[gargoyle]

a friend of mine has a breeding pair of these and he says they wont quit breeding so he said he would give me as many as i wanted have never kept these fish have always kept c/a and s/a so any info would be great thanks

 

[samaki]

Hi you have to make a river's decoration, some pebbles(they need a lots of holes and caves to feel secure) and a very thin sand, a well oxygenated water with a neutral pH. This species do not love nitrats so water changes are necessary every weeks. They are cave spawning species(hidden substrate spawners) that guard their fry very carefully and can become agressive during this period. They live by pair and occupy the ground section sometimes keeping an eyes in the tank from a rock top, not very good swimmers but very interresting species to keep.
xris

 

[gargoyle]

the water changes not a problem do a 30% on every tank but i think they are pretty neat to watch i was at my buddies house and was watching them very interesting alot different then what i have now so i think i will try them what can be kept with them 1 pair in a 40 or 55 gal.

 

[samaki]

Hi you can house some african's tetras as Micralestes occidentalis, Brycinus longipinnis, Arnoldichtys spilopterus or Phenacogramus interruptus or another pair of rapid's cichlid as Teleograma brichardi or Lamprologus congoensis.
Xris

 

[chapman76]

Would a pair do well in a 20L or a 29g?

 

[samaki]

29 g would be better, you can house them in this kind of volume but watch closely how the pair will interact. If they begin to fight or you see too much pursuits then kepp them in the 40 or 55 g.

xris

 

[chapman76]

Ok, just curious as I'm gonna have 2 of those tanks opening up soon. Gonna stop stripping my females. Sick of having so many fry tanks. Thanks.

 

[samaki]

joe_kool315
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
Â
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 11:22 am   Post subject: Steatocranus Casuarius / buffalo head ???'s
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OK I've been breeding these pretty succesfuly and I had a few questions since I learned recently that some egg laying africans will still hearim breed (ie... my A. Calvus). Anyway my question was, will the buffalo heads do the same. I have 2 other females but have removed them after the male chose one of the other females to breed with. He didn't really bother the other ladies but he did kill the heck out of all the othe males as he was growing up so I remove them just in case. I'm thinking now that I might make a couple other breeding holes and throw the other females back in the tank and see if he'll do his buisness with more than just the one.

What do you guys think?Back to top
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fairdeal
Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Â
Location: Calgary,Alberta.Canada
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:57 pm   Post subject:
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From my experience with buffaloheads I would have to suggest not throwing more females in with the male.I read when I got my 1st bunch that they tend to mate for life and I have 1st hand knowledge that this is true.When the male chose his mate he very aggressively chased the others away and would not tolerate any others near his "spot".He eventually killed 2 females and another male who kept trying to get close. When his mate died I bought 4 females hoping that he would choose another mate, but he chased all of them away and killed 2 who just would not give up. He now lives in his ornament with some cuckoo cats for company, but still refuses to let any other of his kind anywhere near.Back to top
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joe_kool315
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
Â
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 2:54 pm   Post subject:
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well not the news I was hoping for but pretty much what I was thinking.

I guess I have to start looking for another young man that hasn't chosen his mate yet then ... Any one have any males they've had to seperate out of a group they were growing to get a pair? I have 2 lonely ladies looking to make a man happy ... Back to top
Â

 

[samaki]

shockwave
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Â
Location: northern ohio
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:45 am   Post subject: buffalo head cichlid
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I had a one of these years ago and would like to get another one or two. My tank is occupied by around 28 Haps and Mbuna (125 gallon) Has anybody had any successs with these in a Malawi tank. The deco includes lava rocks for hiding spaces and also the fake (resin) driftwood along with crushed coral for the substrate. If you tell me I need a different tank , I have no problem, but the wife may be looking for you Back to top
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sixfoottank
Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Â
Location: Cambridge, UK
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 10:34 pm   Post subject:
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I have heard of people keeping these with mbuna, but they don't really like the high pH or the high levels of stress they are likely to experience. I prefer to keep them in neutral, softer water with kribs, congo tetras and synodontis cats. They also do well with plants but they need to be tough plants as they need well oxygenated water - so quite a lot of water movement is needed.
So yes, get another tank - I'm in Cambridge, UK - so I feel fairly safe from your wife!Back to top
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shockwave
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Â
Location: northern ohio
Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:00 am   Post subject:
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sixfoottank

Thanks for the info, I believe I had kribs the last time I had one. Looks like I may have to get another tank. I had a 55 gallon with him before and was thinking around that size again - looking to get 3-4 along with a couple of your other suggestions. Would this be a good size for them or would you suggest different.Back to top

 

[Koth]

I have a couple of Staetocranus Casuaruses (1 male, 1 female) that I'm going to be moving to a 29 gallon tank in the next couple of weeks. I'll also be adding either a Bristlenose Pleco, or a Chaetostoma milesi. I would prefer the Chaetostoma milesi, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find one here. The tank is going to have a sand substrate, and plenty of rockwork.

