# mixing Tropheus and Featherfins



## supafly (Dec 17, 2003)

Hi,

I've kept colonies of tropheus and I 've kept colonies O.ventralis, but never together before. I realize their diets are different, however, in terms of water parameters and tank setup, the demands are not that much different. The tank I was thinking of setting up is a 150g sand bottom with large limestone boulders. Fish will be two 12-fish colonies of Ilangi and Golden Kazumba, and a 6-fish colonie of O.ventalis Longola. That's a total of 30 fish, 24 Tropheus and 6 O.ventralis. Do you think these fish will co-exist for long term and be able to breed? Please share your experience if you have mix these two types of fish in the same tank. Thanks


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## Furcifer158 (Feb 16, 2008)

Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Idea. First there food is actually pretty similar, but that doesn't matter. You put the vents in with the trophs I give it a month maybe two till there dead. The vents won't even have fins left after a week. I just put an extra male vent in with my troph colonie and they killed him in a few days. I won't do this at all. both species are better for species only tank. IMO


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I agree with the above. I feed both fish the same diet. It is the conflict between fish that is the problem.


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## supafly (Dec 17, 2003)

Thank you. I won't mix them. Just going to have to setup two tanks then.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I have had these two species together for over a year now. 64"x15"x18" 20 Troph 6 Opthals.
Both species have bred.
It is prob now time to separate them as now the Troph are getting to 5" they are too mean and rough and for the dom male Opthal 4" to hold a territory.
I agree a bad mix when adult but I disagree about how long it can last for young fish. :wink:
Photo and video taken a few months ago.










Big Opthals and small Troph no problem in these numbers (most Troph aggression when small is between themselves) given room. When the Troph really get breeding then its pretty clear its time to remove the Opthals.) The Troph do though eat released Opthal fry so I have been putting the brooding Opthals in a separate tank.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Just noticed the video link does not work. Try clicking
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/2 ... A60060.flv
and
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/2 ... A60076.flv
Correction the Troph do kill (and sometimes eat) the Opthal fry released into the main tank.
Most of the time they have not eaten them.
Hope this helps
James


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## Furcifer158 (Feb 16, 2008)

Your right 24Tropheus when they are young it won't matter but come adulthood. there will be problems. mine were wild adults when I mixed them.


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## supafly (Dec 17, 2003)

Let's forget about that combination. What other Tangy would you guys suggest that would do well with Trophs? If possible I would like to add atleast two or three other species with the 24 trophs. I don't mind if it's just trios or foursomes, a mix variety is what I am after.


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I had cyprichromis with my tropheus when I had my tropheus in the 180 gallon and all was well. Now the tropheus are in a 90 and would be too crowded with anything else so they are by themselves - all 30 of them.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I would be more concerned about mixing Ilangi with G.K's personally.


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## jumpman (May 13, 2004)

I find that Calvus do very well with my group. I have a pair in a 90g with 14 Kiriza. The Tropheus are breeding and still they completely ignore each other, no squabbles for territory at all. At feeding time the Calvus have learned to swim above the Trophs to get their share of food.

Of course fry survival will be more than likely severely limited by the Calvus.


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## supafly (Dec 17, 2003)

punman said:


> I had cyprichromis with my tropheus when I had my tropheus in the 180 gallon and all was well. Now the tropheus are in a 90 and would be too crowded with anything else so they are by themselves - all 30 of them.


How may cyps did you have and were they breeding in this tank? What tropheus do you have?


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I guess we are limited by not knowing weather you want to be 
1 Bio type correct.
2 Habitat correct
3 Lake region correct
4 Just any Tang
or 5 happy with Malawi's in there too.

Weather you are happy to have reduced breeding from the Tropheus in the tank.

and weather you want Tropheus fry to survive if released in the tank.

The list of species is quite long if you are happy to mix stuff and do not care about the Tropheus breeding.


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## supafly (Dec 17, 2003)

24Tropheus said:


> I guess we are limited by not knowing weather you want to be
> 1 Bio type correct.
> 2 Habitat correct
> 3 Lake region correct
> ...


Good question. I want the tropheus to feel comfortable to breed but at the same time want variety of different Tanganyikans in there with it. Possible isn't it? As long as it dosn't discrupt the trophs too much, I like over water swimmers as well as a few rock dwellers. Strong coloration is a must.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have some young ventralis in with bemba trophs and a doz.. petro's. The ventralis are doing o.k but, like I say, they are young/small. I also have a lone goby with them. I tried my adult ventralis in this tank but the trophs sheared the fins off them within a week, same results with non jumbo cyps. I also have 2 paracyps in with a group of moops that also have chewed up fins. The trophs seem to ignore the other fish but they seem to get nipped in the feeding frenzy. Take it from me, do not try enant's with your trophs, not even temporarily, although I have heard of people mixing calochromis with some luck.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I would go with the Jumbo Cyps a group of 12+ (you could have all males for more colour.)
Only because this is the only top, well topish dweller, I can think of robust enough for Tropheus.

I would have a pair of gobie cichlids (not that much that color but great characters.)
A pair of J. ornatus would breed successfully in there too only get the smallest stupidest Tropheus young, if you do not mind losing more of the Troph fry then up it to a pair of Julidochromis regani (Kipili) (saying that I have bred those two in the same tank with few fry losses).
In my own opinion no Tropheus community is complete without a shoal of catfish, my Synodontis lucipinnis group do not get all my Tropheus fry.
You could even have a shelly if you choose the larger more veggie ones.
Telmatochromis burgeoni, T. lestradei or T. temporalis for a long term addition, lots of interest I bet you would love em but not too much color.

Humm fish from all sorts of habitats and all over the lake. Not a purists tank by any stretch of the imagination. 

If you want to keep the Tropheus fry then just one type of Tropheus or you have to have dubs as one of them, otherwise you have to grow em on to check they are not hybrids.

Single type groups breed better anyway.

Some guys keep Petrochromis trewevasae with Tropheus, I can not comment on how well this mix works (or whether it would work with the others I mentioned) because I have not yet tried it myself.


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