# New 4 foot tropheus tank



## lovethatcichlid (Feb 24, 2011)

Currently cycling this tank for tropheus









































Tank is 239L.
Current inhabitants: 3 convicts while cycling.
Aquascaping: chasms/canyon with jasper rock.
Filter: Astro canister filter somewhere between 200-290L

I'm got my eye on tropheus bemba and 'firecracker'.


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## lovethatcichlid (Feb 24, 2011)

Filter: Astro 2210 External filter, 760L/h
Lighting: 36 watts, Florescent


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Very nice. Personally I would not put Tropheus (other than dubs) in this tank long term. And a max of one type in a 75-gallons 48x18x20 in /122x46x51 cm tank. Slightly larger than yours I think.
Do not get me wrong you can for sure grow on a group or two of juveniles very happily in this tank but long term breeding prob only dubs could put up with the lack of escape room from the dom males.
Hope you get the real variant on the 'firecracker'. This common name has been aplied to a number of different variants and crosses.

All the best James


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## kiriyama (Oct 20, 2010)

I can't really advise you on the Tropheus as I have only had my own dubs for a very short period of time...
James and a few other folk advised a while back that 5' is sort of minimum and 6' is better...
I have the same size tank as you I think, Fluval Roma240, I have 20 juvenile dubs in there at the moment, a Fluval 305 external, seems ok just now, recently added and FX5 filter which will go on a bigger tank when I get it. The group of dubs seem to be working in the 4' tank, a couple are starting to develop the band and lose there spots, I see the odd chase and the odd bit of flaring at each other but nothing nasty... Saying all that though I am definately moving them to a bigger tank ASAP.... :fish:

I think your tank looks great, very nice rockwork etc, would like to see more when you get your Trops in there...... opcorn:


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## lovethatcichlid (Feb 24, 2011)

I was told that the filtration is not enough for the tank by another forum. I doubt this as tropheus live in a lake. Am I right?


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## lovethatcichlid (Feb 24, 2011)

redid my calculations and found the tank was only 203L


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## kiriyama (Oct 20, 2010)

lovethatcichlid said:


> redid my calculations and found the tank was only 203L


I have a 4' 190ltr tank, was originally intended for the duboisi, I have 2 tetratec EX700 external filters on it, was advised to tight for Tropheus, although saying that I have spoke to a few people who either keep or have kept duboisi in 4' tanks. They all kept smaller groups, i.e. 9-12,,, I have 20 juveniles and hope to still have 20 adults(in a bigger tank), fingers crossed no casulites, most foks reckon 15-20 for your group, James likes 24 in a group, better breeding, spread out agression etc....
In a 4' tank you could have a nice Tanganyikan community, shell dwellers, cyps, julies etc, check out my signature, it's a busy tank but the filtration and religious water changes it seem to be coping.
Is a bigger tank an option for you ? You could sell/trade your current set up , or, if you can get a biger tank get a young group of Tropheus and use the 4' to grow them in...
Hope this helps a bit :? 
:fish:


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

lovethatcichlid said:


> I was told that the filtration is not enough for the tank by another forum. I doubt this as tropheus live in a lake. Am I right?


Are you saying that since they normally live in a lake they don't need much filtration when you put them in a fish tank? I must be misunderstanding your point.


> redid my calculations and found the tank was only 203L


Your tank is less than 55 gallons. The recommended minimum is 75 gallons (close to 300 liters).


> Filter: Astro 2210 External filter, 760L/h


The water in your tank would be getting turned over less than 4 times per hour. I believe the usual recommendation is 6-10 times per hour.

There's always exceptions but the recommendations I'm referring to are based on the experiences of many fishkeepers and have come about because they are known to improve the chances of being successful with your fish. You can always try something that has a lower probability of success and get lucky.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I have run Tropheus tanks on lower filtration turnover than this. But yep I think a higher turnover increases your chances as it cuts down the amount of work to keep a show tank (sand and spaces between and in the rocks esp) clean and high oxygen for Tropheus. (Seriously poor at coping with poor water conditions that say a bunch of Mbuna would thrive in).
Higher water movement can I think destract em from fighting a bit too.
If it were a more open tank without sand and just a few flat rocks then my guess is that filtration would be just about enough esp if you added an airstone.
On a fully rocked show tank yep go for more water movement and/or filtration would be best for the young Tropheus. Tank not realy suitable for fully grown Tropheus unless you get real lucky and luck into a group happy in a small tank.

