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Meat eaters of Tanganyika ?


Guest Gutty

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So i'm just down at my local fish shop, asking about tank mates for my calvus. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the so called "cichlid expert" at this shop told me that i shouldn't feed ANY Tanganyikan fish meat. No blood worms(not even for babies), no feeder fish, no brine shrimp.........only flora foods.

Now i asked him about different species, such as calvus and fronties(i know Tropheus are herbivores), he says they are all strictly herbivores.

Is there any truth to this ?

Thanks

Matt

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Nope. No truth.

Tanganjika has its predatory species.

Lepidiolamprologus spp. spring to mind - as one genus we have here.

Frontosa are opportunistic predators (they eat leptosoma etc)... while calvus are fry hunters and live in rock crevices.

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Just as i thought(or knew really, just checking).

Maybe i should drop a copy of Jewel of the rift off for them to have a gander at. Though it only really shows egg eaters from memory..........

Thank you !!

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I know tropheus are herbivors but as a general rule most fish will eat another fish small enough to fit in its mouth, and even some that wont.. but strickly meat eaters... not sure. altos, bathybates, b.microlepis, gnanthocromis, greenwoodochromis, theres heeps get a tang book and have a reed, that was up to G i have to agree that i wouldnt give any fish meat, unless its fish flesh, prawns etc. no red stuff. simplest tang book - Back to nature guide to Tanganyikan cichlids by Ad Konings..about $35-50 depends on how you get it!

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----Tropheus are herbivores), he says they are all strictly herbivores.---

Not right !!!!

They also eat some meat in the insects found on the rocks and plants that they love ..so while it looks like they only eat vegies ..they also need a small amount of FLESH ..LOL

Also as pointed out from the other post we have other species in the lake ....

i could go on and on ...but its def not the case!!!! all depends on the species

not just the lake ..MAN!!!!

What a silly answear from a person in the industry

Shame

:oops:

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Get the guy to put it in writing and set up two tanks with the same fish. Feed one on the regime the shop sets and one on the food you see recomended here...you know how the results will differ and maybe the LFS will then buy the stunted Flesh eaters from you?! :)

If the shop(or the staff themselves) are touting their staff as Cichlid Experts it is worth letting them know that they are mis-informed about the information they are giving to their clients.

Personally I would let em know and give a few references to look at. If they don't wanna know or don't wanna learn...I would change LFS's.

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No Names thanks if you must ask which LFS, PM or mail him :B

Nigel is totally correct about misinformation, it's not only some LFS that give it

I have seen plenty of advice on forums that make me cringe

Having said this I feel that specialist LFS (read not just a pet shop) should have

some idea of the staffs level of competence in different areas of the hobby

Just because you have kept one form of fish doesn't mean you know about all

the others ....... I consider it better to admit your limitations and confer with one

of the other staff that knows more, the customer will have more confidence in the LFS in the end and stories like this will not get posted

Lee nice pic mate got you on a good day I see :lol: :8

;) L2H

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