# Happy Variabilichromis Moorii couple



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

Now if they'd just breed!


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

How big are they?


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

those fish are amazing


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

Fogelhund said:


> How big are they?


female is about 4", male about 3". they're WC, been with me for about a month... still organizing their housing situation to their liking, but they're definitely bonded!


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

A month isn't long, particularly for fish adjusting to being in captivity. When I got rid of my pair, they were both in around 4.5-5"... they'll go black when the spawn occurs.


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

yah, I was buggin out about the color for the first couple weeks but I've finally settled down and figured, when it happens it happens...


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

i would buy another tank to get these fish, that's how cool they are


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

when I found the species I decided I had to have some, when I stumbled across a WC pair that had already bred I was sold... my wife bought em for me for our aniversary, so bonus there! Hopefully I'll have fry for sell/trade by spring!


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

Wow, please keep me informed then. I would be interested in that! And you're from the same state. That works out well!


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

Absolutely! I'm in Bolton. I'll let you know... do you keep any tanganyikans now? I'm always lookin for something


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

I do not, I have CA/SA cichlids, electric blue jack dempseys, regular jack dempseys, and german blue rams. 3 diff tanks


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

cool, been working on convincing my wife that she wants to do rams when her severum finally passes...


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

they are a blast, mine are very active. have tried to spawn twice but they ate the eggs both times. I have three in a 29g. 2 females and 1 male. also put some neon tetras in there to school


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

Time to build an egg tumbler!


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

If I wanted just a pair of those would you go 55gal minimum or could you get away with smaller? I'm plotting and scheming in my brain.


----------



## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

Haha went to my fish guy today asking about these and whether or not his supplier can get them. "Those? No those are rare."

You're my guy jamey!


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

ebjdftw said:


> If I wanted just a pair of those would you go 55gal minimum or could you get away with smaller? I'm plotting and scheming in my brain.


well, here's a quick rundown on the issues associated with V. Moorii...

1. you could probably get away with a 30 gallon, or preferrably a 45g or 46 bowfront. They aren't real active, they mostly hang out in and around their respective caves... they each like one to themselves, and then a communal one where they do their breeding. The problem arises when you try to put in a tankmate... they tend towards agressive, especially when they're breeding. That said they don't mess with things in the upper water levels, so right now I have some featherfins growing out with them and they're totally unbothered. Later on that won't be the case. So what CAN you house with them safely? Probably cyprichromis is your best bet, but THEY require atleast a 4' tank to be happy, so you're back to a 55... I think in a 46 bowfront you could do the V. Moorii and Julies if you kept an open area inbetween 2 rock piles, each with multiple cave options. Possibly something like A. Calvus is another option. Either way you end up with 2 sets of cave dwellers and a lot of open water which makes it a less entertaining tank to watch from more than a couple feet away. in a 55 you could to either of those 2 groups and a small group of cyprichromis and have a very harmonious tank.

2. V. Moorii is an oddball when it comes to breeding... they're horrid parents, a rarity among tanganyikans... they don't want to raise their young, they want to hatch and push them off on another fish also breeding in the same tank. To that end, if you want to breed them you HAVE to have something like A. Calvus or preferrably some julies in there breeding as well. Any number of fish would work for this purpose (L. Brichardi - daffodils are real easy to get ahold of cheap) but many are as territorial as V. Moorii so going with a more reclusive species like the 2 above mentioned is best to keep the agression down.

Now, to just get a pair and keep them, yah, a 30g would be fine, but think about where you want to go with them, not just what you need to get em!


----------



## Jamey (Jul 19, 2008)

ebjdftw said:


> Haha went to my fish guy today asking about these and whether or not his supplier can get them. "Those? No those are rare."
> 
> You're my guy jamey!


The last post covers a lot of why they aren't that common... there are a lot of other fish easier to cater to... these guys are sorta divas but yah, it was the difficulty in finding any that ultimately drew me to them so firmly... like tropheus for different reasons, they have challenges associated with them that I take personally...

I WILL tame the V. Moorii, and I'll feel rewarded in doing so!


----------



## anthonymb (Dec 13, 2013)

any update on these guys? i love these fish!! wanted some for years


----------

