Experience w Nandopsis Haitiensis

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sickcichs

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 23, 2010
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Colorado
Well I am excited to say that I just ordered 6 Nandopsis Haitiensis from Cichlid Connection,what an awesome place to do business with.
What tips can of you guys and gals give me towards the upbringing of these little critters??
I hear they can be pretty delicate with their diet when young is this true?
My ph is at 7.5 and my temp is at 77f,this should be ok from what I have read.I just want everything right before they get here tomorrow.
They will be 3 inches upon arrival and housed in a 150 gallon tank.
 
With my experience with them, several different times, Id say the following:

1) 6-3"ers in a 150 will more than likely end up as 1-4"er by Oct 1st at the latest, unless you have 20+ dithers around the same size, or are willing to use dividers or separate tanks to let them grow bigger. 1 dominant one will stress the others and kill them with ease, as will any other cichlid that wants to spar with them.

2) stress, more than diet, has always led to the bloat issues Ive had with them, all the way up to 5".

3) 77 might be a little low of a temp, but I was never able to pinpoint that as a factor with mine and I kept them at different times from 76-84 degrees.

4) If they (IT) dont/doesnt feel like the dominant fish in the tank, they will bloat, which leads to the issues I said in 1...only 1 of them will feel dominant once the hierarchy is established.

5) I bought mine from 3 different places and they were F1, F2 and tank raised. The Tank raised always lived longer than the F's.

6) Water changes of at least 50% once a week (as with any tank really).

Good Luck with them. I gave up trying about 2-3 yrs ago because they are the only species I just couldnt keep alive, no matter how many water changes I did, what diet I fed them or what temp I kept the tank at.
 
They are very hard to keep alive because they are so sensitive. Any type of stress can bring out sickness. They get to about 8" and they are aggressive. I hope you have a big tank. But with care you should be okay. Make sure your water parameters are stable, no ammonia or nitrites and nitrates below 20ppm. Make sure your pH is stable. They are omnivore so they should get some veggies in their diet, peas, lettuce, cucumber and zucchini. They are susceptible to bloat. You should soak the food in tank water before you feed it to them, just a little tip. Peas are important in their diet along with a good staple pellet and a variety of foods.
 
Raise the temp to 86-88 degrees. On Hispanola they can be found in 90 water and can tolerate a slightly brackish environment.
My experience with them was similar to VRWC's. Only thing I'll add is that aside from the dominant fish inducing bloat in his subordinates, he can get bloat himself from the stress of chasing the others around the tank all day.
My dominant male paired with a female and the two spawned. He went bonkers chasing the others around and, shortly after he eliminated them, he stopped eating and slowly died. He was 4".
 
i have a pair of haitians male about 12 inches female about9 in ,they are very aggressive i have one of there fry in a tanks with about 30 dovii and he runs the tank. i have never feed them veggies and have never had bloat problems only problems are mine are greedy and like to fight. my cuban fry seem to be very fragile in the begging but my haitians are very hardy, the male is a true monster of a fish i really like these guys
 
I agree with the above posts. Haits at a smaller size will tend to hang out in the shallower water for protection and the temps average 80-90. And as they get bigger They head for deaper cooler water.. the issue with these are stress, whether its tankmates, the Tank may be in a high stress area, or people handle them too much. I a receiving 15 of these lil guys tomorrow and I have two separate tanks ready. I threw some dovii fry in as a welcoming present. But This was all my eggs aren't in same basket. Plus I have dividers ready and all the necessary meds in case I need them. Temps at 83 in both tanks. I've heard good things about these guys from a friend that got a few already and they are very healthy So good luck and keep us updated please
 
Who has F1 haitiensis?

VRWC;4325865; said:
With my experience with them, several different times, Id say the following:

1) 6-3"ers in a 150 will more than likely end up as 1-4"er by Oct 1st at the latest, unless you have 20+ dithers around the same size, or are willing to use dividers or separate tanks to let them grow bigger. 1 dominant one will stress the others and kill them with ease, as will any other cichlid that wants to spar with them.

2) stress, more than diet, has always led to the bloat issues Ive had with them, all the way up to 5".

3) 77 might be a little low of a temp, but I was never able to pinpoint that as a factor with mine and I kept them at different times from 76-84 degrees.

4) If they (IT) dont/doesnt feel like the dominant fish in the tank, they will bloat, which leads to the issues I said in 1...only 1 of them will feel dominant once the hierarchy is established.

5) I bought mine from 3 different places and they were F1, F2 and tank raised. The Tank raised always lived longer than the F's.

6) Water changes of at least 50% once a week (as with any tank really).

Good Luck with them. I gave up trying about 2-3 yrs ago because they are the only species I just couldnt keep alive, no matter how many water changes I did, what diet I fed them or what temp I kept the tank at.
Click to expand...
 
dogofwar;4326709; said:
Who has F1 haitiensis?
Click to expand...

the F1s I had were from Don Conkel, more than 3 yrs ago...probably closer to 5 yrs and if Im not mistaken, I had some from rapps around 2005 that were F1s too.
 
I am getting mine from Cichlid Connection,I highly recommend them.
Well if I had to guess I would say I am in for a challenge,but the finished product is awesome.
I have my water at 80f now,great current.Just waiting for the fish.
 
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