Mpimbwe colony Pics

[Hanson77]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

Wow....I didn't realize that they could grow that quick.  I was thinking multiple years until I got any of them up to that size.  What size tank did you keep you little ones in EK?

[CichlidFan]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

If you give most fish ample room to move and swim in, and a good healthy diet, they would gain about 4 to 6 inch's a year I would guess....depending on the species.

CF

[supadave]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

I have a colony of 10 Mpimbwe that were a little less than an inch when I received April of this year. My largest is mow a little over 3" inches. I figure that to be about 2" inches in four months. Keep in mind, that at about 1.5", I put my colony into a 110 gallon, 5 foot tank. I've read on other boards that Fronts can get up to about 5" to 6" in the first year. Some of the members on the other boards stated that after that first year, the growth rate slows a bit. This is reason why I bought my fish as fry. I wanted to view and experience the Fronts from fry to breeding. This way I figured I would if I ever passed on info to others, I could actual experiences, rather than what I've heard or read.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

I keep mine in a 135g/6' close to 20x turnover rate, weekly 40-50% waterchanges, Seachem tang buffer, Crushed coral media in the sump, temps at 80, NLS thera+A daily but did Growth formula when I first got them,  Use to feed twice a day but now cut back to once a day and skip a day every now and then, Supplemented Hikari Brine/Spirulina Brine/Mysis shrimp/Krill at least once a week.

The less tankmates the better, less competition and less stress but to really think about I think the ones that are larger are closing in on two years while the RonR mobas are closing in on a year and they are 3-4".

They say that the first year of their lives yield the most growth so make it count.

[supadave]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

Are the Zaires normally a little smaller than the other species? I've noticed on Cyphos, that I hardly see a member that has a 10+" inche Zaire. I see that large size mostly in Burundi, Mpimbwe, and Kingoma.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

If you noticed zaires are shorter but more full bodied where the others look more elongated.  At least that's what I noticed.....and I have seen pictures of many 10"+ zaires.

[Hanson77]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

I actually bought these guys as an investment to turn around and sell once they got some size to them but they have started to really grow on me.  I need to get a larger tank for them it sounds like.....anybody want to help me get it up three flights of stairs...LOL.  Could I sustain a small colony of like 1M/3F in a 75g or is that still too small?

[Fishcrazy1]

Re: Mpimbwe colony Pics

I'll tell you a lilttle about the growth rate in cyphos.  Most cyphos in their first year will grow between 4-6 inches depending on the size of their tank, quality of food, and amount of water changes.  After the first year they normally will add around 2 inches a year once again depending on the quality of care they receive.

Dave, there are really alot of zaire owners with 10 inch or larger fish.  I have 2 moba males that are right at the 10 inch mark.  However you will notice more smaller zaires since a lot of owners get bored with their fish well before they reach that large of a size and sell them or trade them for other fish.