Sixty Gallon Journal

[gwand]

Entry #24
a. thomasi are getting bolder. They are out and about more, although the caves are a favorite spot to lounge. A hierarchy is being created in the tank or it is the males chasing the females around. I cannot discern sexual dimorphism so I cannot be certain. As I mentioned in another post, the fish are really coloring up. Next week I will order my dither fish and a pair of Pelvicachromis kribensis Idenau or Pelvicachromis pulcher Ndonga. I can’t decide. But the Ndonga in Muddy Water’s tank were gorgeous.

 

[gwand]

Entry #25
Anomalochromis thomasi hide when I approach with food or camera. I am hoping they become more bold when dither fish are added next week.

 

[gwand]

Entry #26
a. thomasi have been with me for almost 4 weeks. The six fish are doing well. The group has staked out claims to different sections of the tank. This will soon be disrupted. Today I placed an order for a pair of wc Pelvicachromis pulcher Ndonga from The Wet Spot. I was unable to obtain p. Kribensis taeniatus Moliwe. I waited 3 months but lost patience today. But I was taken by Muddy Waters’ pair of p. pulcher Ndonga. I also ordered 6 wc Alestopetersius caudalis (yellow tail Congo tetras) as my dither fish. The excitement builds.

 

[gwand]

Entry #27
Six Alestopetersius caudalis and a pair of Pelvicachromis pulcher Ndonga arrived overnight from The Wet Spot. A warming unit was in the box along with the fish which was a good idea since the temperature outside was quite chilly. The fish seem in good health but with no color. This is to be expected since there is much stress in the shipping process. The yellow tail Congo tetras are shoaling nicely. So far they are swimming in the lower third of the water column, which is unexpected. The p. pulchers found caves and are lying low. I will give the new guys a few days to color up before taking pics.

 

[gwand]

Entry #28
I have not seen the pair of Pelvicachromis pulcher-Ndonga since placing them in the tank. The Congo tetras continue to shoal together but in the bottom third of the water column. The six a. thomasi (butterfly cichlids) don’t seem to mind the presence of the tetras in their space, and some shoal with the tetras. Other than the green of the plants, the only colors of the fauna are silver and black. This may change once p. pulchers feel secure enough to appear.

 

[gwand]

Entry #29
The pair of p. pulcher Ndonga are still MIA. I am impatient to see what they look like. The yellowtail Congo tetras are quite active, but skittish when I approach the tank. The butterfly cichlids (a. thomasi) are around and about, and are less afraid of my presence. The tetras and p. pulcher pair are wild caught, maybe accounting for their skittish behavior.

 

[gwand]

Entry #30
The pair of Pelvicachromis pulcher Ndonga rarely show themselves. I have never seen the female outside her cave. My new Pelvicachromis pulcher Ndonga male has kicked out several Anomalochromis thomasi from the left third of the tank. The a. thomasi thought they owned that space since they occupied it for a month before p pulcher was introduced. But now there is a new boss.

 

[GaryE]

In time, the Alestopetersius caudalis/yellow Congos will become very pretty. Those ones are quite young. There are blues and bright yellows coming.

I've always found wild caught pulchers shy and somewhat difficult. I prefer the smaller, less powerful P. kribensis, the real kribensis, to pulcher in a community. Wilds are also hard to breed due to male aggression. That's a blessing as long as no one gets hurt and you don't want fry.

When they do come out of hiding, you'll be impressed. Patience...

 

[gwand]

In time, the Alestopetersius caudalis/yellow Congos will become very pretty. Those ones are quite young. There are blues and bright yellows coming.

I've always found wild caught pulchers shy and somewhat difficult. I prefer the smaller, less powerful P. kribensis, the real kribensis, to pulcher in a community. Wilds are also hard to breed due to male aggression. That's a blessing as long as no one gets hurt and you don't want fry.

When they do come out of hiding, you'll be impressed. Patience...

I never see any of the 3 species of fish in the African tank eat. Even when I was away for a week and the fish were not fed, they did not eat in front of me when I fed them upon my return. I placed a small glass dish on the substrate and used a feeding tube to add food to it. I did this because their food was lying on the substrate for a long period of time since they never fed in front of me. So with food in the glass bowl, I found the food gone the next morning. Are any of the three species nocturnal feeders?

 

[GaryE]

No, but the 2 Cichlids, especially the Pelvicachromis, are sifters. They'll eat off the sand, and roll the pieces around a bit to scrape biofilm off them. I thought the yellow congos were surface feeders, striking at bugs, but they must eat more than that.

I found when all were at ease after time, they would hit food when it arrived, but then approach it in a more leisurely way through the day. Kribs feed on detritus and the organisms in it in the wild, with a lot of debris and plant matter showing up in stomach content analyses. I don't know about the other two.

 

[gwand]

No, but the 2 Cichlids, especially the Pelvicachromis, are sifters. They'll eat off the sand, and roll the pieces around a bit to scrape biofilm off them. I thought the yellow congos were surface feeders, striking at bugs, but they must eat more than that.

I found when all were at ease after time, they would hit food when it arrived, but then approach it in a more leisurely way through the day. Kribs feed on detritus and the organisms in it in the wild, with a lot of debris and plant matter showing up in stomach content analyses. I don't know about the other two.

I am using an aqua clear 110 on this 60 gallon tank. Is it possible that the water flow in the upper third of the water column is too strong for the tetras? Is this why I never see them swimming anywhere near the surface? They hang out at the bottom of the tank with a. thomasi.

 

[MaloK]

If you reduce the flow to the minimum it should be around 250 gph, that is not too bad for your tank size.

Make sure the filter is level and the water line is high enough for the output to flow on the surface. Your setup is relatively young and your media probably not much populated. That will change in a while.

You could also already install an intake cover sponge and get the filter used to run with it now on.

What is in your basket atm ?

 

[gwand]

If you reduce the flow to the minimum it should be around 250 gph, that is not too bad for your tank size.

Make sure the filter is level and the water line is high enough for the output to flow on the surface. Your setup is relatively young and your media probably not much populated. That will change in a while.

You could also already install an intake cover sponge and get the filter used to run with it now on.

What is in your basket atm ?

Thanks. What do you mean by basket atm?

 

[MaloK]

Thanks. What do you mean by basket atm?

What media is in your Aquaclear Basket ?

 

[gwand]

What media is in your Aquaclear Basket ?

Sponges and bag of Seachem Matrix.