# Cyathopharynx Furcifer and Ophtalmotilapia Ventralis x-breed



## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

just wondering if these two species can cross breed?
im planning to get the furcifer out of the 2 but if i can get the ventrails without
having the risk of hybrids i will get both.

they will be going in a 125g tank.


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

The problem is that they will compete for bottom space and the ventralis are more aggressive IME and the furcifers will have no color at all.I would stick to having only the furcifers in the tank so you can enjoy them.It takes awhile for the male to color up but when he does it is well worth the wait.I have a group of 2 males and 4 females of wild Kigomas and it took almost a year for the dominant male to dig a big pit and color up but now I have 2 females holding!


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I personally would not be surprised if the Furcifers sied in that set-up. I have seen them waste away when they have been stressed out. I don't think your tank is big enough for Furcifers to be quite honest. I would stick with the Ventralis.
P.S I grew out my Furcifers in a 210 with adult Ventralis, they were fine for a while. Once the Furcifers started to show any sign of being adults, they were beaten down.


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## SAMhap (Aug 21, 2010)

i keep a pair of furcifer isanga(3 inches) and a trio of ventralis (4 inches) without any problem in my 55!!!
the ventralis are showing signs of breeding but they are not eating or stresing the furcifer.
good luck. :thumb:


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

SAMhap said:


> i keep a pair of furcifer isanga(3 inches) and a trio of ventralis (4 inches) without any problem in my 55!!!
> the ventralis are showing signs of breeding but they are not eating or stresing the furcifer.
> good luck. :thumb:


They can grow to 10 inches, and they are not pairing fish :thumb:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

noddy said:


> SAMhap said:
> 
> 
> > i keep a pair of furcifer isanga(3 inches) and a trio of ventralis (4 inches) without any problem in my 55!!!
> ...


Agreed, far too young and small to be drawing conclusions about how they will behave as adults, or whether a 55 gallon is appropriate. (particularly as it applies to giving advice). I suspect a 55 gallon will not work out long term for either of those species in those numbers.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

im leaning more toward a trio of furcifer ruziba and now im wondering 
if i can keep them with my cyphotilapias.
are they fin nippers and are they egg stealers?
my cyphos are breeding and dont want them to interrupt that.
however, i can always put them in the 75g along with my smaller mobas.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

mel_cp6 said:


> im leaning more toward a trio of furcifer ruziba and now im wondering
> if i can keep them with my cyphotilapias.
> are they fin nippers and are they egg stealers?
> my cyphos are breeding and dont want them to interrupt that.
> however, i can always put them in the 75g along with my smaller mobas.


If you want them at their best, give them their own tank. Typically fronts are kept in rocky tanks, something not suitable for foai or furcifer.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

not looking for them to be at their best. just something to add to my moba tank to 
fill up the tank and something that wont nip at the mobas fins.
what im planning is to move the 13 2-3" cyphos, 6 alto comps and something to 
add color and behaviour to the tank.
and maybe a couple of julidichromis.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Fronts are a tough fit with most tangs. If you appreciate the finnage and breeding in your fronts, avoid the featherfins, they'll steal eggs and take up half of the aquarium. If you keep it at just fronts, you can some larger dither fish, like the medium sized Distichodus species or tinfoil barbs. You could also try some of the larger rainbowfish like Glossolepis incisus.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

> Fronts are a tough fit with most tangs.


you're right about that. *** been keeping fronts for 2 yrs and i havent found any suitable tankmate for them. its either they will nip at the fronts fins or fronts will eat them.

this time im starting a group that are 2-3", so i figure i have about 3 yrs before i worry about breeding. 
i just have to find tankmates that will not nip at their fins. 
so far i have 6 altos comps.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Well if you have yourself a very large aquarium you can try your fronts with B. tricoti. I've seen this mix workout a couple of times over the years.


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

Furcifers are great in their own setup or with cyps. When I kept them the single male (and 6 females) took up 18 inches of a 6 foot tank with his bower alone! +he frantically chased every fish within 2 feet of the center of the Bower so I guess he was occupying a total of 3 feet or so.

I have heard stories of them spawning in a 20 gallon but I have seen them in 30 gallons at the lfs and they looked like **** :lol:

One of the reasons I got rid of mine was because when they got real big they just looked dumb in a 125 even, to me anyway. They are glorious fish but, If I do it again it'll be in a 300+ of at least 8 feet


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

thanks for the advice guys.
i might have to rethink this again.

will the ventrails make a better tankmate for the mobas by any chance?


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Ventralis are probably a worse choice due to their overwhelming aggressiveness.


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

some variants of Dewindti are quite stunning and they only reach about 5 inches which, I think means smaller bowers less territory etc.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

thanks
i should've mentioned that i would like to keep this a tanganyika only tank.
so it looks like my 1st choice are both not a good tankmate for my mobas.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

How about Haplotaxodon species?


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## Longstocking (Aug 26, 2003)

Darkside said:


> Well if you have yourself a very large aquarium you can try your fronts with B. tricoti. I've seen this mix workout a couple of times over the years.


This is probably your best bet and suggestion.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

just look into b. tricotti and it seems they're most expensive than the mobas.
so i probably wont be getting those.

how about 6 leleupis and 6 clown loaches for some color along with the 5 alto comps and 13 mobas i have?
the leleupis and clown loaches are inexpensive and i dont mind getting rid of them in a couple of years. 
my only concern is that leleupis are known to nip. 
on 2nd thought, im not to crazy about the loaches because they're way to active for me.

so its either several leleupis or yellow lab. i want the ones that is less aggresive and less likely to nip.


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