African Riverine Cichlids..

[Hypostomus]

I've been doing research for a few months now on what cichlids to feature in a West/Central African 120g community I'm setting up in September. I am naturally partial to the Pelvicachromis species, especially the "new" P. rubrolabiatus, but I am planning to house these fish alongside, among other things, one of the smaller bichirs (12" maximum size). While two people I have talked with that have kept this sort of set-up assured me that even these smaller species would be alright given the tank size and the size of the Polypterus, others have had a right fit over the idea.

So currently I am toying with exchanging at least one of my potential Pelvicachromis pairs with one of the larger African river/misc. cichlids in hopes that any issues with the bichir will be effectively eliminated. However, the only one I really know about that might be suitable is S. causarius. Does anyone who has kept these fish have some additional recs for me? Thank you for any help.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't really anticipate any problems for the adults given the species you mention. Just keep in mind the interbreeding possibilities when housing multiple Pelvicachromis species in the same tank.
Only the larger, more robust bichers woud be a problem for an adult specimen of one of these cichlids. They will however eat fry, kind of a bummer really given the fact that courtship and spawning behavior is one fo the big attractions for the this family of fish.
Frankly, if it were me, I'd forget about the bichirs and just set up a nice cichlid tank.


Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Are you going to add any of the indigenous tetras? I have a real thing for those Congo tetras, oh MAN do I!

 

[Hypostomus]

I don't really anticipate any problems for the adults given the species you mention. Just keep in mind the interbreeding possibilities when housing multiple Pelvicachromis species in the same tank.
Only the larger, more robust bichers woud be a problem for an adult specimen of one of these cichlids. They will however eat fry, kind of a bummer really given the fact that courtship and spawning behavior is one fo the big attractions for the this family of fish.
Frankly, if it were me, I'd forget about the bichirs and just set up a nice cichlid tank.

Thanks for the info. I may stick with just one Pelvicachromis species after all. Unfortunately, I can't say I care too much about raising fry. If I want a cichlid tank I'll set it up elsewhere. =)

Are you going to add any of the indigenous tetras? I have a real thing for those Congo tetras, oh MAN do I!

Yes. I plan to have a decent-sized school (10+) of Congo tetras. They are to be the attractant feature that draws people in (the tank is in a semi-public area) before they realize that there's other fish in the tank. And of course on their own they are tremendously underappreciated, for they are far more beautiful and robust than many of the S.A. tetras!

 

[Anonymous]

Oh LORD I love those fish! They are absolutely sublime in their beauty, and in a big tank should quickly grow those large, almost lacy fins that are so attractive. However, what I find most beautiful (and most difficult to convey photographically) is their iridescence.

 

[Anonymous]

Stop eeet! You're making want another freshie tank, and I haven't the space. No I haven't got room for tank, no I haven't got time for the tank.....

Jim

 

[Hypostomus]

I always thought this photo I found on Google a while back was a great example of how pretty these fish are (even if the photo itself isn't great): http://www.dolphin-int.com/pics/CONGOTET.JPG

For those of you that haven't kept/seen these fish, just imagine that, only moving. It's hypnotic.

 

[Anonymous]

Gotta post this here..

 

[Hypostomus]

Oh it's showing up. Good.
When I post things they always seem to be X's. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

It's a matter of getting the tags right, the link works just as well.

Aren't they GORGEOUS??

 

[Anonymous]

I had a 75 gallon aquarium set up like that for a while. I had a Synodontis eupterus, a pair of kribs, a Ctenopoma acutirostre, and a school of 9 congo tetras. This kind of setup has an interesting look to it when done, distinct from a South American or Southeast Asian setup. You're going to enjoy it.

If I'd had a larger tank like yours (the ideal tank would be a 6 or 8 footer), I would have dropped the kribs for a pair of Chromidotilapia guentheri, Guenther's mouthbrooder.

These guys reach 5-6 inches in length and look nice, but they are hard to find. They also mouthbrood, so they have interesting behavior potential in addition to nice coloration. These should be sufficiently robust to hold their own with smaller bichirs...just make absolutely sure you're getting one of the smaller bichirs.

For schooling fish, have you considered alternatives to congo tetras? You might be able to find Arnoldichthys spilopterus, the African redeye tetra somewhere. These guys are more upper-water swimmers than congos.

www.armkes.com usually has some other rare tetras as well, including yellowtail congo tetras, and you might also be able to find some of the smaller west African barbs, like clipper barbs. You could incorporate a mixed school of one species of barb and one species of tetra.

Then of course there are the ctenopomas, which I like, and which make good specimen fish. Here's a good resource on them http://www.terra-et-mare.net/htdocs/Departments/Freshwater/ctenopoma.htm. The specimen of acutirostre I had was fully grown and did not bother congo tetras or smallish kribs. He also liked to eat from my hand, so if you are looking for an alternative to the bichir, these guys are a possibility.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Congos are cool, but yeah, you need like 10 of them otherwise they just paark themselves in one spot and dont mvoe all day.

Stop eeet! You're making want another freshie tank, and I haven't the space. No I haven't got room for tank, no I haven't got time for the tank.....

You KNOW you want one! 8) :wink: