goldenswimmers

Am noticing the decline in Afra varieties in the hobby and so was wondering where are the Afra.Jalo Reefs?
Afra. Hara?
but even more awesome to find for me would be the Lions Cove or Sanga variety and any leads would be seriously appreciated 🙏🙆🏼‍♂️

A pic of the little guys..

 

 

large ones are also available - If interested contact by PM

 

I was able to get a few good shots of my Kendali group recently and noticed a pair seems to have established themselves quite strongly within the group.

This pair had already bonded to a certain degree with the previous group of Kendali I had but after destroying the fellow group members the dominant male then turned on his female partner..and so they were separated...could 3rd time round be the charm?

Hope you enjoy the pics guys

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey guys just sharing the love for this Tanganyikan predator group.

I really get into the predatory cichlids and have enjoyed(and still enjoy!)the larger predatory haps. from Lake Malawi(ie,Christyi,Spilorhynchus,Malawi trout,etc) and have always been interested in the larger predators from Lake Tanganyika(naturally!).

It seems the larger predators from Tanganyika are a lot more scarce in the hobby and this has only made me more curious about these guys.

From my personal experience with both groups I would also have to say the Tanganyikan guys are a little more fiery and pack a lot more attitude but both are great groups of fish and suit different enviroments.

 

So just sharing a little info on these guys and hope to see a few more available in the hobby in the future...

 

Here is a quick excerpt from Practical Fish Keeping:

 

"There are currently seven(?) valid species in Lepidiolamprologus: attenuatus, cunningtoni, elongatus, kendali, mimicus, nkambae and profundicola. All share the same elongate shape and predatory mouth, and range from 15-30cm/6-12” in length, so large as Lamprologine cichlids go.

They become impressive as they grow and mature, with highly visible teeth, and a 30cm L.elongatus must be a terrifying sight for any small fish unlucky enough to share the same habitat."

Well now here's a look at some of the family members..

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Profundicola (believed to be here in Oz and if so very very rare)
 

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Elongatus (very rare)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Kendali (uncommon/rare)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Nkambae (rare/very rare)
Very hard to spot differences between Kendalli and Nkambae but DNA tests prove they are separate varieties.

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Attenuatus (very rare)

 

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Cunningtoni (very rare)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Mimicus (not available!?)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Kamambae (newly discovered and not available!)

 

 

And here's some of the smaller guys....yep still with some serious attitude

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Lemairii (uncommon)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Pleuromaculatus (very rare/not available!?)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Boulengeri (uncommon)

 

 

Lepidiolamprologus Hecqui (uncommon)

Thanks guys

will keep updating with progress

Some good news with the Attenuatus...

 

got myself some Lepidiolamprologus Attenuatus recently....

 

 

 

 

 

And yesterday....

 

Im not saying this is what it is...but...it kind of looks like a midget rostratus with some peacock colouration...so imagine a runt rostratus   found a low self esteemed peacock  had a few brewskis   and a lovechild was created looking like this peacock thingy majiggy  ....yeah these hybrid peacock "no idea of background" fish aren't cool...ok for a display fish but that's where it ends...

Id like to see more people show off the big adults..surely some people have the lone kendalli survivors from "in tank" massacres

I think people seeing these fish in display tanks/full sized adults etc would really make the unawares appreciate them more...really are a unique kind of cichlid..

Little side note Ive been able to line up some more Kendalli from Vebas...and do agree with the above mate...there the type of fish when the numbers are high they don't get noticed...but when they go they don't pop up again for some time it seems..and yep that good ol aggression issue!...

Also a couple of snaps of the Attenuatus I was fortunate enough to get my hands on recently

There is someone on ace in the breeders registry that has young colonies of elongatus and Kendali.

Im thinking that's vadnappa...and Ive been in touch with him...someone else(aqc) has also had luck with both of these guys that I know but the elongatus is still in a precarious position as in terms of livelihood in the hobby...Im saving my mooola for the elongatus but in the mean time I will keep an eye out for other possible populations plus the profundicola and cunningtoni varieties...we might be lucky enough to put in some breeding efforts and keep all the varieties we have alive and more stable in the hobby here...

Just curious to see who keeps this underrated(yeah just my opinion!)Tang...

They get a little bigger than some of the other tangs with the boys getting up around the 20cm mark...really keen to see if anyone has any big males to show off....I've had a little group going for a few months and the biggest boy is now getting up around the 10-12cm mark and I reckon they look pretty good at this size so love to see any bigger ones...

 

Heres my biggest boy..

 

And an example of a nice fish(without the battle wounds mine currently has)

And a yellow fin variant which also exists...has anyone seen this in Australia???????

hey mate Ive had a trio of Gold heads in the past and they seemed fine but in saying that Ive noticed they can "turn" quickly as I found out with a larger normal comp. I've had recently...I wouldn't call them fragile or weak but can be a little finicky with conditions and eating just from my experience...Id give just a little more attention to acclimatising,fellow tank mates and feeding...once they are happy and settled in they seem fine...and use feeding as a sign of this..as soon as they aren't eating(like any fish)somethings up...could the juvie fronnies have been a little too curious???....and just hassled them a bit too much...im thinking they were fine before you grabbed them so Id say either the little fronnies have given them a bad welcoming or the acclimatisation wasn't good for them...just my 5c mate and good luck with any future comps as I think they are awesome fish...