Africans and a 75g
- Thread starter Bucho
- Start date
Personally I'd really like to have a colony of Tropheus Duboisi. Supposedly a colony works well in a 60 or larger. I would do 10 to 15 Duboisi's. Tropheus Moori also look good, and can vary in color pretty well. I would not mix different species into one tank, though. Look up those fish online and do some research, cool fish.
i've heard that T. moori, even in large schools, tend to be agressive towards one another. they will pick on the weakest fish in the school until it dies then move on to the next victim. i friend of mine had 20 in a 150 as a species tank. that's $400 worth of fish. well, within 2 months all of his fish had killed each other. the tank has about 200 lbs of lava rock and sufficient hiding places. just wanted to share some experience.
Thanks for the input, I've heard they pick on the weakest UNLESS you have more than a few. I hear that they are definately territorial, but most Africans are. I also hear, that like most African tanks, to get several so one fish doesn't get all the damage. And I have also read that it takes time to establish their heirarchy, but once in balance, things will relax a bit, as every fish knows his place.
But you see I have a lot of "I have read" and "I have heard" and I have no experience except with a few single africans. I've never had any tropheus, although I've had a couple mbuna. I appreciate your experience, though. I only know what the "theory" is......practical experience is sometimes ..... uhm ..... different!
Anyways, I thought it was worth a try, and I'd try to simulate their environment in nature as much as possible , and I'm willing to give it a whirl!
But you see I have a lot of "I have read" and "I have heard" and I have no experience except with a few single africans. I've never had any tropheus, although I've had a couple mbuna. I appreciate your experience, though. I only know what the "theory" is......practical experience is sometimes ..... uhm ..... different!
Anyways, I thought it was worth a try, and I'd try to simulate their environment in nature as much as possible , and I'm willing to give it a whirl!
Tropheus would work quite well in a 75 gallon tank. Contrary to popular belief, they don't need a large amount of rockwork and hiding places. If you have a colony in a tank with enough floor space for them (15 in a 75 would be perfect), you get a ton of motion and activity out of them, without damage from the aggression and chasing. They posture and chase, but don't do any damage, as they don't have distinct visual territories to defend. There are many different color morphs available in the hobby currently.
These are Tropheus sp. "bulu point" or cherry spot. They are currently my favorites, although I also like the ilangi variants. I've purchased fish from http://www.jdtropheus.com with good results. He has nice fish at reasonble prices.
A 75 gallon would also make a great tanganyikan community tank. I currently have one full of orange compressiceps, black calvus, paracyp. nigripinnis and cyprichromis leptosoma. Add in a few synodontis and its quite interesting and active, without any injury to anyone, and it looks more typically african, with all the rockwork of the typical african tanks.
Do you have any personal preferences? Are you looking for colors? Activity? Behavior? Potential breeding? Tropheus won't predate their young, so you could feasibly raise fry in that same 75.
Hope any of that helps
Barbie
These are Tropheus sp. "bulu point" or cherry spot. They are currently my favorites, although I also like the ilangi variants. I've purchased fish from http://www.jdtropheus.com with good results. He has nice fish at reasonble prices.
A 75 gallon would also make a great tanganyikan community tank. I currently have one full of orange compressiceps, black calvus, paracyp. nigripinnis and cyprichromis leptosoma. Add in a few synodontis and its quite interesting and active, without any injury to anyone, and it looks more typically african, with all the rockwork of the typical african tanks.
Do you have any personal preferences? Are you looking for colors? Activity? Behavior? Potential breeding? Tropheus won't predate their young, so you could feasibly raise fry in that same 75.
Hope any of that helps
Barbie
Tropheus are awesome fish. I love them. THey are very active...more than mbuna imo.
If not tropheus, go with peacocks and haps. youll have a very colorful and peaceful tank.
If not tropheus, go with peacocks and haps. youll have a very colorful and peaceful tank.
This is really a wide open question! You could stock a 75 with most africans, excepting the really large variety.
I've got several 'community' mbuna tanks that have a variety of mbuna and similar fish. These tanks have a certain visual appeal, but they require a bit more care in planning. (I try to avoid too much aggression and I try to avoid interspecies breeding. Feeding herbivores and omnivores in the same tank, and keeping both healthy, can also be a challenge.)
I've become more enamored of late with single species tanks. I have a 75 that has a large breeding colony of Ps. demasoni. The tank is quite striking, and the large number of these pugnacious fish seems to reduce the number of deaths to aggression. I like the fact that I can sell any offspring to the LFS with a clear conscience that none of the fish are mutts, too. Mostly, though, I like how they look. Next on my list: a cyrtocara moori tank.
The mix of fish really comes down to personal preference. The number of fish is generally dictated by whether you want to overstock or not. Overstocking is practiced to disperse aggression and is often successful in doing so, especially in tanks 75 g and larger, but it carries with it greatly increased demands for maintenance and filtration. I have a couple of overstocked tanks. It does help when keeping some of the more belligerent species (e.g., Ps. lombardoi), but you have to be ready for lots of filter cleaning and lots of water changes. Not something for a beginner to try, IMO.
HTH,
Jim
I've got several 'community' mbuna tanks that have a variety of mbuna and similar fish. These tanks have a certain visual appeal, but they require a bit more care in planning. (I try to avoid too much aggression and I try to avoid interspecies breeding. Feeding herbivores and omnivores in the same tank, and keeping both healthy, can also be a challenge.)
I've become more enamored of late with single species tanks. I have a 75 that has a large breeding colony of Ps. demasoni. The tank is quite striking, and the large number of these pugnacious fish seems to reduce the number of deaths to aggression. I like the fact that I can sell any offspring to the LFS with a clear conscience that none of the fish are mutts, too. Mostly, though, I like how they look. Next on my list: a cyrtocara moori tank.
The mix of fish really comes down to personal preference. The number of fish is generally dictated by whether you want to overstock or not. Overstocking is practiced to disperse aggression and is often successful in doing so, especially in tanks 75 g and larger, but it carries with it greatly increased demands for maintenance and filtration. I have a couple of overstocked tanks. It does help when keeping some of the more belligerent species (e.g., Ps. lombardoi), but you have to be ready for lots of filter cleaning and lots of water changes. Not something for a beginner to try, IMO.
HTH,
Jim
