Lichnochromis

[daci]

thanks MDS..

im hoping out of the lot i get at least 2 females to keep me male entertain.

im thinking the white balance setting on my cam is wrong bcoz the fish actually quite blue and the wall (as you can see on the background) is ocean blue in colour. I will definitely keep you update as thing progress and would love to hear your story too.

thanks Ged...lucky shots over all but im getting better at it, got to love digital camera...cost bugga all compare to the old school film!

[malawi sand diver]

Interesting that this species is sort of like an insectivore in the wild. e.g. they must eat the larvae that lives under the rocks. When I go trout fishing, I buy dragonfly nymph or "mudeyes." they must feed on those and maybe things like those rowboat type insects that live in the pool (beetle larvae). I wonder what the best live food for them would be to mimic what they would eat in the lake.

I feed mine on a combination of NLS, New Era Rift Lake Red and occasionally live brine shrimp, but maybe I should introduce a different live food aswell, any suggestions?

[daci]

Just and update, the larger female losing a lot of weight. She doesnt appear to be holding, she come up for for food but spat them out. Im taking her out to a hospital tank for observation, maybe do a worm thinggy to see if it works.

The good new is that i have bought 10 x more little ones to add to the group. I figured playing with probability numbers would give me greater chance lol. Pics coming soon...

I have been feeding these with comercially made made pellets and flakes. I might try something new, maybe crickets or meal worms.

[malawi sand diver]

Hi mate, I've thought about crickets before, I reckon they would feed on insect larvae. But the meal worms might be a risk. Traditional live foods like water fleas, brine shrimp and cherry shrimp would be good for them. Trying to get some cherry shrimp to breed up at the moment for them.

Bad luck with the female, could be worms or bloat or some other sort of infection in the gut. Once they stop eating it is a bad sign. Maybe a bit of epsom salt might help to purge the gut, get some of the white stringy poop out. Then some worm medication as you say.

My ones love medium sized new life spectrum pellets but spit out some other pellet foods, I guess they can be picky but haven't had any issues with NLS. Conrats on the new arrivals, I saw the spawn that was for sale in WA and saw that they got snapped up around the first day. Its interesting to see the smaller ones in the group once they put on a bit of size they quarrel amongst themselves and lose the diagonal line and they really fire up.

[daci]

hi msd,

im hoping that you dont mind for me posting my lichno's journey on your thread.

I have to put the 'food experimental' idea on hold for the time being because up on close inspection of the larger female (now in the hospital tank) i have noticed that she may have contracted Hex. As you can see from the photo below there are quite a few visible holes on her head. She has been breathing heavily but quite active. Im hoping this is an earlier sign of the illness and that i can save her.

The following medication that I can get hold of are Metronidizole, Oxytetracyline, Epsom Salt and Tetra Parasite Guards. The first three medication I have had experiment with for my tropheus with mix success but have yet tried the last one so i might give that a go.

On the lighter note some of the little Lichno have arrived a few days ago

[malawi sand diver]

I am delighted that you are posting your journey on this thread - the Lichno owner's club in Oz is only a handful of people.

The new fry look awesome, I think you have a male & female in the last shot. Male is on top, female underneath.

Sad to hear about the big female. Looks like hex and I hope the Metronidizole will fix the issue. Because they are so laterally compressed, the holes in the head are obvious symptom. From what I have read about Hex, they say the fish may be more susceptible if there is vitamin deficiencies. In the wild, the Acuticeps get their greens through the stomach contents of herbivorous insects and their larvae. I have had issues with a large female about a year ago where she had an internal parasite or intestinal problem that lead to her death. So I am aiming to breed up some insects & shrimp to feed them. My cherry shrimp have started breeding in the sump, I looked in the other day and saw some tiny shrimp.

On a side note, I think your female also has a slight mouth problem on the upper lip, the upper lip should be able to close lower. Not sure if this is through deformity or injury. I have seen some deformities in them a couple of years back where their jaws jutted out to the side, I think this is something we should be on the lookout for with future fry.

I took a photo of my big male yesterday and will post it up when I get a chance.

Regards, Rob

[Ant]

Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know but make sure the girl ingests the medication well! In the discus world a cone suction cap feeder is used with some food that they can't ignore (used live food). Tablets put in the feeder obviously. Not sure how it would work with something as large as these guys though!

Cheers

Ant

[Ged]

The fry look as if there are chip off the old lips.

It is the dedication of the a few that will save some of these species from being lost to the hobby.

[daci]

its been weeks and numerous course of antibitotics but no improvement on the large female so i have decided to put her out of missery and euthanised her.

I gave my best shot but sometimes you have to let go to focus on the rest of the colony.

I'm still puzzle as to why she had contracted hex on my system because I have never had a fish with HITH before. Hmmmmm... could have been carried from the previous owner's tank? Will it spread? Contageous? time will tell...