# Red Cap Lethrinops - best way to house them?



## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I have had two red cap lethrinops in my 125 gal tank for over a year and they havent grown as much as the other fish, and are not showing much color. Now one has developed a "puffy eye". Since they have remained silvery & small, I'm assuming they are too stressed in that tank... I'd like to remove them but see online photos showing amazing color of other red caps, so i'd like to keep them. I cant find much info about the best setup for them, meaning tank size and tankmates.

Any suggestions of the minimum size tank these two would need and what I should put in with them? I have various other peacocks, blue dolphins, a picked-on adult calvus...

Any photos of other red caps or their tanks would be greatly appreciated!


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

beachtan said:


> I have various other peacocks, blue dolphins, a picked-on adult calvus...


What specifically do you have in the tank?

How large are they? Is it possible that both are females? 
Lethrinops in general do not color up well in an all male environment. Most online shots were photographed while the male is in full breeding dress. 
If you want to them to display to their full potential, your best bet would be to place them in a species-only tank with a 55 gal. being the minimum. The best thing to do right now is remove them or at the very least, the injured one.


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## versin (May 14, 2012)

This is my Red Cap in an non agressive peacock and haps tank.









I think your dolphins are too agressive to be mates with this very peacefull cichlid.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

right now, the 125 contains:
5 pheno placidochromis (2 colored up males), 
1 red empress
2 chilotilapia rhoadesii
3 yellow labs
1 cyrto. moori
1 blue neon hai reef peacock
1 sciaenochromis ahli
1 sciaenochromis ahli albino (white Knight)
1 dimidiochromis strigatus
1 german red peacock
1 protomelas insignis
2 giant danios

mine are about 2". One appears to have red marbling thru the tail, so I'm assuming that one is for sure male. It is not being chased or nipped at that I can see. It doesnt hide but does hang back just a little bit at feeding times - i try to feed them apart from the others at the other end of the tank. Last night i put the injured one in a breeder net. Are the lethrinops unusually slow growers compared to the others in my tank? could i grow them out a bit in my pleco growout tank (40gal long) just until they get some size and then add them back into the 125gal?

The only tank i really have that they could have to themselves is a 30gal long (36") Or could they go in the 36" tank with my 4 shy juvie blue neon hai reef peacocks maybe? I plan to remove the blue dolphins from that 36" tank cuz they are stressing out the blue neon peacocks...

VERSIN: beautiful photo! Thanks! That makes me REALLY wanna keep mine!!


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## versin (May 14, 2012)

If we look at your stock we will see fish that doesn't fit with the behaviour of your red caps.
These fish are: chilotilapia rhoadesii, blue dolphin, sciaenochromis ahli, dimidiochromis strigatus.
It's likely that your red cap is ''scared' of these fish and he will never get color.
The best way to color your Red caps up is to put them in a group of a minimum of 5/6 fish and you have to choose the tankmates very carefully.
Possible tankmates are Aulonacara from the chitande group or stuartgranti, Maylandi, Kandeensis, Copadichromis trewavesae or other lethrinops species.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Nice pictures *Versin*. The males look good. What is your male:female ratio?

*Beachtan*, once they color up in a separate tank, chances are they'll color down once placed into the main tank. Obviously, if you place any females in the main tank, aggression will arise from the other male tankmates. The one you have now may possibly be a female so that could account for the harassment and injury. As stated, some of the tankmates are not suitable for the Lethrinops. You may get lucky in an all male tank but chances are you'll see very little color from both males. The 36" tank will suffice for now and could possibly work for a small breeding group but ideally you would want a 48" tank.


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## versin (May 14, 2012)

Thank you DanniGirl

I have 2 male and 3 female.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

Versin: what is the stocklist of your lethrinops tank? And I see that the Blue Neon hai Reef peacocks I have are also from the Tanzanian side of lake malawi, so sounds like that may work better. I also wondered how old and what size yours were when they started to color up? I'm not very patient...

DanniGirl: yes, i had that happen with a group of protomelas spilonotus as well - lost color when added to the 125gal. So I'll move the 2 lethrinops into the 36" with the 4 blue neon peacocks, pull the 5 blue dolphins from that 36". In a few months, when my BN plecos grow to saleable size, then I'll move the leth. & blue neons into my 40gal long 48" tank.

Thanks so much for the help everyone!


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