# good tank mates for Haplochromis sp. â€™Rubyâ€™



## eddiezaw (Mar 8, 2007)

looking to pick up a group of Haplochromis sp. â€™Rubyâ€™ and was wondering if anything went well with them, as i just read they are herbivorous and pretty docile.
Ed


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## patrickeriksson (May 26, 2007)

They are quite peaceful even though the males can get a bit aggressive during spawning. Popular tank mates are Paralabidochromis sp. "redfin piebald". I keep mine with Pyxichromis orthostoma which works really well as long as the ruby's are at least 2/3 the size of the orthostoma. If they are too small they might "go missing".

A small group of 1 male and 4 females works great, or 3 or more males and 5-10 females for a larger group. If you get 2 males, keep a close eye on them so the sub-dominant male does not get too stressed out. I find it difficult to keep just 2 males together.


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## eddiezaw (Mar 8, 2007)

What about dayglows? are the females too similar? also i just read about Pyxichromis orthostoma, and it says they get up to 8" while the ruby stay about 3.5". Also a 75 gallon tank would suffice for 2 vic species right?


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## patrickeriksson (May 26, 2007)

eddiezaw said:


> What about dayglows? are the females too similar? also i just read about Pyxichromis orthostoma, and it says they get up to 8" while the ruby stay about 3.5". Also a 75 gallon tank would suffice for 2 vic species right?


Even though I personally can tell the females of "Dayglow" and "Ruby" apart quite easily, the fact that they do not co-exist in the same waters in the wild increases the chances of hybridization. I think they might get along quite well though. You can try but you should not keep any fry from females in that tank. If you want to keep fry then I suggest that once you have a ready female move her and a male of the same species to another tank, a 20 should be fine, and let them spawn there and then move the male back. A 75 is large enough for 2 species.


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## eddiezaw (Mar 8, 2007)

wow was just on your website and you have some awesome fish patrick!!! How pricey is it to ship to the U.S.? Let me know would love to order straight from you.
Ed


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