All the best James


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## jumpman (May 13, 2004)

I would have to agree that another external cannister filter would be a good idea, I've always gone with the idea that way overfiltering is better, and makes maintenance easier too. I have two large Eheim externals, two powerheads AND a fluval internal running on a 48x18x24 for example.

The 5ft minimum rule for Tropheus is always up for debate depending on different people's experiences in my opinion. I have kept a successfull bredding group of Kiriza in the tank above for over 3 years now, and that's with 5 males in the 20 that are currently in the group. All comes down to how your group balances out an interacts.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

jumpman said:


> I would have to agree that another external cannister filter would be a good idea, I've always gone with the idea that way overfiltering is better, and makes maintenance easier too. I have two large Eheim externals, two powerheads AND a fluval internal running on a 48x18x24 for example.
> 
> The 5ft minimum rule for Tropheus is always up for debate depending on different people's experiences in my opinion. I have kept a successfull bredding group of Kiriza in the tank above for over 3 years now, and that's with 5 males in the 20 that are currently in the group. All comes down to how your group balances out an interacts.


Hi Jumpman. You still got those multies? There are no rules, New York Tim on this forum showed a group of Tropheus could be kept in a 48" 55g on this forum for over three years a long time ago now. Still think its far easier enjoyable and higher chance of success and good breeding in a 75g or idealy a 100g+ for most folk esp if trying for the first time. Folk are free to try what they like. I tend to think they will enjoy em more on average in larger tanks with more fish and better odds and enjoy better breeding success if they get em to that stage.

20+ years ago I kept and bred dubs in a 36"x12"x18" a group of 7!
Tank bare and kept partialy dark and high nitrate to keep agression in check. Yep it worked but it was hardly enjoyable seeing em in these conditions when compared to large groups in large tanks.

The prob I think with groups in small tanks is you are pretty much forced into stripping, which I do not enjoy. Otherwise you get no (or at best very few) fry surviving in small tanks (females in danger as they fall in the hirachy unable to fight properly with a mouthful of young and no room to spit and look after them in the main tank) and the group is in danger of crashing if you remove a lot of females to brooding tanks.

It all kind of depends on what you want from Tropheus keeping.

Who was the guy on this forum that had as his sig. "Min conditions lead to min enjoyment"? About summs up Tropheus keeping/breeding I think.

All the best James


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## jumpman (May 13, 2004)

24Tropheus said:


> Hi Jumpman. You still got those multies? There are no rules, New York Tim on this forum showed a group of Tropheus could be kept in a 48" 55g on this forum for over three years a long time ago now. Still think its far easier enjoyable and higher chance of success and good breeding in a 75g or idealy a 100g+ for most folk esp if trying for the first time. Folk are free to try what they like. I tend to think they will enjoy em more on average in larger tanks with more fish and better odds and enjoy better breeding success if they get em to that stage.
> 
> 20+ years ago I kept and bred dubs in a 36"x12"x18" a group of 7!
> Tank bare and kept partialy dark and high nitrate to keep agression in check. Yep it worked but it was hardly enjoyable seeing em in these conditions when compared to large groups in large tanks.
> ...


Hi James,

Nah I don't have them anymore, they were passed on to one of my brothers who enjoys them now.

Yeah I'm sure as with most fish the bigger the better to creat as realistic as possible environment for the fish. I may have been lucky in getting a happy breeding group of 20 in a 4ft tank but I'll take it! If only I had space for a tank the size of one of my walls!


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## jumpman (May 13, 2004)

Oh, and I've never stripped, always let the females hold to term and watch the young one grow up with the group, which for me is the most enjoyable part.


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