Q1a.
Tank Size My question is will my tank suit a colony or not. The tank is a 4 x 2 x 2.5 deep of around 550-600 litres. It has an Eheim Pro filter so I believe the filtration will be adequate, twin fluoros so plenty of algal growth I am however worried that the tank may not be long enough.
A.
Yes 4x2 is fine for a single species colony.I just find they do better in longer tanks. Maybe I shouldn't have been so rigid in my advice LOL. But I have had tropheus in 2.5', 4', 5' and 6' tanks and they just seem to like the length. At the end of the day though it just comes down to the colony make up - they can be such a bunch of individuals. For example: I have my Ikolas in a 4x2x2 and they are fine. They are only young adults still (about 15 mths I guess) so havent started real serious spawning yet. I have my Bulu Pts in a 6'x14"x18" (~300 litres) at the moment and they are happier in there than when in the bigger volume 4x2x2(~400 litres). A mate has a large breeding colony of Moliros in 4x2x2 and they do extra well, though he has to keep an eye on the water quality. Your tank is 2.5'h so plenty of water volume. Sounds great - will be interesting to see how tropheus use that height. Glad I don't have to gravel clean that one!
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Q1b.
Tank Size I will be putting my new chipimbi's into a 4x2x2 but what in your opinion is the smallest tank you would put a colony of tropheus into?
A.
I think the smallest tank you can use for Tropheus is 4'x18"x18", but as you know, based on my experience, I recommend larger. I wouldn't put more than one species in a 4' though. In my experience, long tanks (6') just seem to work better - the colony almost has a personality change when you move them.
If money was no object I would use 6x2x2 every time, followed by 6x2x18"h, followed by 6'x18"x18" but that is just me -
I have heard of people with 30 in a 30" tank for 15 years!
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Q1c.
Tank Size About your Tropheus Calculator?
A.
Thanks for visiting my site and using the Tcalc. If you read my articles under Tropheus tips you will see I recommend a
minimum of 15 of 1 species for a Tropheus colony. Sure there are lots of exceptions to the rule, as I mention in the articles, and maybe even
more so for Duboisi, but by and large small groups of Tropheus do not work when they get to adults. Sometimes you can jag a good small group,
depends on the personalites. Good luck with your 5.
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Q2a.
Beginners Tropheus Do you think Ilangi are a good choice for a Tropheus first timer? Or should I go with Duboisi?
A.
Ilangi are one of the most expensive of the Tropheus due to their rarity (apparently because they come from a part of the lake full of crocodiles so divers are reluctant to go in). It is arguable whether they are the best looking. My two dominant males (no 2 is in a photo) are the best Ilangi I have seen. My trio photo is representative of young adults. The Ilangi are T. moorii, and T. moorii take a while to get their adult colouring.
Duboisi are very different to all the other Tropheus. They all start out as blackish with white/bluish polka dots, then as adults have a black body with blue head and according to the variant end up with a mid body vertical band that is either broad creamy yellow/white (Maswa), thin white (Karilani), or broad white (Kigoma, Bemba).
A lot of people start with Duboisi because they are the cheapest (more of them around), are cute when young and (depending on your taste) handsome when adults.
I have found Duboisi to be easier to keep. They seem more robust and less probe to bloat. But, again, I wouldn't like to generalise - but maybe this is because they have been more aquarium bred Duboisi than Ilangi? A lot of first time Tropheus keepers run into trouble so it will be less costly to get burnt with Duboisi than Ilangi. At the end of the day you can be unlucky with either.
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Q3a.
Buying Tropheus When buying Tropheus I am aware that I should avoid any fish that is not fully active, front and centre with the rest of the Tropheus in the tank. Do you agree with this?
A.
Pretty much. Ask how long since they have been fed, and if you can sprinkle a little flake in their tank. Any that are not interested in eating you dont want (they may be sick and you dont know how long for). Some may rush the food and spit it out - this is an early sign of Tropheus Bloat.
Of course you might want to allow for them not being hungry if they have just been fed or are being over fed (but ime a healthy Tropheus is always hungry). Some tropheus will just get too big a mouthful and spit it out but they should come back for more. Very occasionally they will just have trouble swallowing a big mouthful and refuse to spit it out.
It is hard to watch a lot at once. So just sprinkle a little, then wait a few minutes if you are unsure of some and try again and keep an eye on the ones you were unsure of. Sick tropheus will usually hang out under a rock on the bottom, or under a heater. But hanging back from the group might just mean they have been getting harassed - not unusual in small lfs tanks. But if they are getting harassed they will still be keen to eat. So how they approach the food is by far the best indication.
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Q3b.
Buying Tropheus I'm aware I should not take any fish from the shop that is not eating, or spits their food, but should I avoid the whole tank if one fish behaves like this?
A.
This can be a tough call.
In my own tanks when I have one showing signs of Tropheus Bloat I treat the whole tank.
When buying if you just take the good ones and leave behind the sick ones there is a very good chance you will get an outbreak with the stress of the move, and you will end up treating them anyway. Probably comes down to how bad you want them. And how many they have to choose from. If you have a choice, or the patience to wait, I would skip the whole tank.
