quick question about Nimbochromis venustus

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A

arpate

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 4, 2007
38
0
0
Tyler, Texas
I just picked up 2 little (2.5") Nimbochromis Venustus "giraffe cichlid"! I have researched all the basics about this fish but I'm curious about growth rate - how fast do they grow? They will eventually be put in my 90 gallon but they are significantly smaller than my current fish which consist of a fusco, red empress, yellow lab, and a ice blue zebra!
I plan to move the 2 mbunas out before I add the giraffes!
Any information would be appreciated on this species!
 
They are pretty fast growers, but not quite as fast as the fusco. I would definitly grow them out as long as possible before adding them with the other fish. I shouldn't take long for them to reach a big enough size for them to defend themselves.
 
They grow quick...mine has grown roughly an inch a month. Thats feeding NLS as a staple, then brine shrimp and krill.
 
they do grow quick mine have been growing at about an inch every month also. i have around 8 in a 150 on of my fav fish of all time.
 
Good that you are going to hold off putting them in the 90. Grow em first. They will put on a decent amount of growth quickly.
 
I would think your fusco is going to beat the tar out of your venustus. I had to take mine out of my 230 gal because he was hyper-aggressive towards all my other nimbochromis species or any fish with a blue face. All my other nimbos were larger than my fusco. This is the 3rd fusco I've tried and all have been nasty. They are stunning fish if you can keep their aggression down but as soon as any of mine started to get color and dominance they turned into wrecking machines. A word of caution: my fusco killed my red empress. That doesn't mean yours will but its something to watch for. I find the venustus to be the most mellow of all the nimbos. I just added a second 7'' male to my tank and have had no problems between the 2. My livingstoni keeps everything in check. I also have a polystigma in there. I just think that a 90 gal is too small for a venustus and a fusco to live peacefully together over the long run. Maybe someone else has had better luck but my experience with fuscos has not been pleasant. Good luck!

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Thanks for all the comments! - That is good to know they will grow that quick!
I have a feeling my Fusco will start to cause some major problems in the future from what I have read and also from comments from the folks on MFK! I have had this fish for roughly 1 year now and have had little to no problems with aggression! I must say recently he has been chasing a few of the fish but it is not very often and only lasts for a very short time! Either way I may need to sell him to enable all the fish to live peacefully in the 90 gallon!
RDFISHGUY - thanks for the pics! That is a really nice looking tank and good looking fish -- thanks again to all of you for your comments!
 
whatever you do, just dont add any small juvenile africans to his tank once he is bigger-he will eat them. i have a 9 inch male and he is absolutely my favorite fish, but always keep in mind that they are ambush predators and prey on smaller fish.. just keep him with fish he cant cram in his big mouth! lol..
 
Yes, i just got a venustus about a month ago and he is now my 'pig fish' and tries to eat all the food so no one else gets any. He is only about 2 inches, but he is quite a lil' devil
 
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