African cichlids resources

[Koppriecht]

Hello

I am going to a lfs (actually in Milwaukee, one hour away) to buy my first cichlids. Are there any cichlids resources that might help me prepare. Looking for a list of African cichlids. The only fish I know I want is Tropheous Dubosi so I am looking for colorful fish to go with it, assuming the Lfs has it. By the way, the store is Aquatics Unlimited.


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[dalto]

You might want to do a little research on the Tropheus. Tropheus need to be kept in pretty good size group and are not compatible with most other African cichlids. They also require some careful setup of decor or none at all.

I have kept colonies of Tropheus at two separate times and they are not as hard to keep as some report but they do require some specific handing.

I will PM you some links.

 

[Anthonysafricans]

Thanks dalto....great way to put it and since they are herbivores can only be put in with other herbivores like gobies

 

[Koppriecht]

It seems like I should pick a base fish and then get fish that are compatible with it. I am looking for a colorful genus, African maybe Malawi. Any suggestions? I am pretty new to fish keeping. I have a 110 gal tank with some fake plants and some good sized rocks. Here is my aquarium now.

 

[fish wrangler]

What kind of Malawians? Mbuna would need more caves.

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[Koppriecht]

What do you think about pseudotropheus demasoni?


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[Gillie]

What do you think about pseudotropheus demasoni?


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You would need a lot more rockwork for those devilfish.

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[loachy dance]

Gobies are not herbivores.

 

[Mogurako]

Gobies are not herbivores.

Gobies as in Eretmodus, Spathodus, or Tanganicodus ?! They are very much herbivorous.



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[loachy dance]

Tangans actually enjoy shrimp and blood worms also. Gobies are omnivores.

 

[loachy dance]

Spotfin Goby Cichlid, Tanganicodus irsacae, also called Speckled Goby Cichlid,

 

[Mogurako]

Tangans actually enjoy shrimp and blood worms also. Gobies are omnivores.

They are primary herbivores, Vegetable matter such as blanched spinach or spirulina flake should form the basis of the diet. This can be supplemented with small live and frozen foods. It should not be fed high protein foods such as shellfish, meat (especially animal meat) or worms.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/tanganicodus-irsacae/

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1544


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[loachy dance]

Its ver common for them to eat worms and shellfish. Tech if it eats any meat is not an herbivore.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Its ver common for them to eat worms and shellfish. Tech if it eats any meat is not an herbivore.

To call them omnivores can be misleading in an aquarium setting. If you feed a goby cichlid too much protein, they will bloat up and can easily die. I fed some shrimp pellets to my catfish in the same tank, and my female spathodus erythrodon 'burundi' ate a couple of them. She was bloated before the end of the night. Both times I fed those pellets this has happened and it has forced me to avoid feeding anything higher in protein. Yes, they do sometimes eat animal matter, but typically those are microorganisms and not worms and other insects and such that we feed our fish in our aquariums. A herbivorous diet, such as spirulina, for a goby will provide a much better lifestyle for them, rather than risking it with protein sources like black worms and brine shrimp.

Also, you are generalizing a group of fish spread across 3 genera. Some are going to rely more heavily on the algae growth than others. Tanganicodus isn't always going to be the same as eretmodus, and both of those won't always be the same as spathodus.

 

[Mogurako]

Its ver common for them to eat worms and shellfish. Tech if it eats any meat is not an herbivore.

No that makes them herbivores, the definition of herbivores is: an animal (in this case fish) that primarily eats plants. That does not exclude them from eating small amounts of protein. Their primary diet does and should consist of plant matter. Just look at their mouths it's designed to eat algae.


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[Gillie]

Its ver common for them to eat worms and shellfish. Tech if it eats any meat is not an herbivore.

The proper term is aufwuchs, the tiny invertebrates that ALL herbivorous african cichlids get their small amount of meat proteins from. If ever get to see the dentition of a goby cichlid you will see they are designed for grazing.

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[Mogurako]

The proper term is aufwuchs, the tiny invertebrates that ALL herbivorous african cichlids get their small amount of meat proteins from. If ever get to see the dentition of a goby cichlid you will see they are designed for grazing.

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That's the word I was thinking of! Auwfwuchs!


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[loachy dance]

No your def is not the def of herbivore.

 

[loachy dance]

What is a herbivore?

 

[dalto]

What is a herbivore?

The definition of herbivore when reading various sources is sometimes listed as eating only plants and others by a diet consisting mainly of plants. It depends on the source you use.

Regardless of the specific definition of herbivore and omnivore outside of aquaria to call that goby cichlid onmivorous would be misleading at best. If that is the definition than nearly all fish would be considered omnivores.

Either way, it doesn't change the appropriate diet for the fish in question and what Freakgecko91 is describing above is the proper diet IMO.