach 6 inches, maybe even a little larger for J. regani IIRC. A 29 gallon would be perfect for a pair of J. ornatus, J. transcriptus and J. dickfeldi . There are also a number of "species" (J. sp. "kachese", J. sp. "ornatus kombe" and J. sp. "bemba" are three that I can remember right off) which are awaiting proper classification, either as a new species or as a regional/color variant of an existing one. If one of these catches your eye, be sure that it stays a reasonable size before you get it.

WYite

 

[FishAddict74]

Personally, I'd stay away from J. regani and J. marlieri. Both can reach 6 inches, maybe even a little larger for J. regani IIRC. A 29 gallon would be perfect for a pair of J. ornatus, J. transcriptus and J. dickfeldi . There are also a number of "species" (J. sp. "kachese", J. sp. "ornatus kombe" and J. sp. "bemba" are three that I can remember right off) which are awaiting proper classification, either as a new species or as a regional/color variant of an existing one. If one of these catches your eye, be sure that it stays a reasonable size before you get it.

WYite

Thanks
Marlieri are probably my first pick but ya they get too big. I’ll look into the smaller types you mentioned. Transcriptus is the only one I know about of those smaller types. Do you think a pair would be better than a small group?

 

[Wyomingite]

Thanks
Marlieri are probably my first pick but ya they get too big. I’ll look into the smaller types you mentioned. Transcriptus is the only one I know about of those smaller types. Do you think a pair would be better than a small group?

A small group is going to end up being a pair in a 29 gallon, one way or the other. It just depends on whether you watch and remove all the rest when a pair forms or the pair kills the rest in defense of their spawn. Trying to keep a group in anything smaller than a 40 breeder or 55 is only going to work if they're all female (a 40 breeder actually has a larger footprint than a 55).

WYite

 

[FishAddict74]

A small group is going to end up being a pair in a 29 gallon, one way or the other. It just depends on whether you watch and remove all the rest when a pair forms or the pair kills the rest in defense of their spawn. Trying to keep a group in anything smaller than a 40 breeder or 55 is only going to work if they're all female (a 40 breeder actually has a larger footprint than a 55).

WYite

Oh gotcha, maybe all females will be the way to go. I’m not looking to breed anything, I just enjoy watching them. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Wyomingite]

Oh gotcha, maybe all females will be the way to go. I’m not looking to breed anything, I just enjoy watching them. Thanks for the tips!

It's easy to identify the sex of an individual by venting once they reach 2/3 to 3/4 of adult size or so. This will eliminate on-line purchases however. The one shop in Denver knows me well and allows me to vent fish if and as I want. So if you have a local shopkeeper who knows you well and you have a good relationship with, you may want to tell him what you want to do and have him order them for you rather than gambling on a hit and miss on-line purchase.

WYite

 

[FishAddict74]

It's easy to identify the sex of an individual by venting once they reach 2/3 to 3/4 of adult size or so. This will eliminate on-line purchases however. The one shop in Denver knows me well and allows me to vent fish if and as I want. So if you have a local shopkeeper who knows you well and you have a good relationship with, you may want to tell him what you want to do and have him order them for you rather than gambling on a hit and miss on-line purchase.

WYite

There’s a couple nice LFS out here that cater to the more experienced keepers, so I imagine they would let me vent. If not i might have to get a group from imperial and hope for the best LOL Sometimes imperial guarantees gender as well. I have a friend here that has an aquarium maintenance business so I can usually sell or trade anything I need a home for to him.