Tropheus Ikola

[Aggiefish]

Ive always wanted to start a colony of tropheus ikola but I have almost no clue how to run an african cichlid tank. I was wondering if there was a good forum on here, a good youtube series, or a website y'all trust that I can do my homework on africans and more specifically the tropheus.

[moganman]

I'll start it off for you.

1. Adequate filtration/clean water is essential to success. Do not short change yourself on water changes at least once a week. The more the merrier

2. Food quality. I recommend Dainichi, NLS, Omega One Kelp, Northfin, or a combination of all. You can also feed shrimp mix or raw gulf shrimp a couple times a week to fatten them up for breeding.

3. Numbers. Always keep at least 15-20 fish minimum to help spread and reduce aggression. The smaller the numbers the smaller the tank I prefer.

4. Consistency. Never change the regular routine, SPECIFICALLY with food. If you are feeding one brand strictly and you want to add or change to a new food, do it slowly. Don't just start feeding regular sized portions. Do about 20% and slowly increase each day. The alternative could bloat the fish and you'll lose the colony.

5. Keep medicines handy. Any tropheus keeper should have at least some metronidazole on hand. The best keepers have issues that are sometimes inevitable. I keep metro, clout, bifuran, and nitronidazole.