# emperor cichlid?



## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

If I understand correctly this is a fish from lake tang? I watched a video of a pair fending off a turtle and was in awe. I have a few questions. Is this a species available to the public? (I was unable to find any for sale online) My next question is, what would be the minimum tank size to keep a pair in alone together? While I know for sure that it is beyond anything I could attempt in the near future (LOL) I would love to keep a breeding pair of these awesome fish eventually. I am hoping to be getting a 180 or 200 gallon tank soon, but have a sneaking suspicion that this would be too small!  Thanks in advance for your answers and please refrain from the "You're an idiot!" posts. I allready know that.


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## KoenEeckhoudt (Oct 28, 2007)

You're an idiot :lol: :lol:

I'm not sure if it 's feasable to keep them in a tank. If I'm not mistaken, they get up to 1 meter in length (3 feet). Never heard of anyone keeping them anyway.


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

Just couldn't resist could ya? 8)

I did find a guy keeping a breeding pair in a 400G tank but unless I go TFG with it, that is not happening! LOL


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

Hmmmm..... There are some for sale on aquabid for 59.99 plus shipping. 7" specimens. If only I had 5 grand to blow on a tank!


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## tranced (Jan 11, 2006)

we apparently had a pair for sale at work (before i started working there)

if you can find em in australia with its crazy import regulations should be easy to get them in the US

can help u out with thae tank tho sorry mate  how sweet would it be to keep them in a pool and go swimming with them???


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## Matt1986 (May 15, 2009)

I've heard of someone keeping a pair in a 8'x3'x3' with a colony of Mpimbwe Frontosa :drooling: I wouldn't want to keep them in anything smaller, but if you can get your hands on a tank that size I'm sure hunting some down wouldn't be hard.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

They are around, you need a custom tank for them. I'm kicking around the idea of it when I move later in the year.


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## Qaddiction (Oct 16, 2007)

I know a guy that had a pair in a 240 gallon tank. The footprint was 8'x2'x2'. Amazingly enough they actually spawn for him in that tank. I believe the male eventually killed the female, but he sold off many fry from that one spawn.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

Darkside said:


> They are around, you need a custom tank for them. I'm kicking around the idea of it when I move later in the year.


Go for it :thumb: 
but only as you only get 1 tank right? :lol:

I do have to agree on a custom tank, they do get very large and most tanks arent 3' deep. 
But that would be cool.


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

so what gallonage is an 8x3x3? Thanks for all your replies.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Its about 500 gallons. I think they may need an aquarium even larger than that. I was thinking 8' x 5' x 5' for my own setup.


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

here's a question. If northshore can successfully keep peacock bass and rays, and an arowana in a 360 gallon tank with other fish as well, why would that not be enough for a pair of these fish? Is it due to super high levels of aggression?


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Emperor cichlids are fast swimming, open water fish and that's why they need the extra space. :thumb:


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

My lfs has one of these, actually. In the 1'-2' range. Its in basically a cube shaped holding tank, roughly just big enough for the poor fish to turn around. I believe its for sale in the $100-$300 range. They say its a female. Sure would be nice if someone could give it a nice home. I certainly don't have a setup for her, and even if I did, I'm sure there are much cooler things you could do with a big tank like that.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

I don't know if that's true, there's nothing cooler than the King of cichlids.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Darkside said:


> I don't know if that's true, there's nothing cooler than the King of cichlids.


Sure they are cool and a fish I really want to try and breed one day. Not just a couple of breeds in a 6 foot tank but one where they can live halfway decent lives and breed a number of times, I
estimate that to be about 8 foot by 3 by 3 with dither fish like large fronts as dithers. Otherwise I guess I would just be keeping em for a while before the death of the female and then prob dumping the male on a public aquarium.

All the best James

PS I have seen em at 6" for about Ã‚Â£60 here in the UK but think it less than resposible to sell em at this size (and price) without major warnings. :wink:
May well breed as little as 12" but then will easily get to 36" if given decent space and time to develop.


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## Creepy85 (Aug 26, 2009)

Hi there,

some german importeurs had and have this fish...correctly known as boulengerochromis microlepis  .

So look at this topics:

http://www.tropheus-forum.de/forum/view ... microlepis

http://www.tropheus-forum.de/forum/view ... microlepis


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Creepy85 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> some german importeurs had and have this fish...correctly known as Boulengerochromis microlepis  .


 :wink: :lol:


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

:lol: uh.... I tried but my German is a little rusty. :thumb:


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## UFFDA (Apr 9, 2010)

These fish are common in the trade if you go to stores that specialize in monster fish.

You can get small 3 inch ones from Ocean Blue in Orange, CA for 19.99 year round. He also sells adult specimens and ones of varying size.

Monsterfishkeeper has a few good tank examples, I would say a 300g + is needed for them prefferably 500+ so they can stretch their fins.

I think Brian ships so you could always just search the storenamein google with orange ca then call him.


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## Malawibob (Jul 27, 2006)

I have a pair in my 15ft x 4ft x 6ft tank, they live with a group of Moba Frontosa, a group of Dardenni and a group of Diagramma.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Well Welcome back Malawibob! I'd love to see some pics if you can post them.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

This guy bred them in captivity.






https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0h1E ... E6hHTjZ8wA


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## KitumbaKing (Sep 22, 2018)

I would love to one day to have the space to accommodate a large tank like others have suggested. It's going to be awhile, might as well start planting the seed with my wife....

I have two groups of kitumba Frontosa it would be great to put them in one giant aquarium with some of these monsters.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Fronts do not always do well with other species, do lots of research.


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## sir_keith (Oct 30, 2018)

KitumbaKing said:


> I have two groups of kitumba Frontosa it would be great to put them in one giant aquarium with some of these monsters.


That is going to be one _very_ unhappy tank...


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

KitumbaKing said:


> I would love to one day to have the space to accommodate a large tank like others have suggested. It's going to be awhile, might as well start planting the seed with my wife....
> 
> I have two groups of kitumba Frontosa it would be great to put them in one giant aquarium with some of these monsters.


You don't really want to keep frontosa with them, unless the tank is ridiculously big. By that, I mean something that is probably in the neighbourhood of 10ft x 10 ft x 4ft or bigger.


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## KitumbaKing (Sep 22, 2018)

Fogelhund said:


> KitumbaKing said:
> 
> 
> > I would love to one day to have the space to accommodate a large tank like others have suggested. It's going to be awhile, might as well start planting the seed with my wife....
> ...


Yeah, it would be a monster tank like in the video that was posted. We can all dream right. Realistically a 10ft x 2ft x 2ft is more attainable, and I would likely do Benthochromis instead.


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