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Q4a.
Colony Size Do I really need at least 15?
A.
Tropheus are a colony fish and to both enjoy them and for them to be happy in an aquarium environment I recommend a minimum of 15. In a large colony one gets to appreciate the social interaction of the colony more. But more importantly when you have low numbers in the colony there can often be problems with aggression - a larger colony helps dissipate the aggression because the higher number helps distract the more aggressive members. Other factors come into play as well because generally when you have a large number you will have a larger tank and that can help alleviate territorial issues which lessens aggression also. Having said that, smaller colonies can work successfully, sometimes it just depends on the personality of the individuals. I had a trio of Moliro (1m/2f) quite happy and breeding, but they were in a 6x2x2 with a large colony of Duboisi. I have had colonies of 8 and 10/11 working okay also. But I have also had big problems with colonies of 8, only to be resolved when I built the colony numbers up. I certainly would not go less than 8. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest Duboisi are easier to keep in smaller numbers - but I think it depends on the personality of the individuals rather than the species.
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Q5a.
Feeding I am confused about what to feed Tropheus - they are so many conflicting stories, and I am scared of the dreaded bloat.
A.
Most people in Perth, I believe, use Sera or OSI. I have used both, mostly Sera Flora. More recently (April 2003) HBH Veggie has been available and I have been trialling that.
I have heard of people feeding daphnia with no problems (but I believe it acts more as a laxative and has minimal nutitional value). In fact I have heard of Tropheus being fed most things, usually in community tanks, with no problems (apart from stuff like blood worms, beef heart). As I have said, still a lot to learn about the dietary needs of Tropheus.
I had 2 colonies on 90% Sera Flora and 10% OSI Brine Shrimp flake for about 4 months with no adverse effects. But no obvious benefits either.
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Q6a.
Bloat I noticed last night some stringy faeces on a couple of fish, what should do?
A.
Start treating them for potential Tropheus Bloat straight away.
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Q6b.
Bloat But if bloat is bloat, it doesn't matter what fish has it, it is still bloat?
A.
Tropheus Bloat doesnt appear to be your standard Malawi Bloat, which is why I don't like the term, but that is what Tropheus Trouble is generally known by.
In my experience it isnt often that Tropheus actually bloat, usually they just withdraw and die.
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Q6c.
Bloat Describe stringy faeces please?
A.
Fish poo, like white cotton thread. btw, it is very easy to miss this phase in the 'bloat' disease cycle. Not eating or spitting food is easier to pick.
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Q6d.
Bloat What is the official usage for Clout?
A.
One tablet for every 38 litres (10 gals).
Clout officially says 50% water change after treatment, but most people find it more effective (anecdotal evidence only) if you 33% w/c each day. Sometimes I have only had to treat 1 or 2 days with Clout to get them all eating - I dont believe in a minimum medication period unless it is an antibiotic treatment. I treat till they are better then stop treating. Dont forget to take any carbon out of your filtration system.
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Q6e.
Bloat How does Metronidazole work?
A.
I dont know. But here is an answer from a vet: Metronidazole is an antibiotic (kills bacteria) but it is unusual in that it is also anti-protozoal, and it also has a mild anti-inflammatory effect on the gut. So it is often useful in cases of gut upsets in all sorts of animals as with these problems there is often a combination of bacterial and protozoal imbalance/overgrowth. So from this I would expect it would work well for tropheus intestinal problems, as I would expect they would have a very delicate balance of intestinal flora in their gut and you would have a hope of restoring that balance by using Metronidazole.
The reason why it might not work in all cases is that any antibiotic can upset that balance anyway so it might push things the wrong way. And treating fish is stressful on them anyway.
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Q6f.
Bloat I have ten K1s. All are eating and happy, bar one. Interestingly, this fish is constantly grazing on the algae, but when I feed flake food, it ignores it, while the rest of the group polish it off. The temptation is too great with live food, daphnia, and/or wrigglers (mosquito larvae), but it approaches them with caution before eating, instead of the zest the rest of the fish do. This fish is not as heavy set as the other fish of similar length, I expect as it is subsisting on mostly algae growth, and even with four NEC Tri-phosphours, that takes time to grow. This fish is almost always displaying its best colour. While the colour of other fish will wax and wane as their mood/dominance changes (are they chasing or being chased?), this fish has its best foot forward all the time. It also has what I regard as the "prime" real estate in the tank. In a nutshell, it acts like a dominant fish, but doesn't eat flake, but never stops browsing or showing its best colour and its body weight is suffering from the less food it is receiving. You seen this before?
A.
The one being less inclined to eat sounds like the dominant dude (male, but possibly female). What you are witnessing is not that unusual. In fact I have some friends going thru exactly that atm with 15 Ikolas they just bought.
It could be that the dominant dude suffers more stress maintaining their position on the totem pole and establishing territory in a new tank? I had an email from someone who had bloat in just the dominant males of two species when they put their two T. colonies together.
I have also witnessed 'fussy eaters' being keen on the algae and ignoring the flake. As said before, I think we still have a lot to learn about the dietary needs of Tropheus.
