125g community based around Xenotilapia flavipinnis

I haven't kept flavipinnis but I did start my 120 with 7 xeno bathyphilus, and I really enjoy the activity level and the demeanor of a group of sandsifters. They're not shy and they stay busy but without beating the **** out of each other! :lol: If you want to build the tank around them, I think a group of at least 10 is the way to go--they look great and feel more secure in groups. I remember individual juvies panicking when the lights would go off, and calming down when they could find someone to swim next to after getting reoriented. They are known for jumping and for crashing into glass and rocks when they get spooked.

I do remember reading that the flavipinnis are biparental mouthbrooders, so you should see some definite pairing up at a certain point, and I'm not sure how that affects group dynamics. I'd think in a 125 where they are the main attraction that you ought to be able to handle several pairs. Try searching some old threads and you may pick up some more tips on them.

For reasons that were never clear to me, my bathyphilus started turning up dead for no apparent reason after I'd had them awhile, about one per month, until I only had one left, whom I moved in with a group of enantiopus kilesa where he happily remains. The tank conditions seemed fine and I could never figure out who in the community might have been stressing them out, but I suspected some breeding male cyps and perhaps also some goby cichlids, who had a lot going on among their fractious group!

Paracyps seem like an ideal choice, and non-jumbo cyps or cyp micros should be fine, though they are maybe a little less of a sure bet. Others will have to speak to the xenos ability to protect fry, and whether that means you could raise fry in the tank with a species of rock dweller, for example. One corner of the tank for some shellies ought to work if you're interested in them...

Anyway, hope you go for it and enjoy them! :thumb:

@ahud: when I was planning to get them about a year and a half ago I found some info by searching "flavipinnis" on this site--not sure you'll get as much as you might like but there are people around who've bred them. If any specific things come up in your reading you want to ask about I'll bet someone will bite! If my bathyphilus are any indication, you definitely won't need dithers, so long as you have a group. If anything, they can draw out other fish.

@kiriyama: I would think if you can get more bathyphilus, you should. Unless they're adults and a trio of 1m/2f, they'd be more fun and likely do better in a group of at least 6-8. I killed mine, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me , but my altos were totally fine with them (and vice versa), so your sumbus and paracyps ought to do well. Maybe add some flat rocks leaned up against the back and a few hiding places between them for the paracyps. More fish than that is probably hit and miss. Could certainly work, but if things start getting a bit crowded it seems like the sifters are the first ones to suffer, so you might want to keep that in mind. :thumb:

Xenotilapia flavipinnis show parental care after they spit the fry right?

How large of a group should I go for at first?

When they pair off do they guard a territory?

Click to expand...

Aaron, I did some checking on this one. I have xeno's, but not flavipinnis. There are a few different flavors of xeno. Some are rock dwellers, some intermediate, and some more deep water, so they're not all the same. Flavipinnis is a pairing fish, but schools when young. When they pair off, they will stake out and claim a territory and chase out intruders, and can be aggressive about it. Males share in the protection of young, as they are biparental mouth brooders, and in an aquarium the pair bond can be strong. But I've read that they may squabble if left alone in a tank with no distractions. In the wild, it's suspected the pair bond only lasts throgh the breeding season. If it were me, I'd get six, let a pair form, and remove any that need to be removed, but leave them if they're ok so the pair has something to quibble with besides each other. You could opt for trying for a second pair or add something else, depending on how the pair were treating the rest. Many options in that regard, and some of it will come down to how many fry you want to keep and raise. Many xeno's are easily spooked and will flee if startled, so I'd probably go open sand as much as possible.

Here's a thread you can check out. Not much info out there, you're right.

HTH