fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Round 2 of J regani as tank mates. Added 6 juveniles and a few extra rocks.
The Bemba have settled in well and will feed from my hand.
The Bemba have settled in well and will feed from my hand.
Started down the Tropheus hole
- Thread starter fishguy1978
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fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I feed these guys a healthy pinch of spirulina flake each day. I hold the pinch under water so that it doesn’t just float down the overflow. I did this today and noticed that the tank felt cool and found that the heater was set to 75F which is a little on the cooler side for L Tang. It has been adjusted warmer.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Is lip locking part of the courtship dance? Two of the larger Bemba are swimming circles with body shaking/tremmoring and lip locking.
No, that's two males fighting for position in the social hierarchy. It happens all the time, and rarely causes significant damage to either participant, except, I presume, for sore lips. Mature males often develop white lips as 'badges of honor' from such skirmishes.
At the beginning of the attached video you can see a male actively courting a female, but then another male tries to get in on the action, which leads to a lip-locking episode between the two males, starting at about 1:20. By the time the video ends, just a minute later, both males are obviously fatigued by the confrontation, and the proximity of other fishes in the colony also serves to de-fuse the situation. Only in rare instances in which this goes on for a long period of time is it necessary to intervene, removing the weaker fish to another tank temporarily to recover, but I have never had to do that with Bemba.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve pulled two dead within a week. So, since simpler appears to be better I have swapped the Tropheus to the 6ft 90g. I think the overflow box in the 115g was creating a space for territorial disputes. 
Wow. Are you losing these fishes due to aggression? If so, I agree with the strategy. The colony was a little small for a 115g to begin with- although I thought with Bemba it would be fine- but if you've lost two fishes, then crowding them in a smaller tank (even a 4-foot 90 or 75) is definitely a good idea. I'd also suggest that you create some hiding places for harassed fishes using rocks and/or lengths of PVC pipe.
Another not-mutually-exclusive option would be to add more fishes, but with Tropheus that really means adding more Tropheus, which you may or may not be willing or able to do at this time. I wish I had some fishes that I could give you for this purpose, but at the moment my only adult colony large enough to tolerate paring down is my Ikola colony, and that won't work because Bemba and Ikola are the same species. If you could find some young Tropheus of a decent size (1.5"+) at a reasonable price, that would be one way to go; more Bemba would be the obvious choice; T. duboisi would be another option, as they are pretty mellow. Either way, if aggression is the issue, crowding is the answer. Good luck.
Another not-mutually-exclusive option would be to add more fishes, but with Tropheus that really means adding more Tropheus, which you may or may not be willing or able to do at this time. I wish I had some fishes that I could give you for this purpose, but at the moment my only adult colony large enough to tolerate paring down is my Ikola colony, and that won't work because Bemba and Ikola are the same species. If you could find some young Tropheus of a decent size (1.5"+) at a reasonable price, that would be one way to go; more Bemba would be the obvious choice; T. duboisi would be another option, as they are pretty mellow. Either way, if aggression is the issue, crowding is the answer. Good luck.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Not sure on the losses.Wow. Are you losing these fishes due to aggression? If so, I agree with the strategy. The colony was a little small for a 115g to begin with- although I thought with Bemba it would be fine- but if you've lost two fishes, then crowding them in a smaller tank (even a 4-foot 90 or 75) is definitely a good idea. I'd also suggest that you create some hiding places for harassed fishes using rocks and/or lengths of PVC pipe.
Another not-mutually-exclusive option would be to add more fishes, but with Tropheus that really means adding more Tropheus, which you may or may not be willing or able to do at this time. I wish I had some fishes that I could give you for this purpose, but at the moment my only adult colony large enough to tolerate paring down is my Ikola colony, and that won't work because Bemba and Ikola are the same species. If you could find some young Tropheus of a decent size (1.5"+) at a reasonable price, that would be one way to go; more Bemba would be the obvious choice; T. duboisi would be another option, as they are pretty mellow. Either way, if aggression is the issue, crowding is the answer. Good luck.
I am considering ordering more Bemba. Dave’s Rare Fish and The Wetspot have them available.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Father’s Day is coming. I’m hinting very openly that 6 Bemba would be nice
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Do/will tropheus eat their fry? I have one that’s not opening its mouth like the others during feeding or while swimming. Smaller than the two dominant males and not as vibrantly colored with a gray face instead of all black. 
The 10 have settled in and there’s plenty of chasing. I added several 1.25in pvc hides. One just visible above.
Male
The 10 have settled in and there’s plenty of chasing. I added several 1.25in pvc hides. One just visible above.
Male
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Sounds to me like you have a female brooding a clutch of eggs; these are mouthbrooders, you know.
But to answer the original question- if well-fed, Tropheus are generally uninterested in fry, and won't bother chasing them except in a largely bare tank (like yours).
But to answer the original question- if well-fed, Tropheus are generally uninterested in fry, and won't bother chasing them except in a largely bare tank (like yours).
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
Sounds good. I did cut 6 1/2in pvc pieces 6in long for fry hides. I’m thinking 3 weeks till fry spit out I think if she’s carrying. I’d isn’t see any courtship but I was gone last week.
You don't have enough cover for the fry if you're planning to let her release them into the tank. You have two options- (1) Install a tank divider, or (2) provide cover for the fry. For cover, piles of small rocks along the back of the tank work well. The aim here is to provide many small spaces that the fry can fit into, but the adults can't. You can also provide lengths of small-diameter tubing for the same purpose. Good luck!
No. 4-5 weeks minimum.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I have a definitely carrying female. Distended throat and not opening to eat nori.
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Cool. If you kept the adults well-fed and give the fry places to hide- Java moss works great for this- no need to move the brooding female. A typical brood would be 4-6 fry.
This is a pic of the progenitors of your colony in my fish room on Mercer Island in 2002. Lots of happy fry, some of which may be the grandparents or great-grandparents of your colony!
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I have lots of Java moss so I will throw a mass in there.Cool. If you kept the adults well-fed and give the fry places to hide- Java moss works great for this- no need to move the brooding female. A typical brood would be 4-6 fry.
This is a pic of the progenitors of your colony in my fish room on Mercer Island in 2002. Lots of happy fry, some of which may be the grandparents or great-grandparents of your colony!
View attachment 13044
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I don’t see the ponch any more. I don’t see any fry either
Edit: if they have spawned hopefully they will try again.
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For sure they will try again, but don't give up hope just yet. Once the fry have absorbed most of their yolk sac, they take up less room in the female's buccal pouch, so it may look like she's aborted. At this point she may take food, and the fry will start feeding in situ. If you watch carefully, you may see that she is eating, but gingerly.