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Q7a.
Salts & Buffers Do you use Salts and Buffers?
A.
Yes. LOL.
For a while I religiously used commercial salts and buffers. But it can be very expensive, so for a period I changed some of my tropheus tanks over to non commercial salts and buffers (just used a home brew) and there did not seem to be any discernible difference.
So I would have to say in the short term commercial brands may offer marginal benefit, if any. In the longer term it is harder to say because they do have a few additives you might not go to the trouble of adding to a home brew.
I have just bought, in bulk, a top brand salts and buffers so will be going back to using them in all my tanks.
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Q7b.
Salts & Buffers What do you do to maintain pH levels for your Tropheus?
A.
My tap water is already 7.5 or higher.
I have limestone rock in the tanks (and sometimes stacks of coral pieces) for caves.
I have used either home brews (with Bi Carb Soda to lift the Ph), or Rift Lake salts, or SeaChem Tang Buffer. It doesnt take much to get it 8.5
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Q8a.
Names I notice that they call the fish Pemba not Bemba. That implies a different fish to me.
A.
I believe Pemba and Bemba is the same locality on the lake - just different English spellings of the same locality name. I understand Pemba to be the more recent version.
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Q8b.
Names I didn't know there was a Bemba Red and a Bemba Orange. It is/was my understanding that they are all that orange reddish colour.
A.
I am not sure about the Red/Orange Bemba thing either... I used to have some Bemba Reds, and they were gorgeous and pretty aggro to boot. But I had a buyer for them and for several reasons (inc no tank space) I sold them. The Bemba Red here in Perth are actually orange. I am not sure if they get red when they get older, or if the red has been bred out of them, or if they only get red in the lake. I know one guy who has some here that he says are red (but no one is allowed to see them!!), I will have to find out more...
To my knowledge they were always known as Bemba Red but all the ones around Perth were orange, I couldnt get a straight answer on it - some said the red was washed out. Then all of a sudden lfs started selling Bemba Orange I - and saying these were truly orange. But I suspect it was just a marketing ploy to sell the German bred imports at an inflated price. I never could get to the bottom of it.
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Q8c.
Names I don't understand this K1 and K2 stuff?
A.
K1 is Kaiser 1. T. sp. black Ikola - wide yellow band.
K2 is Kaiser 2. T. sp. black Kiriza - wide yellow band including the dorsal fin.
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Q9a.
Substrate What do you believe is the best substrate to use?
A.
In my experience it doesnt seem to make much difference, though they like to play with it and sift it. I have used just that small natural gravel you get from lfs here in Perth.
But bare bottom seems to work just as well, though I never go total bare bottom.
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Q10a.
Aggression I was going to get some Bulu Pts but now have decided to get Bembas. The Bemba's will apparently do a lot of chasing, but not rip each other apart, as the Bulu's can.
A.
I wouldnt generalise too much. It can just depend on the individuals. Having said that my Bulu's are by far the most aggressive colony I have - but my Bembas were pretty aggro too.
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Q10b.
Aggression Which species do you find the most aggressive?
A.
I would not like to generalise about which species is the more aggressive, just depends on the luck of your colony make up. As for controlling aggression - the bigger the colony the easier it is.
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Q11a.
Catching fish Do you know any tricks to catch Troph's without ripping apart the aquatic landscape?
A.
No. when you work it out let me know - I am sick of lugging rock!
I put a tank divider in and then just take out the rock on the side where the fish is.
I have never had any luck catching Tropheus with a torch when they are sleeping in a heavily rocked tank.
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Q12a.
Adding fish It is my belief that to add new Tropheus to a colony, one needs to introduce young uncoloured fish, which pose no threat to the order of things with the other fish.
A.
I have had no problems building my colonies from different blood lines, so I
wouldn't hesitate about using several sources to get your Tropheus. This is just my opinion and my experience.
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Q13a.
Colour Are Tropheus colours mood dependent?
A.
Yes - mood dependent - but I find Duboisi much less so.
My Chimbas go from copper colour to almost black.
An Ikola (K1) sometimes is jet black with full on broad yellow band and may change to pale head and not so full yellow (some black stripes/flecks in the yellow).
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Q13b.
Colour Is there colour variation between different individuals of the same species?
A.
Yes, like humans LOL.
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Q14a.
Tank Mates I read the section you put in by other people about what other fish they put in with their Tropheus. And what stands out in my memory still after what must be more than a week, is the comment by one person that they have put in with their Tropheus
Synodontas petricola. I have this fish at home, and it would be up there with my most favoured fish, but aside from the fact they have completely different dietary requirement, in order to get food down to petricola, past the other fish, I have to put
enough food in there that there is some sitting on the bottom of the tank. this will mean the Tropheus, if this is their tank mates, will be able to eat their fill, which is something people warn me against for Tropheus. Any comments?
A.
Interesting comment about the petricola - as said, these other guys have it working for them, so what can I say? Just highlights the fact that everyone has a different story? I think the one thing that keeps popping into my head from different directions (this question included) is the lack of knowledge about Tropheus dietary needs.
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