[Guest]

I'm seriously considering Tropheus for my 120g (48"x24"x24").

I have a few questions.

Are they visually worth it? Would they make good display fish?

How many colonies could I fit in the tank and what are good mixing rules for a tropheus newbie?

What other Tanganyika fish could I fit in and how many? What about Synodontis sp., or clown loaches?

What decor? Would they prefer sand? Rock piles? What about caves? Pipes?

Lastly, what are good species to start with that have personality and/or color?
So far the ones I have like were the kaiser, sp red Ndole,
sp red Moliro, sp black Pemba orange flame, sp black cherry spot, duboisi, brichaedi ulije (can't spell).

Also are there any good Petros to consider? The profile pics don't look so great so if petros in general aren't colorful like tropheus, why are they popular?

~Ed

 

[Guest]

My tank is exactly that size and my 23 Ilangi is all I would ever put into it. There is plenty of activity at all levels of the tank and the one species allows pure tropheus behavior - which is mesmerizing.

At 2.5 to 3 inches, my Ilangis generate about 20 ppm of NO3 equivalent per seven days. This means that with 50%/week water changes, I struggle to keep wastes* at safe levels. If you want variety and tank-learned inter-species behaviors get a community tank. If you appreciate more subtle beauty and more natural (as natural as one can expect in less than 16 cubic feet of water) behaviors, get tropheus.

With good filtration and weekly gravel vacuming and glass wiping, you don't need scavengers or algae eaters.

Look at the tropheus movies on YouTube.

*IMHO nitrate at less than 100ppm is not toxic, but its measure is a proxy for other nasties that don't lend themselves to measurement by a cheap test kit.

 

[Guest]

Anyone else?

 

[24Tropheus]

About 60g per type of Troph is usualy the limmit for me.

Your tank is only four foot but 24"x24" its a bigger one than I have tried.

I would stick to one type but maybe dubs and a rainbow morrii OR a Sp Red could work together.

You would I think have to pack them in (very good filtration and waterchanges) to get a stable group of each (about 16 of each) and have the prob of managing two colonies aggression instead of just one.

A group of one type of Troph and one type of Gobie or Synos would prob be easier to manage.

Sand, they like to play with it. Maybe helps em self treat stomach bugs. Thin layer is easiest to keep clean, colour your choice "pool filter sand" and or crushed coral works OK bigger grains so packs less badly so less stuff get trapped in it.
Just rocks in two piles or two very large rocks is all thats needed.
Heavily rocked tanks the aggression can get way out of hand and are harder to keep clean enough.

 

[fiupntballr]

I would say that t mooris are a bit more 'frantic' than T. duboisi but it is cool to see theyre difference in behavior

 

[ddaquaria]

Are they visually worth it? Would they make good display fish?

Yes, I would not have 4-120s (same dimensions as yours) with only tropheus in my main room if not

How many colonies could I fit in the tank and what are good mixing rules for a tropheus newbie?

Trust me - 1 colony per 120 gallon tank. You will say to yourself - there is more room, but 1 colony look so much better in that footprint than two. You want to sprinkle something else in there let it be some petros.

What other Tanganyika fish could I fit in and how many? What about Synodontis sp., or clown loaches?

Petros but counts will vary. I like about 4 to 6 per 120. If you do a syno, I would stick to petricolas. I have never tried clown loaches.

What decor? Would they prefer sand? Rock piles? What about caves? Pipes?

I use a mix of pool filter sand and coral sand. My rocks are large limestone variants.

 

[flashg]

I think one nice big tropheus colony per tank would be your best bet... But that's just me. :wink:

 

[Guest]

Any petro suggestions?

Which of the tropheus I mentioned would be great starting out with? Any others worthy? (With the value of tropheus I realize I could always sell a colony and start over with a different species or try two colonies.)

 

[geoff_tropheus]

Ed,
For me Tropheus are very pleasing and do make good display fish. When your setting up a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft aquarium you have to make a decision on whether you want successful breeding or a display tank. Since your topic started on the display factor, I am going to assume your looking to make one.

In a 4ft tank typically only 1 colony is ever recommended, but since this is going to be display you can do two colonies. The breeding will be very minimal if any.

I would do (2) colonies of 12-15 fish each. Make sure your filtration is in the order of 7-10X turnover rate, and your going to be performing minimally, bi-weekly 50% water change.

When getting (2) Variants one variant needs to be Duboisi and the other can be of any Tropheus you like as long as it is not another Duboisi type. This will make for a 100% safe non-hybrid possibility. All other combinations could produce Hybrids.

