# first time for petro's ?



## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have a chance to get some petro fry / juvies, what is a good number to end up with as adults ? Is it the same as trophs (get as many as I can)? Or, could I get a doz. I have seen people with pairs or trio's and, it seems like you only end up with one male anyway. Any help is greatly appreciated. If I get them, it will be tomorrow.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Well, I think it's to late, I'm gonna find out the hard way, I agreed to take them. I hope I don't regret this. LOL.


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## NorthShore (Feb 3, 2006)

Which type are you getting? Yes, usually the more the merrier as adults.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I think you'r going to realise why I had to take these. They are, 12 f1 moshi at aprox 2". My big concern is that I'm going away for 2 weeks next saturday and I'm allready a little nervous about leaving my trophs in the hands of my sister. Oh well, I will set up a tank today and pick them up tomorrow, that way I can keep an eye on them for a week. When I get back I will start making room for them in a 120g. with a group of bemba, when they outgrow the 120, I will chuck em in the 210g. I wasn't sure how many to get but, when I found out the seller had 12, I figured that I should take them all. I will keep you posted on the progress as I know you love the petro's. A little side note, the seller told me that these are the fastest growing fish he has ever seen and, that they are allready showing a lot of yellow. :dancing:


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## NorthShore (Feb 3, 2006)

I see why you jumped on them. :lol: Moshis. Very nice! We will be waiting for pics.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

For Moshi I would get all that you can and hope the number of males is minimzed.

You will more likely have to seperate extra males at a later date.

Be careful with Tropheus. I have seen where the largest Petro attacks the dominate Alpha Male Tropheus. Petros always want to be top dog, and anytime they feel like it they will take on the fish that thinks he is in charge.

Tropheus usually loose 4 out of 5 times depending on the Petro variant.

Also Petros have a huge appetite. In order to get them to their full 6-10" you will have to feed larger portions. This will make for more water pollution, which means more filtration, and more waterchanges. Also keep an eye close on the Tropheus, they can bloat soemtimes from the excessive food.

Having kept Petros and Trophs together now, I dont think they really make for the best tank mates anymore. But that is just my opinion..


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Well, I got them today, here's a couple of quick pics.
































Thanks for the advice, I will definately be keeping an eye on them.


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## Staszek (Dec 18, 2006)

Great tips from Geoff.

Beautiful Moshi...they are showing awesome color.


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## Chip (Jan 27, 2003)

I am of a different opinion- first off,at the 2.0 size they will be fine in a 75 gal tank +/-. Secondly, with Moshi I am of the opinion that 4 or 5 males and 6-8 females is a better group. I suggest you contact Al Ruben- he has now kept Moshi for over a year. Perhaps he will chime in.
Lastly- tropheus will have no bearing what so ever on MOshi, they will be completely ignored, and ca be kept with a Moshi group as described above. IMO. Now. having f-1's is even better, as they will grow up together and never be as aggressive as wild caught.

chip


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## RayQ (Sep 26, 2007)

Great looking fish! I hope that you show more pics as they mature. I am interested to see how the tropheus/Moshi mix plays out, I have not kept Petros, but, have witnessed in tanks where other variants of Petros appeared to interfere with the tropheus comfort levels.

Good luck!

Ray


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Thanks for all the advice guys. They will be in a 40 gal long (48") until I get back from vacation (2 weeks in Antigua I might add)  When I get back I will set up a 120 gal. for them, I have no choice, other than to keep them with trophs for now so, I will have to keep my eye on them. I will post more pics as they grow. The seller told me that they are from the congo, when I asked if he knew the exact location, he said that he was pretty sure that they are Mtoto.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

Beautiful fish man, excellent find for sure. I would have gotten them.

Anytime you can come across F1 Petros is a rare find. Not a lot of success stories in there, but just like other fish, in time people will figure these guys out as well.

I was growing a (21) fish Petrochromis Famula Chimba group along with my Lupota and Ikola Tropheus, and as the Famula's got bigger nearing 4.5" now at 1 year, they started trying to dominate territory and lip lock with Tropheus Alpha's.

Almost all the breeding in the 180 gallon tank was shut down from the Petro disruption. Now those Famula's are in the 300 with Trewavasae and a small group of Tropheus that are not important to me for producing fry.

