dory Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Hey chaps, i have recently set up a tank with tropheus duboisi and i have heard that they should be kept in groups of at least ten. i was wondering what sort of ramifications there would be if i were to keep just four. Cheers dory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noyd Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 The more of them there is, the less chance of the same fish getting picked on too often, so the aggression is spread out. If its just the 4 of them in 1 tank you might have problems, but if you have tank mates with them that might also reduce aggression with these really aggressive little things. Also I think they like being in big groups too. What size tank, tank mates, etc? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Hi Dory, Welcome to the wondering world of tropheus keeping! I agree with everything Noyd has said. I think if u absolutely have to have only 4 duboisi then u must keep them with some suitable tankmates like a colony of cyprichromis. Duboisi are the only tropheus variant that may be ok in small numbers since they exist as pairs in the wild. But i can't guarantee how they will react in your tank environment and whether u buy yourself some nasty aggressive ones. hth Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dory Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 hey guys, it is a 4 foot standard (210 litres) and the tropheus are the only fish i have so far other than a gold spot pleco. If i were to get more tropheus so i had 10 how would they go with compressiceps or lamprologus occelatus or calvus???or would leptosoma be the way to go thanks for your help so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefish Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Hey Well they are vegies mate so any other fish that likes a high spirulina content would be fine. I have been to places and seen duboisi with calvus mate so they should be fine but as moliroman said cyprichromis are a great choice. Google it in. Also try to feed your pleco more of vegies (zuchinni) rather than those algae discs because if you actuallt turn the algae disc packet over it does not mainly consist of spirulina mate and have heard this can give your tropheus bloat. HTH Bluefish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I would recommend u get more duboisi to get the most out of the colony. They interact a lot better as a larger group. 15-20 fish would be even better! If the cost is an issue, why don't u go for a school of leptosomas? They look good and the tropheus won't bother them. U could also add a trio of julidochromis, some multipunctatus catfish, bristlenose, golden suckers catfish, ocellatus are ok and a pair or two of goby cichlids. Calvus and compressiceps have a totally different diet and would be risky for the tropheus in terms of bloat. Also the above fish would luv to eat tropheus fry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrdog Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Great advice given. I would like to add that if you exclusively feed NLS Cichlid Pellets you won't have to worry about diet issues. I have been feeding my Tropheus this diet for months and they are thriving. I agree that more dubs is the way to go. Check out Jim in the breeder's register. He should be able to help you out with some high quality, reasonably priced T. duboisi Maswas. Good luck and let us know how you go, Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 i have recently set up a tank with Tropheus duboisi and I have heard that they should be kept in groups of at least ten. Most people believe this but allot of people, myself included, have had great success with only a few in a colony. It all depends on how you keep them and the ratio of male’s to females in your colony. What sizes are your duboisi and if of a reasonable size do you know the sex ratio? I was wondering what sort of ramifications there would be if I were to keep just four. Hard to tell. Really need a little more info. You may find they are more than happy as they are. You have received a lot of advice to increase your colony size. However no one has mentioned the possible ramification of adding more Tropheus to an existing colony. Some people have no problem, others have tricks and others (including myself) have tried and failed thought a rogue male killing everything in the tank, yet had success with another colony. I guess in short it’s the risk you take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 You have received a lot of advice to increase your colony size. However no one has mentioned the possible ramification of adding more Tropheus to an existing colony. Some people have no problem, others have tricks and others (including myself) have tried and failed thought a rogue male killing everything in the tank, yet had success with another colony. I couldn't agree more Ben. I have found it very hard to add more Tropheus to a established group. If adding fish I would go for a larger group then ten all up and try to get fish of a similar size to the ones that you already have. I would stick it out with what you have, but have other tank mates for them. Get some NLS to feed them and then it really doesnt matter what other fish you have in there with them. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 My moliro colony has been slowly added to its current number over a few years. I have luckily had no problems with aggression except for one male that took over half the tank. With him removed all was well. Obviously, removing all rocks and turning lights off and covering the tank with a blanket do help with the introduction. But i find the best way to add to an existing colony is to add a larger number, at least 5 and add juveniles since the adults in the colony usually are not threatened by the juveniles and will accept them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Guys no problems adding to the colony......adults with adults strip the tank bare and with juvenile i chuck em straight in with the adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 it also depends on the sex of the 4 duboisi you have..and the tank size. i had 5, 3m2f heaps of fighting, After a few months, one death and a sale, i have 3, 1m2f they are also in a 6x2x2 with some foi. a few tifs but mostly breeding, I now remove about 15-22 eggs every 5 weeks form the 2 girls, thats better than my other two colonys of 31, and 21 fish......! As mentioned duboisi can get along fine in small numbers as long as you have room, and dither fish, and hiddy holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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