tropheus/(vegetarian) friends?

[trop]

Hello

I'm planning a 180 gallon display tank. With 20-35 tropheus ikola. In addition to just tropheus, I'm thinking of adding some other fish with similar diets and parameters. The tank will be focused on tropheus and I hope to breed the tropheus although its fine if some fish will eat tropheus fry as I have a seperate tank for fry and brooding females.

Fish that I'm thinking of is
Telmatochromis Temporalis (6-8)
Eretmodus gobies (10-12)
Julie Regani or Ornatus (4-6)
Tropheus Annectens (15-20)

Obviously, I will not do all these friends at once but I will pick 0-3 from this list. I heard that annectens is fine with ikola but I would like some second opinion on that.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello

I'm planning a 180 gallon display tank. With 20-35 tropheus ikola. In addition to just tropheus, I'm thinking of adding some other fish with similar diets and parameters. The tank will be focused on tropheus and I hope to breed the tropheus although its fine if some fish will eat tropheus fry as I have a seperate tank for fry and brooding females.

Fish that I'm thinking of is
Telmatochromis Temporalis (6-8)
Eretmodus gobies (10-12)
Julie Regani or Ornatus (4-6)
Tropheus Annectens (15-20)

Obviously, I will not do all these friends at once but I will pick 0-3 from this list. I heard that annectens is fine with ikola but I would like some second opinion on that.

Welcome aboard
Milingu
D deeda
Stephen St.Clair

 

[trop]

Welcome aboard
Milingu
D deeda
Stephen St.Clair

Thanks!

 

[Stephen St.Clair]

I haven't kept many Lake Tanganyika fish. If you aren't set on Tanganyika tankmates, you might consider predator Haps to cruise the mid & upper levels of the 180. Fusco & Livingstoni come to mind.
If you want other species to share the hardscape with Tropheus, might go with some durable hard hitters like Red Zebras, Kenyi or Afras.

 

[Milingu]

My experience on Tropheus is a bit limited and I don't keep any at the moment. But here are three points I have learned.

3. Two groups of Tropheus rarely works long-term. One group will be dominated and suppressed by other group. In the best case they loose only their colours and look like charcoal or potatoes, in the worst they loose their lives. With juveniles it might work for one or two years until they are fully adults. I would still not do it because of the second point.

2. Tropheus can react way worth than other fish to foreign bacteria. Every addition of new fish literally means risking the whole group. I know some guys who slowly add water from the new fish's tank over weeks to the Tropheus tank to give them time to get used to potential foreign pathogens.

1. Keep your hands out of the tank!
This does not mean that you shouldn't put your hands in if necessary. It means you should make it unnecessary to put them there. Do not change the decorations, filter, current and other parameters if not really needed. Each change can cause fatal stress or can disturb the group hierarchy which can be fatal too.


That sounds not really encouraging. But when you keep these three points in your head Tropheus are like any other fish and can be really rewarding.


Considering all that I would start with only one group of Tropheus or maximum with Tropheus + one or two pair of goby cichlids. More gobies might be difficult to keep alive because of their aggression towards each other.

 

[Milingu]

Sorry, double post.

 

[trop]

My experience on Tropheus is a bit limited and I don't keep any at the moment. But here are three points I have learned.

3. Two groups of Tropheus rarely works long-term. One group will be dominated and suppressed by other group. In the best case they loose only their colours and look like charcoal or potatoes, in the worst they loose their lives. With juveniles it might work for one or two years until they are fully adults. I would still not do it because of the second point.

2. Tropheus can react way worth than other fish to foreign bacteria. Every addition of new fish literally means risking the whole group. I know some guys who slowly add water from the new fish's tank over weeks to the Tropheus tank to give them time to get used to potential foreign pathogens.

1. Keep your hands out of the tank!
This does not mean that you shouldn't put your hands in if necessary. It means you should make it unnecessary to put them there. Do not change the decorations, filter, current and other parameters if not really needed. Each change can cause fatal stress or can disturb the group hierarchy which can be fatal too.


That sounds not really encouraging. But when you keep these three points in your head Tropheus are like any other fish and can be really rewarding.


Considering all that I would start with only one group of Tropheus or maximum with Tropheus + one or two pair of goby cichlids. More gobies might be difficult to keep alive because of their aggression towards each other.

Thanks! I've kept mbuna and shelldwellers but never tropheys so these tips will be very helpful. In that case, I won't be keeping the annectens or gobies due to aggression and possible hybridization. How will the julies and telmatos work since they require similar diet?

I haven't kept many Lake Tanganyika fish. If you aren't set on Tanganyika tankmates, you might consider predator Haps to cruise the mid & upper levels of the 180. Fusco & Livingstoni come to mind.
If you want other species to share the hardscape with Tropheus, might go with some durable hard hitters like Red Zebras, Kenyi or Afras.

I'm not sure if mbuna will work well for tropheus and I want fish that share a similar vegetarian diet so its easier to feed.

 

[Milingu]

I have no experience with that combination. But I know two guys who keep Julidochromis for many years with their Tropheus, but I have no idea how they keep their population in check. Maybe I can ask one of them on the next fish meeting in August.

 

[trop]

I have no experience with that combination. But I know two guys who keep Julidochromis for many years with their Tropheus, but I have no idea how they keep their population in check. Maybe I can ask one of them on the next fish meeting in August.

Oh right that will certainly be a problem. too much protein for the tropheus yikes