Anyway, I was wondering if there are any other cichlids that would work with the Staetocranus Casuaruses. Perhaps shell dwellers?

Also, what kind of bottom feeder would be good for this type of tank? I would prefer something that is appealing, as opposed to simply there as an ugly utility fish.

 

[foo.c]

kribs would be my recommendation if you want to try another cichlid. Look out for agression if one pair spawns though. It's hard to say what exactly will work and what won't due to individual temperments, but those two species tend to be less agressive.

Shell dwellers like harder water. I wouldn't go that route.

You don't really need a bottom feeder unless you want one, just don't overfeed. I like Botia striata myself as they keep snails from getting out of control. They don't get huge like maricanthus which is a plus. Get at least a trio if you get them.

 

[avy1219]

What does everyone feed these guys. I tried the shrimp pellets but they dont like em, actually none of my fish will eat them (did i possibly get a bad batch or something??????) They eat flakes but not many make it to the lower levels of the tank with everything else. They arent to big on swimming to the top for the floating pellets. So all that leaves me with is frozen blood worms. Everything in my tank loves em, Steatocranus casuarus included, but i would rather not make that their staple food. Anyone have any thoughts???????

 

[kogainei]

Would any of you guys have this fish? steatocranus casuarius

I would like to find out more info on it.

Cheers

 

[Fogelhund]

Have you read the article on it?

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/s_casuarius.php

Looked through the profile?

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1353

If you use the search function, you will also find many posts on it.

If there are questions not answered by these resources, than please post them, and we can try and help out as much as possible.

 

[jaquenargg]

like many of the others on this thread, I plan on putting a pair in a 29 gallon. is it true that kribs would work in this tank with the s. casuarius? i would love to have both species but if this isnt possible i would settle on some congo tetras.

i also plan on purchasing a powerhead to create a motion in the water to up the dissolved oxygen. as far as tank set up, i would create numerous caves out of boulders, and have plants such as java fern.

my primary concern is that my tank well end up being too bottom oriented. my last community of mbunas never used the top portion of the tank, so there was a lot of unused space which i found unnattractive. would the congo tetras occupy that upper space?

 

[jaquenargg]

I'm getting a trio of s. casuarius tomorrow (im hoping to get a pair out of them, then returning the third wheel) and I am unsure as to how to deal with the problem of oxygenating the tank. I have heard that these fish need higher oxygen, but I am unsure as to how to do that. I know that powerheads can achieve this, but I do not know how powerful of a flow there needs to be. My filter runs very well so there is always a good flow, but do I need additional oxygenation?

My fish store has a wide range of powerheads, and I would like to buy the one with as little flow as is necessary, as they are quite expenseive and i am quite strapped for cash.

Any help would be great.

 

[dogofwar]

You shouldn't need anything more than regular filtration.

 

[sophiedude]

Ok, quick question.

Anyone keep or have experience with African Blockheads (Steatocranus casuarius)? :roll:

I have opportunity to buy a mature pair of these and I loved them the second I saw them. The male has a massive forehead which in an ugly sort of way makes him georgeous. :lol:

I know by comparison the colour of these fish is a bit dull, but their unusual shape and behaviour make me very much attracted to them.

Before I splash out a hefty wedge of cash I wanted to know whether anyone had any experience of keeping them in their mbuna or hap tanks. 8)

Any knowledge or comments appreciated.

Cheers.

:wink:

Mark

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[Joea]

Before I splash out a hefty wedge of cash I wanted to know whether anyone had any experience of keeping them in their mbuna or hap tanks. 8)

I've never kept them but I know they should really be in a tank on their own with a lot of water movement. A large tank could possibly house a pair with some calm haps and peacocks but I wouldn't try them with any mbuna.

 

[SinisterKisses]

I would never keep mine with mbuna, and most likely not with Haps, either. These guys are just too calm and 'innocent', I don't think they'd survive in a Malawi tank.

If you have a smaller tank available though, why not do a species tank with them? They're a great little fish, I love mine.