Neolamprologus tretocephalus

[HerCrenVie]

I'm back after a 3-month hiatus, lol. Today while at the fish shop to get crickets for my centipede and treefrogs I decided to try something different for once, so I bought 5 of these 2-3 inchers, and I unwittingly caused the death of 2 of them, unfortunately. The 3 survivors are doing good though, it seems I may have 1 male and 2 females, from the shape of the head and jaw. This is my first serious attempt at keeping and breeding African cichlids. Does anyone else have experience with this species? Tips to share? I was thinking of getting a few more to replace the 2 dead ones but I'm worried about their potential aggressiveness towards any newcomers.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Taz2478]

I had some. basically like most tangs, make a cave. once a pr is formed they'll most likely take it for theirs and breeding will not stop.

depending on the tank size and setup, you might not be able to or want to add more. very aggressive when spawning and towards most other tangs in general.

here's some more specific info...
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Carmark_N Tretocephalus.html

 

[HerCrenVie]

I had some. basically like most tangs, make a cave. once a pr is formed they'll most likely take it for theirs and breeding will not stop.

depending on the tank size and setup, you might not be able to or want to add more. very aggressive when spawning and towards most other tangs in general.

here's some more specific info...
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Carmark_N%20Tretocephalus.html

It's a 60x30x50 I think. I haven't seen much aggression among them yet, though the alpha male seems to be more hostile towards one particular (probable) female. Wouldn't a bigger group disperse the aggression? Also, they're too shy to grab pellets from the surface, and so all they're eating are frozen bloodworms and chopped prawn. Is this diet good enough? I read that too much frozen food can lead to bloat, especially in certain Central Americans and many Rift Lakers. Will they get over their shyness after a few weeks? They're so skittish that they smash themselves around the tank everytime I try to take a few pics. And yes, there's adequate cover in the form of flowerpots.

 

[Taz2478]

more would be good to get more prs so the singles wouldn't get beat on as much. you could aslo try some barbs or other non lamprologus tangs like Tropheus.

shrimps are ok but too much bloodworms could be a problem. can you get frozen mysis shrimp, small grass shrimp or any veggie/cichlid flakes?

I have noticed most tangs will be shy for a good bit. They are mainly hunters swimming around rocks. My breeding Brichardi still stay in a cave most of the time and I've had them for 2yrs. They're in a 30 long and breed almost twice a month.

 

[Muske]

Try soaking the pellets in a glass of water befroe feeding. This will allow them to soak up some water and sink. My Front loves them that way, and my other shy guys prefer that method. I, from time to time, will add a few garlic extract drops to the glass of soaking pellets to marinate them.

 

[TheFanatic]

Throw in a chunk of Zucchini. Mine go to town when I throw some in for my plecos...

 

[Ash]

Instead of going through all of that, why not just buy sinking pellets?? If you change up the diet then you should be fine. Try frozen shrimp one week, pellets the next, veggie flakes the next and then go back to where you started, then they get everything they need without getting to much of something that could be potentially bad over time. I agree that buying more and adding caves is your best bet. More will disperse agression and equal out and caves will give them a place to hide - make sure there is enough for everyone.

 

[HerCrenVie]

I've tried sinking pellets already - in fact, the type Hikari makes - and they didn't like the taste, apparently. Meanwhile I've got an aggression problem. The dominant tret (the male) is constantly keeping the 2 others (probably females) at the top of the tank. There is no sign of pair formation, even though I'm 99.9% sure I have 1 male and 2 females. How long will I have to wait for the male to mellow out or will he forever be so aggressive?

 

[Ash]

Well if those 2 females are not females then the agression wont stop. How big are they?? Again agression is dealt with by adding and subtracting. Get rid of the agressive one and another fish will take its place- sometimes less agressive and sometimes more. Add in more and it disperses the agression. You either need to take him out and see what happens or you need to add more in. If that fish is agressive then he is going to keep on being agressive. It's possible that the male will never pair up with the females and may end up killing them (I ve had that happen with a different type of African before). Its possible they will pair up, but if he is an agressive fish, he's an agressive fish. Add in more rockwork you need more places to hide then you have fish.

My fish take sinking pellets but wont touch hikari, I would try New Life Spectrum or Extreme Cichlid sinking sticks (has fronts on the cover). My fish are very picky but will eat both of those.

 

[HerCrenVie]

I removed him. I'll leave the tank like that for a few days to let the two battered "females" establish territories of their own. Meanwhile I got a few dithers - two 1.5" Hemichromis sp. and a 4.5" Polypterus senegalus. Thanks for all the help so far!