Tropheus Duboisi

[Cheffi]

I saw an auction on ebay for this cichlid, titled Malawi cichlid but in my book its Tankanyikan. Does that mean you couldn't put it in with Malawi? It looks a really nice cichlid a bit different.

 

[Ferris]

Unfortunately they are not well suited to an Mbuna tank, they are herbivores and like hard alkaline water but will not cope well with Mbuna aggression. I say unfortunately because they are stunning fish. They are quite sociable with their own kind and can be kept in pairs or groups and would make a wonderful species tank in something like a 40 gal.

EDIT: Forgot to say yes they are from lake Tanganyika.

 

[Cheffi]

Oh what a shame I really liked them, thanks Ferris.

 

[mamafish68]

IMHO a 40 is still too small to do these guys justice. If not kept in large groups the "politics" of the group start to crumble, they are a huge colony based fish, you move around the decor, you add/take out fish and you can throw the whole system into a down spirial.



their diet is specialized too, they are prone to bloat faster then most other africans.

 

[Cheffi]

IMHO a 40 is still too small to do these guys justice. If not kept in large groups the "politics" of the group start to crumble, they are a huge colony based fish, you move around the decor, you add/take out fish and you can throw the whole system into a down spirial.



their diet is specialized too, they are prone to bloat faster then most other africans.

Top info as usual Shame the people auctioning these fish off don't bother to put this info to stop people making mistakes and assuming they are Malawi. Oh well thats business for you...plonkers.

 

[Ferris]

IMHO a 40 is still too small to do these guys justice

Are you arguing with me? (looks in mirror with gun) Are you arguing with ME?

 

[Nick Sw]

Cheffi I think a lot of people still mix them but I don`t think it`s a good idea. The fantastic Baby Seal Clubbers tank has a few Tropheus/Julidochromis/Mbuna all look fantastic and well but it`s a no no for me.

Ferris - Now I`m getting an image of De Niro in Taxi Driver ?

BTW I went to Oasis in Salford the other day , you are lucky to have a LFS like that near you it`s very good great selection and very clean and tidy, Gareth (i think that`s his name) the guy that looks after the African Cichlids wasn`t in so it was difficult to tell what was what, they had a very good selection but very small and a few looked over fed but thats understandable I`ll go back soon definately when my tanks settled.

 

[Ferris]

Ferris - Now I`m getting an image of De Niro in Taxi Driver ?

I'm glad someone got it!

Gareth is the man if you need advice at Oasis, he is the most knowledgable guy there on pretty much everything. Glad you liked it.

 

[Nick Sw]

Yes I did quality place like I said not too bad for me really travel wise, bit awkward though as a Newb I`ve sort of learnt the latin names out of my books and they`ve got them labelled up with abbreviations and common names along with the fish being very small it was difficult to know what was what , the main guy tried to help he pointed out a Maingano/Cyaneorhabdos as an auratus though. .

Quote from Cichlid Forum

Whenever I look into a tank of "Mixed African Cichlids" and get the urge -- that rapidly escalates to an absolute obsession to buy a fish that I think looks a little like a fish I'm pretty sure will work in my tank -- I suddenly see Clint Eastwood's face and he's giving me stink eye. It's that scene where he's just laid out for the bad guy the impossible odds he faces if he draws on Clint, and then he says to the bad guy, and to me:

". . . so, you gotta ask yourself: are you feeling lucky?"

 

[Ferris]

Yeah, their labelling is not great as with most LFS. They use a combination of latin and common names, not a problem for me as if i'm unsure, i can nip home and do some research before buying.

 

[Cheffi]

Agree with you nick wouldn't want to mix them myself just a bit of confusion as to where they come from. What do you think of the Socolofi and Salousi? They had some nice ones at Maidenhead Aquatics North Swindon today when I went to get my new sand, which I have to say looks fantastic.

 

[Ferris]

Both great fish, male and female Saulosi are completely different in appearance, which is fairly unusual for Mbuna and i particularly like the albino Socolofi. The Socolofi are a bit more aggressive than Saulosi but they should still be compatible.

 

[Cheffi]

OOooo hurry up bacteria I need to go shopping

 

[Ferris]