tropheus question...

[tgwinn]

I am not really all that familiar with lake tanganyika fish as all my experience has been with malawi's.   I was curious of the tank size requirements of tropheus moorii.    What is the minimum size tank a group of these can be kept in??   Thanks guys!

[rrocket2002]

Re: tropheus question...

Depends on the size of the group.  Minimum for a small group of 12-15, 75g.  Ideally you want at least 125g...with up to 30 trophs.

[tgwinn]

Re: tropheus question...

ahh...ok :)  Darn it..lol  I am trying to help my wife decide what she wanted to keep in that 46 gallon bowfront.. I know most all mbuna require more space than that...so we were just looking at other options.   Thanks for answering so quickly!!

[rrocket2002]

Re: tropheus question...

Apistos?  Like German Blue Rams and such?

[tgwinn]

Re: tropheus question...

yep...we had considered those also... Never did quite figure out how many she could have of those.  Would have to change the mindset a bit on the water parameters also...since they like softer water.  :)   I am so used to mbuna my first thought is to buffer instead of trying to lower the ph from the tap..ha ha.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: tropheus question...

Actually I don't think you'd have to do much (if anything).  We've got rams and don't do anything to soften the water.  Everyone is healthy!

[tgwinn]

Re: tropheus question...

ahhh...that's even nicer.. :)  Do you know how many can be housed in a 46 gallon?   If it is a low number, can you put other things in there also that utilize the other depths of the water?  i.e..such as midwater, top swimmers, etc?

[imagirlgeek]

Re: tropheus question...

Hmmm...not sure.  I read that it's best to keep them either in pairs or a small group.  We've got 4 german blue rams, 1 Bolivian ram, 1 gold ram, and about 10 Angels in a 55 gallon.  I think we could add more fish and not have any problems.  They are all so peaceful, and don't fight for territories.  At least not like our other cichlids do.  :)

[tgwinn]

Re: tropheus question...

very cool..that might be a viable option then.  Thanks!

[Zulaab]

Re: tropheus question...

If you wanted to keep something from Malawi I would recommend one of several of the smaller variety of peacocks.
You could go with something like a 2m / 5-6F Peacock group specific like the Aulonocara maulana (bi-color 500) or the Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri" variants or something like the Aulonocara  "German Red"...
The fish I listed are all fish that when maxed out in size should not reach more than about 5 inches.  Some peacocks out there will reach as much as 8, which is why I didnt list them there.
With the peacocks get yourself another 2m/4f yellow labs.
This gives you about 10 fish who will all get along well, in a slightly rocky, sandy bottomed tank.
The above peacocks will for the most part be either red, yellow or blue and the yellow labs are solid yellow.

Just an idea :)

[tgwinn]

Re: tropheus question...

and a good one at that! ..thank you very much.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: tropheus question...

Minimum group size for most Tropheus Moorii is 12 fish the more the better.

Minimum tank size is 12-14 fish in a standard 55 gallon 4ft x 13in.  Then add 1 fish per 7 gallons above that in tank sizes that are 4ft long.

Example : 75 gallon aquarium could add 3 more fish.  Thus 15-18 fish is the amount a 75 gallon could sustain.  I would not go past 20 fish in a 75 gallon.

If the tank is 6ft long, the maximum number of Tropheus in the tank is 20 fish per 60 gallons and not less than 15 fish total.

Example : 125 gallon aquarium can handle 40 Tropheus or a minimum of 15 for group harmony.

This is counting on having strong filtration in the aquarium where 7-10X of the tank volume is filtered per hour.

These numbers are based upon having adult Tropheus 4.5" to 6"

I would plan on metting these number once your juvinile Tropheus start reaching 3.5" to 4.0"

Hope this helps...

Geoff

[eklikewhoa]

Re: tropheus question...

Honestly.........after seeing how several 12pc colonies I would not recommend it......IMO minimum colony size should be 15-18.

just my $0.02 worth

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: tropheus question...

I agree for the most part.

In all actual experience with me so far, I would say that the ideal setup for Trophs is a single colony of 20-30 fish in a 125 gallon with 7-10X filtration turnover and weekly 50% waterchange.

I think ultimately that should be your target goal, but not everyone can afford the tanks and fish, and the wall space.  So amends have to be made for 4ft tanks.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: tropheus question...

I agree for the most part.

In all actual experience with me so far, I would say that the ideal setup for Trophs is a single colony of 20-30 fish in a 125 gallon with 7-10X filtration turnover and weekly 50% waterchange.

+1kazillion