It was 2009, and Cichlid-forum was just getting 'LIT UP' with all of these glowing reports of aquarium keepers purchasing these so-called 'Unkeepable' Tanganyikans.
They were stocking these extremely large (250 - 450 Gallon) aquariums with all of these incredible, Wild Caught Petrochromis cichlids.
These are quite possibly the absolute NASTIEST, Most Aggressive Vegetarian Cichlid - ON THE PLANET!!!!
And, I remember back then getting inspired. Excited! And ultimately coming so close to making the plunge with this species. Attempting the impossible?
I mean, c'mon. This yellow adult P. sp. 'Moshi' looks awesome!
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For so long it had been thought that Petrochromis trewavasae was the only one of this genus that anyone had any sort of chance of keeping successfully. And though they were considered more mild-mannered in the aquarium by many.... disaster was only a case of bloat or a rampaging male away from destroying an entire tank of these fish.
And when you're talking 80 to 100 bucks - APIECE - for these things, in numbers exceeding 10 to 12 individuals (more is better!!).... the risks were just unbelievably high.
But then we started seeing these incredible pics and keeping anecdotes of C-f members getting and growing out these larger, so much more aggressive Petrochromis species such as P. sp. 'Moshi', P. sp. 'Bulu Red Point'. These was even a C-f article about these cichlids,
https://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ ... ro_pt1.php
But, where P. trewavasae was going for the rather 'princely' sum of 80 to 100 dollars apiece? These other, larger and rarer species were starting at around 150 to 200 each.
*GULP*
And with minimum, recommended stocking numbers ranging anywhere from 15 to 30+ of these brutes to attempt control of (out-of-control) aggression... things were getting out of hand.
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And, I suspect the ultimate success rate for keeping these 'Unkeepable' Cichlids just about cratered. There were just many problems to overcome.
- Beyond 'Enormous' Tank Size
- Highly sensitive to Bloat and other maladies
- A willingness in this species to just wage absolute WAR in an aquarium... Until - EVERYONE DIES!!!
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So, can we consider Petrochromis, a Tanganyikan Aquarium Failure?
They were stocking these extremely large (250 - 450 Gallon) aquariums with all of these incredible, Wild Caught Petrochromis cichlids.
These are quite possibly the absolute NASTIEST, Most Aggressive Vegetarian Cichlid - ON THE PLANET!!!!
And, I remember back then getting inspired. Excited! And ultimately coming so close to making the plunge with this species. Attempting the impossible?
I mean, c'mon. This yellow adult P. sp. 'Moshi' looks awesome!
-
-
For so long it had been thought that Petrochromis trewavasae was the only one of this genus that anyone had any sort of chance of keeping successfully. And though they were considered more mild-mannered in the aquarium by many.... disaster was only a case of bloat or a rampaging male away from destroying an entire tank of these fish.
And when you're talking 80 to 100 bucks - APIECE - for these things, in numbers exceeding 10 to 12 individuals (more is better!!).... the risks were just unbelievably high.
But then we started seeing these incredible pics and keeping anecdotes of C-f members getting and growing out these larger, so much more aggressive Petrochromis species such as P. sp. 'Moshi', P. sp. 'Bulu Red Point'. These was even a C-f article about these cichlids,
https://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ ... ro_pt1.php
But, where P. trewavasae was going for the rather 'princely' sum of 80 to 100 dollars apiece? These other, larger and rarer species were starting at around 150 to 200 each.
*GULP*
And with minimum, recommended stocking numbers ranging anywhere from 15 to 30+ of these brutes to attempt control of (out-of-control) aggression... things were getting out of hand.
-
And, I suspect the ultimate success rate for keeping these 'Unkeepable' Cichlids just about cratered. There were just many problems to overcome.
- Beyond 'Enormous' Tank Size
- Highly sensitive to Bloat and other maladies
- A willingness in this species to just wage absolute WAR in an aquarium... Until - EVERYONE DIES!!!
-
So, can we consider Petrochromis, a Tanganyikan Aquarium Failure?