Want to keep a small cichlid species with a big personality? Look no further than Telmatochromis temporalis.
Small cichlid, big personality
‘Lamprologus’ ocellatus
‘Lamprologus’ ocellatus – wriggler and parent behavior first 9 days
For the ‘Lamprologus’ ocellatus fans, the January 2025 edition of the journal Current Biology offers a very interesting paper about larval behavior and brood care. This species is a Lake Tanganyika shell dweller.
So many species and too few tanks
If you have truly been bitten by the cichlid keeping bug, then you’re probably experiencing the “need more tanks” syndrome. I have been there. In fact, after two decades of fish keeping, I am still there. This post is a bit of a follow-up from the previous post.
Favorite cichlid?
Do you have a favorite cichlid species or favorite genus? I do.
Find your niche
Early yesterday evening, I was looking through the fish list of one of my favorite online vendors. I always eagerly look forward to new fish lists when they come out. After keeping cichlids for more than two decades, I still get excited about the thought of buying new fish. When I look at these lists, I see fish that I would love to work with. Then I am reminded why I don’t. Many years ago, I established a cichlid keeping niche and I’ve stuck to it. Why? Keep reading.
Best fish keeping decisions are those made for the fish
If I had a single tank, livestock decisions wouldn’t be difficult to make. I’d simply keep what I like, what I can afford, and what matches my water. This is assuming my livestock choices are compatible and I end up with no breeding pairs in said tank, of course. Also in my case, water compatibility is a non-issue because all of my fish share the same source water. Furthermore, I make no adjustments to my water parameters. This post is a bit of a ramble, so feel free to stop reading here.
Update and new fish conundrum
I haven’t posted in a while about my tanks, my stock, etc. I have nine tanks, five of which are show tanks. The others, all 20g longs, are used for breeding, QT, and other such needs. The show tanks (2 x 75g, 30g, and 33g long) are all in the man cave, except for a 40g breeder I keep in my office. The 20s are all tucked away in my fishroom.
The Julidochromis dickfeldi nurseries
At present, I have to two J. dickfeldi nurseries going – one in a 33g long and one in a 20g long. The 20g is species only. The 33g also contains a lone male ‘Lamprologus’ ocellatus.
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 adult cichlid pairs consider an older brood a threat to the newest brood and will treat the older brood(s) accordingly.
Friggin’ fry on the move!
In my last post, I talked about the J. dickfeldi fry that I accidentally vacuumed up during a water change. It didn’t register with me at the time, but one of the dickfeldi pair seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time toward the center and even right end of the tank. I couldn’t understand that because the rocks are on the left end of the tank (see photo above). So it seemed natural that is where the fry should be.