When the Moshi get bigger they will take over the Tropheus. I know I am not the only person experiencing Petro excerting dominance in F-1 groups. Right now they's the little guys, wait till they get around 4 to 5" and start tearing things up.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Thanks geoff, I couldn't believe It when I saw them on a local importers list, I'm sure they wouldn't have lasted long so I bought them before I had even thought about it. I have never had petro's before and to be quite honest, didn't see what all the fuss was about until I saw a group of trew's last week, but of all the pics I saw, the moshi was by far the nicest (bulu point aside). I keep saying "no more impulse fish buying", but really, the price was to good to pass up. I'm sure they will end up in my 210 gal. but for now the foai will rule.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

Its the lips man. Everybody loves the Petros mouths.

That's the first comments I always hear about them from people who never seen them before.

In my 300 right now are 18 Trewavasae 3" to 5" and the (21) Famula Chimba's 3.5" to 4.5"

They are getting along ok for now, the person who had the 300 before me was John Jolley. He had a BLue Giant that was around 8-10", 15-Trewavasae in the 5-6" range, and 5-Famula Adults 4-6" that this group I have now came from.

The group got along, but I think alot had to do with the big BLue Giant in there.

Please keep us or PM me in the future. I am extremely interested in knowing how your F1's will mature.

Take care and best of luck with the Fishes!!!

Geoff


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

While I have you here, do you think that they could spend their whole lives in a 5' 120g ?
If so, should I get more than the 12, another 6 perhaps ?
Thanks for your advice, it's greatly appreciated. What happened to jolly? I used to see him on here all the time.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

Jolley turned to the Darkside and went Frontosa on me.  :lol:

Has himself a nice 10ft 300 gallon with a Moba Colony in there.

In my 5ft 115gallon, I dont know if I could visualize a dozne Moshi in there longterm. It would be too hard to really say.

I think 6ft is better, and 8ft is best when keeping Petro groups.


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## NorthShore (Feb 3, 2006)

I don't want to get into bashing petros, since I own a few groups myself, but I regret placing them with my tropheus. All spawning of the tropheus ended shortly after introducing the petros, even with the petros being very young fish. They are annoying, super-aggressive and it is very much in their blood to dominate an environment. They are the top vegetarian in the lake and I can say I now know why. They are relentless and unpredictable and don't fight fair. I've moved all my petros, or what's left of them :lol: , into a 180 where they can bang on each other all they want. :thumb:


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I guess I will put that plan on the back burner then.
Sad I wanted to try Petros with Troph but if the Troph stop (or reduce) breeding then its a no show for me. Thanks for the info guys!


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## Staszek (Dec 18, 2006)

I agree that Petro's are breeding disrupters for Trophs.

I had a trio of Kasumbe Rainbows in with my Troph Chaitika Blues and all breeding stopped.....the Kasumbes didn't kill any Trophs, just harassed them and chased.

I have seen 1 instance where the Trophs rule.

A good friend of mine has 6" Troph Red Rainbow and has a trio of Petro Ikolas, male is 5-6" and the Trophs dominate the tank without question.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Has anybody tried an intervention for jolley  It's starting to look as though the combo.. of troph's and petro's is better suited for young juvies, I think that because the trophs are bigger than the petro's they might get along a little better. As far as breeding go's, I am tired of dealing with fry, setting up tanks, trying to sell them etc. I am now at a point where I can just get the fish I like to look at and be done with it, of course there is the whole, if they're not spawning, how happy can they be? They have settled in nicely and are eating nls and hbh. The funiest thing is, when I got them, I had to put them in a tank with about 20 tiny goby fry, the gobie's went balistic, fearing for their lives, the petro's don't even know that they are in there. :lol: I will keep the pic's coming as they mature.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

I am just curious, to ask you this but how sure are you that these are Petrochromis Moshi?

I ask this because for a number of years now, I have seen Burundi Pondraised Petrochromis Mtoto yellow availible.

There is a sp.Gold Mtoto (congo fish) that is supposed to remain smaller than Moshi, I think Moshi is a TZ fish anyways..I might be wrong on that.

If they remain smaller, they might be ok in the 5ft tank.


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

I tried the intervention, and in fact if he reads this he'll probably get mad at me, because I think its not Moba's but they are something else gibberosa or something,..I duno..I'm not into Fronts :lol:


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

geoff_tropheus said:


> I am just curious, to ask you this but how sure are you that these are Petrochromis Moshi?
> 
> I ask this because for a number of years now, I have seen Burundi Pondraised Petrochromis Mtoto yellow availible.
> 
> ...


I know this is a bit of a ridiculous bump but, Geoff, it turns out you were right, they ended up being sp. Yellow Mtoto. I have ended up with two males, seperated into 5', 120's, each with a group of Trophs. Oh well, all part of the learning I guess.


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