I haven’t posted in a while on my 75g Tanganyikan community tank, so thought I would give an update. The tank currently houses the following:
The Julidochromis regani nursery
A pugnacious little fish
Throughout my fish keeping journey over the past two decades, I have kept many species of cichlids. We know that every cichlid has its own personality. We also know that the size of the fish is not indicative of its aggression level (e.g., not all big fish are mean and not all little fish are friendly). In fact, some of the nastiest species I’ve kept are dwarf species.
Dr. Alan DeAngelo interview
Today’s interviewee is one of those cichlid keepers who’s forgotten more about cichlids than most of us will ever know. How many of you bought your first aquarium at 6 years old? If you did, are you still going strong in the hobby after more than 50 years? How many of you helped your dad build a 130g aquarium using stainless steel, especially one that has lasted over 50 years (albeit resealed a few times), which has seen countless offspring from tropheus, discus, convicts, mbuna, and more?
Setting up a new filter
If you’re a seasoned (experienced) aquarist, you can stop reading. This post won’t provide anything new or interesting. However, if you’re new to the hobby, read on.
Should you remove cichlid fry?
Yes and no. Answers to that question depend on several factors. However, for one example of why you should not allow a breeding pair of cichlids to have multiple broods in the same tank, look no further than Julidochromis dickfeldi. Many species of cichlids can get along just fine with multiple generations of their own offspring, especially shell dwelling species. However, some adults cichlid pairs consider an older brood a threat to the newest brood and will treat the older brood(s) accordingly.
Photographing your fish
Taking decent photos of your fish can be a daunting task. However, with some guidance and a little patience, it can be done. And you don’t even need a professional type camera.
Fish keeping myth series
Because I’m always thinking about new content for the blog, I’ve decided to start a series on fish keeping myths. This will be posts about various myths that propagate in the hobby. They can be anything from inaccurate claims about tank maintenance to outright misinformation about species and everything in between. There are a lot of myths floating around out there, so this series could get pretty long.
The first post in the series, Myth #1, will be about rinsing filter sponges in tap water. Stay tuned!
Dr. Alex Jordan interview
If you follow the blog, you know I have interviewed all kinds of cichlid enthusiasts, from business people to scientists to hobbyists. Because I have a fondness for Lake Tanganyika cichlids, it’s always a treat when I get to interview someone who’s dived the lake and can provide first-hand knowledge of some of the lake’s species.
Observations on Julidochromis dickfeldi
Julidochromis dickfeldi is not only one of the smaller Julie species, but I find it also one of the easiest to keep and breed. A beautiful little lamprologine, dickfeldis are reasonably mild mannered but are very protective of offspring, even when juvenile offspring are 1/2″. A pair doesn’t need a large tank to spawan by any means. I’ve bred them in a 20g long and in a 33g long. I’m sure they would spawn in a 10g as well.
No homework equals tragedy
A couple of days ago, I saw a post in the Facebook group African Cichlids Worldwide where a guy had nearly 30 dead cichlids, some of them large, laid out on a towel. They came from multiple tanks. He didn’t know how they died.