Personally, I like Duboisi and any of the sp.blacks such as Bemba, Kiriza, Ikola, or Rutunga. The displays of these two fish together would look really nice in my opinion. This weekend I saw a Karago (brichardi variant) Colony that would also make for a stunning display to go with the Duboisi.

You can look at pictures of those, on the Texas Tropheus Traders website. Those are really nice fish.

Whatever you decide, if you go with two colonies be careful not to mix the others. If you do general rule is that you get as far apart of location as possible, and as distinctly different of color as possible especially in the flank area.

I would stick to Duboisi and then pick which you like the most as the second variant for a really nice Tropheus Display Tank.

Best of Luck!!

Geoff

 

[Guest]

Any colorful or interesting Petrochromis suggestions?

~Ed

 

[ddaquaria]

I like Petrochromis Trewavasae. And I wish I did not pass up a box of Petrochromis Tri-color when I had the chance. Sometimes you miss out listening to others.

Do what you want and have fun doing it.

 

[Guest]

Oh, and with everything I hear about Tropheus getting bloat all the time, would it be better to underfeed than feed several times a day?

What about pure Spirulina flakes daily with either live/frozen daphnia or cyclop-eeze weekly?
Or Omega One Veggie/Kelp flakes daily (once)?

Or lastly a light feeding of a pellet like Dainich Veggie Deluxe?

~Ed

 

[Guest]

Oh, and how big do Petros get? I can't seem to find any info on their total lengths.

Could I do two Tropheus colonies (maybe red Ndole or black pemba/cherry spot and duboisi) with 1 petro sp., or if I do get petro only get one tropheus colony them?

~Ed

 

[flashg]

Oh, and with everything I hear about Tropheus getting bloat all the time, would it be better to underfeed than feed several times a day?

What about pure Spirulina flakes daily with either live/frozen daphnia or cyclop-eeze weekly?
Or Omega One Veggie/Kelp flakes daily (once)?

Or lastly a light feeding of a pellet like Dainich Veggie Deluxe?

~Ed

The best way to prevent bloat IMO just keep your routine consistent. I think people fear bloat too much. Just don't do anything stupid and you will be fine. (avoid sudden temp swings, keep up on your water changes, keep an eye on aggression and things of this nature)

 

[eklikewhoa]

I would keep a feedings to a really small amount and multiple times a day till they become situated and you become more accustomed to their needs.

As for petros.....none are really "colorful" if you want to look at a bright colored tank that looks like a box of crayons but IMO they are all beautiful looking fish! In a 4' tank I would probably not put a Petro in there cause you would be limited on territory as is already with mixing two variants of tropheus it might be a bit of a problem but I guess you won't know till you try.

 

[blkg35]

If you're really considering buying tropheus for your display tank then I would suggest getting some metronidazole first. Always have this med on hand before buying any trophs, this will help minimize any loss. you can read more about it by searching under metronidazole in the library section of this site.

 

[geoff_tropheus]

personally I would never put Petros in a 4ft tank.

If your going to have two colonies in the tank, unless your second is a duboisi type, DO NOT PICK A sp.red. Very bad history of making hybrids.

The best thing to feed the fish is what they are eating now. Feed that for about 2 weeks, then blend over the food your wanting to feed them. This way you will know for sure after they arrive that they are not eating because they do not like the food your trying to get them to eat.

Once they arrive kept the lights off for a day, and only feed a light feeding for the first day or three. I usually do not feed the first day.

I have always had the best of luck using CLOUT if they come down with bloat as a cure. Metro works also, just not as effective for me.

Best of luck!

geoff

 

[ddaquaria]

Here is where opinions vary...

Since I actually own this tank (4 of them in fact), I still cannot recommend putting two colonies in the tank. Also, if you do go with any petros, it needs to be a variant that has a shorter length as an adult. And you will not be doing a colony but maybe 3 to 5. As both displays and healthy,breeding tropheus tanks, I have 1 colony per tank. Each colony is 30+ fish.

Formula is different but still works the same....

Have we said anything about filtration, water changes, etc....?

 

[Guest]

I'm thinking it would be best to get one colony going first to save money and to get fry to sell to pay them off with...

What do you think would sell for the most/fastest? A tropheus sp Red, sp Black, or duboisi?

~Ed

 

[geoff_tropheus]

Everytime I get Ikola fry they are sold. In fact I have a waiting list on them. Every time I had Duboisi Fry, they are sold as soon as I post them.

The other variants I keep sometimes take sometime to get sold.

Everyone likes the little poka-dot fish Duboisi, or bright yellow fish such as Ikola, Ilangi, Rainbow types...then the others it takes someone looking for them to make them move fast.

Best of luck with your choice.

Geoff