My Tropheus Tank (56K warning)

spedwards · 9th August 2006, 12:38 PM

I'd like to share some updated pics of my tank (previously posted in the mega thread).

As you might remember, I had a tank with a few sucking cats waiting for a group of Tropheus moorii Ilangi to be added after an overseas trip. Well the trip is over and the fish have arrived!

The tank as it currently stands, basically the same with the addition of fish:

Day after arrival:

And a few more...:

brycer · 9th August 2006, 2:06 PM

Very nice - look almost the same as my Moliro juveniles - but a bit lighter. As mine got bigger they get darker and the fins turn a red colour. The alpha male goes full black with red underbelly when he is ready for a punchon.

Will post some recent pics when I get home. My tank is almost the same look except I have avoided using plants. Had a bad experience with them bringing in blackbrush algae to the last tank

spedwards · 9th August 2006, 2:22 PM

Moliro were one of my other choices, it's hard to pick just one... As they are both moorii variants I guess it makes sense the juveniles look similar. I've seen some great Moliro shots from a guy an a fish forum I frequent, you should check it out as there are tonnes of Tropheus keepers and information on there.

The plant is a remnant from a previous tank that was shut down a few months earlier. My mum kept anubius and some wysteria alive in an ice cream tub for me and I couldn't throw anubius out - the wysteria went straight for the bin though

I look forwards to seeing some of your pics.

chewbucca · 9th August 2006, 3:41 PM

how much did that tank cost you??

n000b · 9th August 2006, 4:38 PM

What are the stringy things hanging down from the surface? Plant roots?

akaminki · 9th August 2006, 4:56 PM

I think they are bubbles which have caught the light

brycer · 9th August 2006, 6:29 PM

Here are some recent pictures of the tank. Apologies for the crappy photography.

Click to view full-sized image!
Hosted by UGBox Image Store

Ace Rimmer · 10th August 2006, 4:45 PM

Are the rocks and stuff real or they fake?

Either way where did they come from?

spedwards · 10th August 2006, 4:59 PM

Sorry about the delayed responses, I didn't get my notification emails that there were updates...

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewbucca

how much did that tank cost you??

I stopped adding after it went over $1000, it was better that I didn't know in the event the the Mrs asks...

Quote:

Originally Posted by n000b

What are the stringy things hanging down from the surface? Plant roots?

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaminki

I think they are bubbles which have caught the light

Correct, the only plant in there is the one in plain view. Cichlids and plants don't normally play well, but this was kept as explained above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brycer

Here are some recent pictures of the tank. Apologies for the crappy photography.

Nice pics, it takes a while to get good ones. The ones I've posted are the only worthy ones from a sitting of over 100 taken - thank the lord for digital photography!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

Are the rocks and stuff real or they fake?

Either way where did they come from?

They are both real and fake!

The backing is an Universal Rocks "latex" (but not really latex) background that can be bought in most good aquarium stores. The variance in price can be huge though, upto $100 for the one I got, so make sure you shop around.

The other rocks are from a landscape supplier and are basically sandstone that was in the "bush rock" pile. We just rocked up one afternoon and went trawling through the pile which was enormous, found a few good pieces and we were on our way. They charged us $16 from memory, as most of the pieces were dodgey ones they wouldn't be able to otherwise sell.

brycer · 10th August 2006, 6:52 PM

I will need to keep going with the digital pics as well. Our backgrounds are the same brand and the setup disturbingly similar except that I decided not to stock plants this time around.

spedwards · 10th August 2006, 6:55 PM

What size is your tank, looks to be about 3 foot?

brycer · 10th August 2006, 8:29 PM

Its a JEBO 390 which is 900 x 480 x 615mm so yes it is slightly on the small side but I only have a colony of 9 fish. So far the aggression levels have been ok.

spedwards · 11th August 2006, 8:48 AM

As long as the fish are happy and the water conditions are OK there's really no need to worry. I've heard of people keeping colonies well over nine fish in a 2x2x2...

brycer · 11th August 2006, 12:38 PM

I had done my homework and it seemed that the tank was slightly on the small side for a decent colony - which is supposed to be 12+ fish.

So I thought I would try it out with 9 Tropheus plus 3 L Hecqui as bottom dwellers. Originally I was going to stock it as a Tang community but changed my mind at the last minute.

So far the Hecqui are doing the bossing around which is keeping the agression levels manageable. Also have rock piles at each and and the vertical one in the middle to break up line of sight and provide hiding places.

Water changes are 25-30% once per week religiously. Nitrates have been <1ppm for over four months now. KH is a tad high at 21

but the fish dont seem to give a damn. GH is 17 and PH is 8.5-9.0

spedwards · 11th August 2006, 1:08 PM

Our maintenance regimes are very similar, I do about 33% weekly and have the water aged, buffered and conditioned in a tub ready for the next change. After getting back from the trip overseas I has 0 ammonia and nitrites and 5-10ppm nitrates with no interaction except for feeding every couple of days. I'm very happy with the way that it all performed

I had originally planned on getting a mixed Malawi display setup, but the Tropheus pictures got me hooked.

9th August 2006, 12:38 PM	#1
spedwards Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 850	Tropheus Tanks (56K warning) I'd like to share some updated pics of my tank (previously posted in the mega thread). As you might remember, I had a tank with a few sucking cats waiting for a group of Tropheus moorii Ilangi to be added after an overseas trip. Well the trip is over and the fish have arrived! The tank as it currently stands, basically the same with the addition of fish: Day after arrival: And a few more...: __________________ My pics @Photobucket Last edited by spedwards; 30th August 2006 at 8:27 PM.

