6 replies to this topic

[GuppiesRock]

So my husband and I are itching to get back into Cichlids, and because of these new rules coming in regarding the importation of fish, we are wanting to breed something that will help keep the fish community going strong without having to go through the insanity of importing the fish.  We are open to all suggestions and we are wondering what do you ladies and gents think we should look at breeding?  

 

We currently have an electric blue (Maleri Island) male and we are waiting for the others that we got at the November auction to grow up a bit so we can put them together and see how they go.  We are open to a getting a few more species though.  We will very possibly have them in species only tanks depending on their needs.  

 

I have been watching videos of the Pseudotropheus Saulosi and I really like them as they are very colourful and active and seem to have a lot of character.  Can anyone give me any information on those guys please?  How hard are they to keep and breed, and would people be interested in buying them if I was successful in breeding them?  

 

Thanks in advance for any advice

Edited by GuppiesRock, 20 November 2014 - 01:27 PM.

[Westie]

 

 

we are wanting to breed something that will help keep the fish community going strong without having to go through the insanity of importing the fish

 

If I were you, I would try and get hold of some tanganyikan cichlids

Work out what ones you can keep by looking at what size tanks you have

E.G.: Shellies for small tanks, frontosa for big tanks, etc.

[malawiman85]

If you want to breed anything I would say definitely species only tanks. If you dont, you have to deal with aggression and hybridization. 

 

Think about what kind of fish you like... I like predators, some people like iddy biddy shell dwellers, others like bright/shiny fish. If the fish you go with don't do it for you, its hard to maintain the interest and the drive to raise a good amount of fry.

[GuppiesRock]

Thanks Jason82 and Malawiman85 for your input.

 

We recently purchased a 4ft tank that came with a colony of Brichardi and Leleupi and they are our first Tanganyikans. They are pretty mellow at the moment so we are hoping they will come out of their shells a bit more and we see some more personality once we have separated them.  

 

Hubby used to have all the Lake Malawi bruisers back in the day, but he has mellowed a bit now and I am pretty sure we are now looking at getting something that offers colour and character rather than high speed chases and the resulting beatings that used to occur.  I am too old to be bothering with putting fish in time outs every day for de-finning other fish.  I have no problem with aggression when they are breeding and raising fry, but if they are permanently just like Northbridge on a Saturday night kinda fish then I am not interested.

 

I have been Googling and I have found Thorichthys Maculipinnis (Elliotis Cichlid), can anyone tell about these guys...they are so colourful and they don't get too massive either.  Do we have any breeders in the Society?  Or can we get them in Perth?

Hubby has also been showing interest in the Neolamprologus Multifasciatus as we have a few smaller tanks that they would probably thrive in.  So can anyone please share their experiences with those little guys?

I really like the gold occies but they would be an expensive fish to start up after I saw them at Aquatix last week for $50 each.  And yes I know size doesn't dictate price but wow they are so tiny!! hehe

Edited by GuppiesRock, 20 November 2014 - 05:58 PM.

[Riggers]

Shellies are great!! I had a few kicking around in the tanks for a while and they breed real easy, the fry just take a while to get big enough to see

You could try a colony of 'whatever' malawis and have a crack at breeding some cookoo catfish. I'm quite partial to tropheus too so possibly a variant of T's?

[GuppiesRock]

Hubby has been spending some time on google doing some research and he now has a few things in mind so I will let everyone in on it once he has made a decision and we have it up and running.

 

We are still looking around and getting tanks sorted out as we have discovered tangs and have found a few that we both actually like....that is something novel hehe.  We will move forward once we have tanks up and running and ready for fish.

 

Thanks for the information and input Jason, Malawiman and Riggers.  Much appreciated.  

[Westie]

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing your setup once your up and running

I hope you get some shellies. $50 is a bit of coin for a small fish, but it's all supply and demand. Plus you'll find the shellies at Aquotix will be free of deformities, which is a known problem with the gold occys which were available recently due to inbreeding. Hope that helps