# Red empress pics



## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

Here are a few current pics i took today of my male red empress. He is quite beautiful and has developed wonderful colors. Depending on the angle you view him at sometimes he is violet purple and blue and other times he is peach colored with a turquoise head. I just love this fish. He is also very gentle so far and I keep him in a 265 tank with some frontosa and his lone female for tankmates (along with their fry).





































Here is their fry :










Here is their tank and tank mates :


















This fish and his mate cost me 4.99, best 5 bucks i ever spent LOL . The fish practically glows with color and should be large enough as a adult to house with the frontosa long term if they continue to get along well.

CG


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

A beautiful fish. Even the fry are attractive with the black stripe down the middle. :thumb:


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## cichlids _killer (Apr 13, 2008)

wow :drooling: ...them front and the red empress lookinh good


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

I am surprised nobody has mentioned or ask about why there is Goldfish in with hot water fish ?!!! Why is there goldfish in your tank ??

My male red empress looks like him but unlike yours mine is the boss of the tank full stop lol !!!

Ash :fish:


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

The empress is beautiful. Goldfish are cold water fish not to mention PH differences, and are those Gourami's?!


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

The post about the goldfish got me really looking. I'm surprised the fronts aren't eating the red empress fry (the fronts are real pretty too by the way) and I'm wondering if the tank will be big enough for all those fronts once they are full grown?


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## redstallion02 (Jan 17, 2008)

Fish look great. Lots of Fronts that is for sure

I will say that my Super Red Empress gets pretty aggressive when he wants to breed. In my 125 he will own half the tank for a day if he wants to breed that day, seems you do not have that problem.

I would say that the fry will be eaten by the Front's and hopefully the aggression issue I have does not come your way.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

Not many frontosa in there huh? lol


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## kerbchek (Apr 1, 2008)

Got some Red Empress fry - they are some of the most fun fry to watch grow out - i can't wait until they color up - Your Red Empresses are great.


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

ash01 said:


> I am surprised nobody has mentioned or ask about why there is Goldfish in with hot water fish ?!!! Why is there goldfish in your tank ??
> 
> My male red empress looks like him but unlike yours mine is the boss of the tank full stop lol !!!
> 
> Ash :fish:


The goldfish are highly adaptable and do just fine in 77 degree water and PH is not a problem either. I have them in there because they eat the poo of other fish. With all those fish in that tank i should have to vacume the sand daily but with those two goldfish in there i hardly ever have to . They go around and eat all the other fishes poo and search out and eat any uneaten food or debris that gets around the rockwork etc. I have to feed alot of different foods to make sure everybody gets enough of their own diets, the gold fish clean up left overs . They also seem to sift the top layer of sand pretty good too. My sand is always spotless with little or no maintenence, im so glad i got them. Word of caution though if anyone wants to do this make sure you put the new goldfish in a qt tank and treat for internal and external parasites even if there are no signs (goldfish are known carriers) but it is easily treated in a quarenteen tank also prevents any ick transfer as well. Im not a goldfish fan but have to say those buggers are eating/cleaning machines. I got the idea from reading about how goldfish are used in large breeding ponds to eat the poo and dead fish etc.. this supposedly helps to keep nitrates in check as well. Mine are lower in that tank than the other tank with no goldfish but not sure if its cause its just a bigger tank ??

Oh, yes those are large pink kissing gourami, they are very peaceful and get along good with the fronts.


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

Dewdrop said:


> The post about the goldfish got me really looking. I'm surprised the fronts aren't eating the red empress fry (the fronts are real pretty too by the way) and I'm wondering if the tank will be big enough for all those fronts once they are full grown?


Well, I stopped my breeding program but the empress are not listening to me LOL. The fronts ate some of the fry the firs day or two but then seem to have lost interest in them and now they swim all over the tank . I have not noticed dwindling fry count for over a month now...I thought they would be eaten too ?? Crazy fish. At first i pulled up the fake plants and let them float at the surface for cover but they really dont need it now so i put it all back.

Tank size is 7 foot long 2 foot wide 265 gallons. If i cleared out all other fish and left the fronts alone in the 265 as adults it could be done but would be pushing it. (I have 11 mpimbwe and 7 burundi). I plan on putting the 7 burundi , blue dolphin and unidentified hap (thats 9 fish) into my 6 foot 135 gallon tank . That would leave 11 mpimbwe , 2 red empress, 4 gourami , 2 goldfish in the 265 , that should be fine. I might have fewer fronts as well when i remove any extra males anyway.

I think that was all your questions.
CG


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

redstallion02 said:


> Fish look great. Lots of Fronts that is for sure
> 
> I will say that my Super Red Empress gets pretty aggressive when he wants to breed. In my 125 he will own half the tank for a day if he wants to breed that day, seems you do not have that problem.
> 
> I would say that the fry will be eaten by the Front's and hopefully the aggression issue I have does not come your way.


I had them in the 135 gallon and when they spawned there were aggression issues , i have not had the problem since i moved them to a larger 265 gallon tank. So im sure thats what you should do too, can always use a bigger tank , right ?? LOL :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

F8LBITEva said:


> The empress is beautiful. Goldfish are cold water fish not to mention PH differences, and are those Gourami's?!


Goldfish are highly adaptable , they dont mind 77 degree water and the ph is not a problem so far, had them in there for about 6 mo now. They eat the poo, keeps the black sand spotless.

Yes, those are large (7 to 8 inch) pink kissing gourami and 1 8 inch snakeskin gourami. They came with the tank and have adapted fairly well. I feed them flake food couple times a day . I just sprinkle it in when i dump in the sinking pellets for the other fish. I have had them for 6 mo too. Nobody bothers them, i was suprised they get along with cichlids, i never would have thought to get them with cichlids.


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## slimbolen99 (Apr 28, 2006)

> They eat the poo, keeps the black sand spotless.


What happens to the goldfish poo?


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## cichlidgirl1 (Sep 17, 2007)

slimbolen99 said:


> > They eat the poo, keeps the black sand spotless.
> 
> 
> What happens to the goldfish poo?


Well, im really not sure LOL. I dont know where it goes , OMG maybe they eat that too !!! YUCK . :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## morningsky (Apr 22, 2008)

Very nice red empress and fronts. We have a 3.5 inches Red empress that is just starting to color up. We also keep him with fronts. The fronts are smaller for now.


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