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**CichlidFan** · 08-13-2008, 10:47 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

You may want to reconsider adding the Tropheus into this tank, they do better when kept as a species only fish. But that's your call. The tropheus diet is for the most part, strictly vegi too, and if you have a community tank, it's hard to keep from mixing food. Check out their needs before you add them, but good luck with your new tank and fishies.... :)

Tank looks great.....

CF

**jeebus** · 08-13-2008, 10:57 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Originally posted by CichlidFan";p="

You may want to reconsider adding the Tropheus into this tank, they do better when kept as a species only fish. But that's your call. The tropheus diet is for the most part, strictly vegi too, and if you have a community tank, it's hard to keep from mixing food.

Well, this is exactly why I keep broadcasting which fish we want to stock. I'll be sure to pass this info on to my wife. Can anyone give me anymore insight to mixing Tropheus with Labs & Pseudos? Can it be done with a little TLC or are we talking imminent failure??

Thanks for the heads-up CF.

**eklikewhoa** · 08-13-2008, 10:59 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Tropheus would work........seen it done many of times and often a lot more successful then those that preach otherwise. The diet barrier can easily be remedied through feedings of NewLifeSpectrum.

I will say that I would not start with 2 unless your tank is pack full of other fish to deter their aggression......also gonna have to chime in and say that you should be watching your nitrogen cycle cause those pretty fish might end up dying if it gets too lethal. Slow down on the stocking before you end up wasting money.

**eklikewhoa** · 08-13-2008, 11:03 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Oh....and to add to that....the labs are omnivores so it will do fine on a Tropheus diet and with pseudotropheus it's suggested that they are fed a diet high in spirulina so that would make it one in the same as far as diet goes.

Then when we get into the Tropheus diet....yes they graze on algae in the wild but that algae consist of auwfuch which is micro-organisms.... Veggie or not?

**CichlidFan** · 08-13-2008, 11:10 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

The main reason why I would recommend you keep tropheus to themselves is the cost factor. It is true you can mix them with lots of other tangs, but then you have to consider the cost to keep tropheus. They require or do best when given almost immaculate water condtions, this means much more money as well, besides the hefty cost for a nice colony of trophs. Geoff Tropheus is our resident Tropheus expert and you may want to check out his section on this site before going any further.

As EK states, also, don't add any more fish for at least a week, you are trying to establish a new eco system in your new tank and that takes time. Reseach the Nitrogyn Cycle to get more details on this process.

CF

**eklikewhoa** · 08-13-2008, 11:19 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

If it's gonna be a mixed cichlid tank a colony is not needed.

Also as far as price goes....there are lots of malawians/victorians that fetch much more then any Tropheus I have seen and cost is only a factor when a colony is considered....that being said there are single malawians/victorians that fetch more then some peoples colonies they are so small. I bet that lab cost more or as much as a Duboisi :wink: Probably paid more for those fish in the tank now then what most ask of their fry so is there much of a cost difference now? You know now that I think about it.....Tropheus are not expensive at all when looked at individually. Oranda goldfish cost more then some people's colony....there are some tetras out there that will rival what a Tropheus will set you back and like tropheus they don't look good or display the same personality unless in a large group.

As far as water quality goes.....any fish should be treated the same way as tropheus just some can handle less but what should be done is the same. I find that water quality is not nearly a big enough culprit to tropheus death/failures as aggression in small colonies/groups but being a mixed cichlid tank the tankmates will help spread that aggression. You know I friends in Australia have nitrate coming out the tap as high as 80-100ppms? They are successfully keeping Tropheus over there and they are paying for a single fish as much as we pay for a small colony.....the culture for fish keeping over there by far surpasses that of the states.

**jeebus** · 08-13-2008, 11:33 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Okay okay, first off - I'm not trying to start an argument over keeping Tropheus! I sincerely appreciate both inputs. I misspoke (mistyped?) earlier when I said we would be adding Tropheus next week. I meant to say next month. I am aware of monitoring levels, currently doing so, and know it will take a month or two for everything to stabilize.

With that said, we do not want a colony of Tropheus. My wife saw some beautiful wild Rainbow Reds two months ago at Xtreme and decided that behind the Flowerhorn, these are her new favorite Cichlid! Well, after much research we both realized that keeping a colony would take up far too much time. If we're going to do something, we tend to want to do it correctly. So we decided that we would just get two to begin with, and maybe two more later on if they were successful.

I'll do some more reading today and talk with the boss-- er, the misses tonight and get her input. But in the mean time, everyone please feel free to add more advice.

**CichlidFan** · 08-13-2008, 11:41 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Dont worry ...there's no arguement, it's just EK and myself being ourselves'....this is the way we are on the box.... :) EK has a habit of correcting everyone's posting, but on the up side, he is almost always correct....

CF

**eklikewhoa** · 08-13-2008, 11:46 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

It keeps the forum healthy :wink:

If everyone did it one way and everyone said/felt the same exact thing it would be dead boring.

**jeebus** · 08-13-2008, 11:49 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

lol.. Agreed!

**jeebus** · 08-13-2008, 10:43 PM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Ek, I noticed in another forum, you had a colony of what looked to be Rainbow Reds. Where did you get them from and are you looking at parting with any?

**jeebus** · 08-13-2008, 10:44 PM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Flowerhorn has been successfully moved! Now we have a 20 gallon as our quarantine tank with a baby flowerhorn currently in it. (He has ich, or is it ick?) Will post pictures of flowerhorn soon!

**eklikewhoa** · 08-13-2008, 11:38 PM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

Not sure where you read that at but I have never owned RR's.....Only things I have ever owned were.....Kasakalawe, Ulwile, Nkamba Bay, Ikola, Duboisi....right now it's just Ulwile and Nkamba Bay

**Zulaab** · 08-14-2008, 12:55 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

I am not 100% sure but the only person I can think about off the top of my head who has red rainbows is Honkzz...

**eklikewhoa** · 08-14-2008, 01:01 AM

Re: 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank From Beginning.. 56k WARNING!!!

John Jolley had a colony of them before he sold them.

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