9th August 2006, 2:06 PM	#2
brycer Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne Aust Posts: 2,404	Very nice - look almost the same as my Moliro juveniles - but a bit lighter. As mine got bigger they get darker and the fins turn a red colour. The alpha male goes full black with red underbelly when he is ready for a punchon. Will post some recent pics when I get home. My tank is almost the same look except I have avoided using plants. Had a bad experience with them bringing in blackbrush algae to the last tank __________________ q9400 @ Stock\|Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 \|4GB Crucial DDR2 800\| Gigabyte GTX275\| X-Fi Ext Music\| Seagate 320gb 7900.10 SATA \| 2x WD 120Gb SATA RAID0\| OCZ 700W PSU \| Antec Sonata Case \| SyncMaster 2333

9th August 2006, 2:22 PM	#3
spedwards Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 850	Moliro were one of my other choices, it's hard to pick just one... As they are both moorii variants I guess it makes sense the juveniles look similar. I've seen some great Moliro shots from a guy an a fish forum I frequent, you should check it out as there are tonnes of Tropheus keepers and information on there. The plant is a remnant from a previous tank that was shut down a few months earlier. My mum kept anubius and some wysteria alive in an ice cream tub for me and I couldn't throw anubius out - the wysteria went straight for the bin though I look forwards to seeing some of your pics. __________________ My pics @Photobucket

9th August 2006, 3:41 PM	#4
chewbucca Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,772	how much did that tank cost you?? __________________ Bobby Fischer: "I like the moment when I break a man's ego."

9th August 2006, 6:29 PM	#7
brycer Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne Aust Posts: 2,404	Here are some recent pictures of the tank. Apologies for the crappy photography. Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store __________________ q9400 @ Stock\|Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 \|4GB Crucial DDR2 800\| Gigabyte GTX275\| X-Fi Ext Music\| Seagate 320gb 7900.10 SATA \| 2x WD 120Gb SATA RAID0\| OCZ 700W PSU \| Antec Sonata Case \| SyncMaster 2333

9th August 2006, 4:38 PM	#5
n000b Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 2,492	What are the stringy things hanging down from the surface? Plant roots?

9th August 2006, 4:56 PM	#6
akaminki (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Brisbane Posts: 258	I think they are bubbles which have caught the light

10th August 2006, 4:45 PM	#8
Ace Rimmer Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 4,007	Are the rocks and stuff real or they fake? Either way where did they come from?

10th August 2006, 6:52 PM	#10
brycer Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne Aust Posts: 2,404	I will need to keep going with the digital pics as well. Our backgrounds are the same brand and the setup disturbingly similar except that I decided not to stock plants this time around. __________________ q9400 @ Stock\|Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 \|4GB Crucial DDR2 800\| Gigabyte GTX275\| X-Fi Ext Music\| Seagate 320gb 7900.10 SATA \| 2x WD 120Gb SATA RAID0\| OCZ 700W PSU \| Antec Sonata Case \| SyncMaster 2333

10th August 2006, 6:55 PM	#11
spedwards Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 850	What size is your tank, looks to be about 3 foot? __________________ My pics @Photobucket

10th August 2006, 8:29 PM	#12
brycer Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne Aust Posts: 2,404	Its a JEBO 390 which is 900 x 480 x 615mm so yes it is slightly on the small side but I only have a colony of 9 fish. So far the aggression levels have been ok. __________________ q9400 @ Stock\|Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 \|4GB Crucial DDR2 800\| Gigabyte GTX275\| X-Fi Ext Music\| Seagate 320gb 7900.10 SATA \| 2x WD 120Gb SATA RAID0\| OCZ 700W PSU \| Antec Sonata Case \| SyncMaster 2333

11th August 2006, 8:48 AM	#13
spedwards Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 850	As long as the fish are happy and the water conditions are OK there's really no need to worry. I've heard of people keeping colonies well over nine fish in a 2x2x2... __________________ My pics @Photobucket Last edited by spedwards; 11th August 2006 at 8:52 AM.

11th August 2006, 12:38 PM	#14
brycer Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne Aust Posts: 2,404	I had done my homework and it seemed that the tank was slightly on the small side for a decent colony - which is supposed to be 12+ fish. So I thought I would try it out with 9 Tropheus plus 3 L Hecqui as bottom dwellers. Originally I was going to stock it as a Tang community but changed my mind at the last minute. So far the Hecqui are doing the bossing around which is keeping the agression levels manageable. Also have rock piles at each and and the vertical one in the middle to break up line of sight and provide hiding places. Water changes are 25-30% once per week religiously. Nitrates have been <1ppm for over four months now. KH is a tad high at 21 but the fish dont seem to give a damn. GH is 17 and PH is 8.5-9.0 __________________ q9400 @ Stock\|Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 \|4GB Crucial DDR2 800\| Gigabyte GTX275\| X-Fi Ext Music\| Seagate 320gb 7900.10 SATA \| 2x WD 120Gb SATA RAID0\| OCZ 700W PSU \| Antec Sonata Case \| SyncMaster 2333 Last edited by brycer; 11th August 2006 at 12:46 PM.

11th August 2006, 1:08 PM	#15
spedwards Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 850	Our maintenance regimes are very similar, I do about 33% weekly and have the water aged, buffered and conditioned in a tub ready for the next change. After getting back from the trip overseas I has 0 ammonia and nitrites and 5-10ppm nitrates with no interaction except for feeding every couple of days. I'm very happy with the way that it all performed I had originally planned on getting a mixed Malawi display setup, but the Tropheus pictures got me hooked. __________________ My pics @Photobucket