# Tankmates for Buffalo heads??



## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

Hey, i've got a 3ft x 12'' 33 gallon tank with a pair of buffalo heads, a juvenile deep water hap and two juvenile silver dollars (growing them out to go in my oscar tank), definitely want to base the tank around the buffalo heads, so what do people suggest i put in there? maybe some congo tetras? what else would be good for a west african biotope kind of setup? hmmmm.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Definitely tetras 
These look to be from the same habitat _Gobiocichla ethelwynnae_ 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gobio_wonderi_pt1.php
but says they are super aggressive with each other. I wonder how one would do?
I would look over the Congo Imports and the Gallery on this site
http://www.goslinea.com/Imports_AfEx.html
Check out this Congo Guppy!
http://www.goslinea.com/Gallerie/Sonstige Afrika/Seiten/Poecilia sp. Congo Guppy.htm
crazy colors.
I don't know anything about West Africans, but it looks like there are some awfully neat fish, eels too.


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

so from looking at biotope articles and stuff, congo tetras or african glass catfish look good, synodontis would be nice, but am i gonna have issues with them eating fry if i get my buffalo heads to breed?


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

I would skip the Synos, they are too good at fry raiding. However, the free swimming cats (we used to call them debauwi cats, not sure what the name is now) and the tetras shouldn't be a major danger to the fry by the time they come out of the cave.

I would suggest you consider a small school of Lampeye Killifish instead of the tetras, as Congo Tetras get a bit large for the tank size you are working with. There are several species native to the river basin, and these are very active schooling species, not what one normally thinks of when they hear "Killifish". They're not as brightly colored, either, but some have a certain degree of iridescence and interesting fin shapes. And a couple actually do have color.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

I kept mine with the "African Butterfly Fish" which I forget the scientific name. It's a brown fish that stays at the surface. The glass catfish suggestion is also a good one.

Here's the only problem you'll find keeping them....buffaloheads like a fairly strong current. Mine stayed downstream, and would wait for the food to "blow down" to them. Unfortunately most of the best tankmates for them temperament and activity wise, don't like a lot of current in their tank.


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

The Lampeyes are strong swimmers that also like a current, as are the Congo Tetras. Again, the advantage of the Lampeyes is size, as that 33 gallon tank is a bit small for a school of Congos. And the 'debauwi' cats were also from the river itself, and live in the currents.

_Steatocranus _like current, but do not need it. Stronger than most aquaria get from a standard HOB type filter, but cannisters can provide more than enough current if aimed correctly. They spend most of their time hiding from it in caves, under rocks, etc., anyway.

My first pair was young and had never spawned before. They just sat in a long 20 for several weeks (sponge filter in the tank), but when I added a SMALL powerhead to push some current, they went into breeding mode within the week. By two weeks end I had free swimming fry. However, subsequent spawns did not require the extra current, and that pair bred several times before I sold them. I've talked to other local breeders who had active pairs, and they never worried about current with established pairs, but first time breeders seemed to need that current stimulus to trigger them.


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## Robchester_2000 (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks, i have a powerhead in there at the moment, but i think it might be a little two strong, so i'm gonna turn it down. i was also thinking i may put some floating plants (real or fake) to make them feel a little more secure, as they are pretty skittish at the moment. 
I'm gonna go with some lamp eyes or debauwi cats when i find some near Kelowna. For now, i have 6 black neons in there, just hopefully acting as dithers.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

That's surprising Chromedome52....mine only ever thrived with quite a bit of current. And mine were generally too shy to get enough food, if there was a large group of tetras---they would get to it first. And yes, they definitely need caves---I used PVC pipe, cut into small sections, hidden behind rocks. The species that I kept were Steatocranus. Of course, I'm no expert with Buffaloheads...only kept them that one time, for about 7 or 8 years.


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## Romero77 (Dec 23, 2009)

i read in a article that red eye tetras would go well with buffalo heads, is this true?


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Well, there is a Red Eye Tetra from South America, _Moenkhausia sanctefilomenae_, that is commonly seen in pet stores, and an African Red Eye Tetra, or Niger Tetra, _Arnoldichthys spilopterus_. The African tetra is fairly large at around 4" for adults, but as long as the pH was suitable, either species would be great with buffalo heads. There is also the Congo Tetra, another large tetra, that would go well with buffalo heads, and they are both from the Congo River. I think tetras are probably ideal tankmates for buffalo heads.


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