Wizza Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hey all my name is Trent and I'm new here. Well actually I'm quiet new to the whole hobby. I have recently purchased a colony of 24 Tropheus Bemba Reds all at around 3-8cm. These are a awesome fish and I am after any information on breeding, tank aqua scape, just any usefull hints or tips on keeping these remarkable cichlids. I have read up a little bit on the net and bought a couple of books but I'd like to gather information from guys who actually keep these fish in captivity and not study them in the wild. Is there any way you can sex these fish at this size just by markings? Why are some fish black with the orange band yet others are just black? Some are black with a yellow band, is this normal in juveniles? The fish were bought from a reputable pet shop. Any way anything will be greatly apprecieated. Cheers Trent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 HI TrentIMHO They arent probably a good fish to keep if you havent been keeping fish for long. These little guys can be extremely agressive and need good water conditions.What size tank do you have and what filtration are you running?Sexing Tropheus at that size wont be easy, you may be able to tell in the larger fish by head/mouth shape, but it takes a bit of experience to be able to notice the difference, vent sexing would be the easiest way.The difference in coloration is just teh fish changing from juvinelle fish to adults. Some of the fish down teh pecking order may not fully change to adult colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwah Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 let me begin by saying bemba's are a lovely species, nice choice..however i suggest you spend a good few hours researching tropheus on http://tropheusfanatics.com.authese are IMHO one of the most rewarding and addictive fish availableyou'll fall in love and they'll break your heart and they're seriously addictive!good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 I currently have them in a 5x2x2. Running a 2700lph canister filter with uv sterilization in conjunction with a internal filter that pumps 2000lph. I have had these fish for about a month or so now and it everything seems to be going well. My water seems to be good from what I have read with the hardness and ph levels. Also in with them are 6 albino sailfin plecos and one gold spot pleco. These are only about 12cm. Is that too crowded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Tropheus sp. Black "Bemba" is a stunning species of Tropheus. They can be quite variable in colour, width of band, intensity of black depending on age, sex and status within the colony.I aquascaped my Tropheus tank so that there were a number of piles of rocks, one at each end towards the back and one in the centre towards the front. This allowed dominant males to claim a territory. They are too hard to sex at this stage and the only reliable way is to vent sex them. I think you have started your colony with a good number of fish as this will allow you to cull excess males if you have too many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 and your water parameters are ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Ph is at 8.5 ghd 120 khd 200 (I think it was that way around). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 hey bembas are great well done.as bwah said go to tropheus fanatics for the best advise.a 5x2x2 is a good size, i would go a rock pile at each end and an open space in the middle, good filtration with regular water chnges and one of the most important things is food, they are vegetarian and get bloat easily, i feed NLS 1mm cichlid formula (as do most T keepers), but dont suddenly switch from one food to another, feed them what they are used to and swap slowly.the youngsters and less dominant fish will be more black and the dominant fish will show more colour. sexing small fish is hard, even larger fish often need venting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishguts Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hey Trent,i told you this was a good site to find out what you wanted to know.( i met you in the pet shop the other day)Jeff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Yes thank Jeff it's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 Woo hoo just got hold of 14 maliro at 8cm. Are these much the same as bemba to care for??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenstrat Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 sorry to intrude but i also like the bemba alot and i was wondering if its possible to keep/breed a colony of 6 in a 24"x16"x14" tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwah Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 no.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 sorry to intrude but i also like the bemba alot and i was wondering if its possible to keep/breed a colony of 6 in a 24"x16"x14" tank?to expand on Bwah "no" i wouldnt keep bembas in anything smaller than 5 foot (preferably bigger) and a minimum colony of 20+ , there are stories of people having colonies in 3 and 4 foot tanks but a 2 foot is just asking for trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Woo hoo just got hold of 14 maliro at 8cm. Are these much the same as bemba to care for???similar, like al;l tropheus you need to look after the water and feed them the right stuff, 14 fish may lead to aggression issues , i tend to go 20+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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