what type of target fish/non cichlid swimmers make good tank mates for a buttikoferi in your experience?
Tankmates
- Thread starter richkid
- Start date
Buttikoferi are the most psychopathic fish I've ever kept, and I was never able to keep anything in a tank with them after they became adults.
In nature they swim with Hippos eating their dung, as the hippos krapp it out, so hippos are the only thing tough enough.
In nature they swim with Hippos eating their dung, as the hippos krapp it out, so hippos are the only thing tough enough.
In the African rivers buttikoferi inhabit, there are also giant Cyprinids and that eat hippo feces, and swim along (some kind of kind of like 2 ft Tin foil barbs, or common carp, others like dull grey colored 3 ft red tail sharks) that might work if your tank is the size of a few thousand gallon pool.
I was gonna say I believe it's the black sharks that eat hippo poo.
I had success in a 300g tank with a 14" butti.
He started murdering large cichlids at that size but 5* generals (hemichromis elongatus) done well as did my group of adult spanner Barb's, the are so boisterous I think they done his head in lol.
I found pleco and cats were ignored too.
I wouldn't suggest trying it in a smaller tank and as always every fish is different.
I am yet to come across any large cichlid that became a total killer in the 300 tbh.
Jardini and Asian aro are the worst two I tried.
I had success in a 300g tank with a 14" butti.
He started murdering large cichlids at that size but 5* generals (hemichromis elongatus) done well as did my group of adult spanner Barb's, the are so boisterous I think they done his head in lol.
I found pleco and cats were ignored too.
I wouldn't suggest trying it in a smaller tank and as always every fish is different.
I am yet to come across any large cichlid that became a total killer in the 300 tbh.
Jardini and Asian aro are the worst two I tried.
My buttikoferi was also a madman, lived alone in a 75 gallon until about 10", attacked me viciously at water change time, and then I gave it away.
In a huge tank like Justarn says, you might have luck with large barbs or the like. In anything under a 300 or so, will probably have to be a solo fish.
In a huge tank like Justarn says, you might have luck with large barbs or the like. In anything under a 300 or so, will probably have to be a solo fish.
Thanks everyone for the replies. Right now it’s in a 125 w a black belt and a loisielle. The black belt used to harass the Lois until I added the butti which was previously alone or w convicts (who did alright) in a 55. I wanted to simplify my set up as my time for the hobby has dwindled so I emptied my two 55s and am only keeping the 125. I got rid of a large amount of fish and kept just these three. I was wondering if I could add some sort of characin or tetra in a large school to kind of break up the tension. Right now there is no real fighting as the belt has already relinquished dominant positioning in the tank. Not sure if it will last the butti harasses at will sometimes not at all. Would like other fish to divide his attention. Maybe a convict or two?
Burris tend to fight other cichlids, so I would go with fast swimming fish that don't register as similar, such as a school of giant danios, rainbowfish etc
