# Anomalochromis thomasi



## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

They had some at my LFS. After reading on how calm they are, I got a pair and put them in a 22 gallon tank with many plants, flowerpots, rocks and hiding places. In less than a week, one had killed the other. He would constantly look everywhere in the tank until it found its prey. I decided to get 4 more to even out aggression. I untroduced to new ones but they were just punching bags for the resident. I put the resident in a fry holder for 48hrs to let the others settle in. Its been a week now and this tank is a battle zone. These fish are about 1 inch long !!! They are constantly looking for a fight and trying to conquer territory. The fights are violent and can last 10 minutes and they go right back at it after a short rest. If a fish heads for the center of the tank, he is attacked from all sides. These fish are more aggressive than any mbuna I have owned !! Why are they listed as "calm for a cichlid" ? Does anyone have experience with these ?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

The "mild temperament" information comes from the first imports, which were a different population than the ones you find now. The current strain is from Guinea, and can be identified as that population by the row of black spots arching just below the dorsal fin. Problem is, the Guinea population is much more aggressive than the early imports, I've seen them take on fish two to three times their size. They are also much more dependable as parents; the old strain died out because they were poor parents. The old strain was more attractive, though.


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## Coriandre (Jan 30, 2014)

Thank you for the great information. They sure are rough ! The eyes change to bright red when they are excited. I watched them quite a bit yesterday and it is unbeleivable how aggressive and active they are. Is there a way to differentiate male and female in this strain ?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

There's no easy way to sex them. Males tend to be a little bigger than the females, but other than that they pretty much look the same.


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