▷ Tropheus Cichlids | Duboisi and moorie | husbandry, species and breeding

Tropheus Canary Cheek – Brabant Cichlid – Image 1 | © Fishtopia GmbH

Stance of Tropheus

Tropheus have a very distinctive social behavior. At least 10 – 15 animals should therefore be kept in a sufficiently large tank. Many fish of other species are not up to the intrusiveness of Tropheus, even if they are clearly superior physically. An aquarium for a sufficiently large group of Tropheus must have a tank length of at least 150 centimeters.

The species Tropheus duboisi and Tropheus moorii can be well socialized with each other. Cross-species propagation, ie a mixing of both species, is not yet known.

Duboisi have a spotted youth dress. As adults, they have a white vertical stripe.

New Tropheus can be added to an existing stock if the new Tropheus are very young.

When it comes to food, Tropheus are demanding.

Tropheus duboisi “Maswa” female incubating Source: Picture on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: Alexander Langer

Tropheus are growth eaters and have a very sensitive and long gastrointestinal tract. They should therefore not be socialized with carnivores.

Tropheus are among the few fish species that should not be fed with a variety of foods. Live food and frozen food can lead to digestive problems. If Tropheus eat unusually little or the droppings are white and slimy, the animals have digestive problems. Any help is then often too late.

It is unclear whether Tropheus are pure vegetarians and do not tolerate animal food at all. In the literature, it is assumed that their natural food, the growth of algae, also contains microorganisms that are also eaten. Some aquarists therefore add small amounts of Artemia and frozen food to the flake food. According to other opinions, good experiences with Artemia only show that even Tropheus can adapt to the food and only feed plant flakes.

In any case, only very small amounts of Artemia or similar may be added to the feed.

The problem is that feeding Artemia and similar frozen food can go well for quite a while before problems arise. On the other hand, good experiences with Artemia are not necessarily based on the adaptability of the fish, but possibly on the healthy condition of these fish. Many intestinal diseases are not caused by incorrect feeding, but by other incorrect posture. These cause stress that Tropheus absolutely cannot tolerate. The sensitive gastrointestinal tract gets sick first.

Tropheus polli Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: Jtanganyika (?)

mosquito larvae e.g. B. can lead to serious digestive problems.

The most important thing seems to be getting used to a particular food. It is best to choose a feed or a feed mixture that is fed exclusively. Changing the type of feed must be done very slowly so that the animals can gradually get used to it.

Because Tropheus are always hungry, only small portions should be fed. Instead of large portions, it is better to feed small amounts several times a day.

Feed recipe 1

Approx. 500 grams of frozen peas and 500 grams of frozen spinach are boiled and then pureed. Add a small amount of water fleas or Artemia. A maximum of 4 – 6 pieces of frozen food tablets are distributed over approx. 1 liter of peas and spinach.
In addition, finely ground spirulina tablets are mixed in.
The entire mixture is bound with about 1 liter of agar-agar. Agar-agar is available in health food stores or organic stores. Everything together should give a nice, firm mass. The exact amounts must be determined by your own experiments. Experience has shown that twice the amount of agar-agar powder can be used as stated on the package.

The finished feed is frozen, preferably in portions.

feed recipe 2

Untreated, frozen spinach leaves as the main ingredient are mixed with a smaller amount of frozen peas. The spinach should be thawed so that it can be processed better.
A binder is added and the whole is mixed to form a paste. After that, add some frozen Mysis and a pinch of frozen Cyclops. The whole thing gets mixed up again.
The proportion of green should be at least 70%.

feed recipe 3

Hard uncooked peas are boiled. Then the contents are peeled out of the shells. The shells can accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract and death can result. Fresh carrots and potatoes can also be used. Spinach can be fresh or frozen. But it should be spinach with no “blub” etc.

How aggression can be distributed

Tropheus are aggressive towards each other. It is not possible to set up such large aquariums that the aggression is reduced as in nature. That is why Tropheus are kept in such large groups that the aggression is not always aimed at a specific animal, even if the aquarium is overcrowded according to the rule of thumb that is otherwise valid. A group should consist of at least 10 animals. Experience has shown that larger groups are better.

Aggression can also be distributed by socializing with other Tropheus species. With two groups of 12 animals each, however, a 550 liter aquarium is already cramped because Tropheus need a lot of space.

There are three different types of aggression in Tropheus:

It is often recommended to keep 3 males with 15 females together in a group. However, the aggression of the males among themselves cannot be distributed in this way. Usually one male is suppressed by the other two males together.

After the purchase, however, it often turns out that there are more males in the group than desired. When the animals reproduce, there are usually equal numbers of males and females. Then at the latest the gender ratio shifts.

Experience shows that groups with more males than females also work. Groups consisting only of males also work. Often only males remain after the initial territorial fights.

Apparently the group has to be big enough. 14 to 15 animals in a group have proven themselves. The group can consist of a mixed bag of young animals, old animals, males and females. The aggression is distributed quite well.

However, there must be enough space for hunting grounds for the group or groups. It does not help if more animals are added to an aquarium that is too small. The animals cannot avoid each other in a confined space, and the problems may become even greater.

If possible, suppressed animals should not be kept as individual fish in a small aquarium. If possible, such animals should be housed in a group whose members are significantly younger or smaller. Older animals can always be put together with young animals.

How suppressed Tropheus can be reintegrated into the group

The following methods have had success with some aquarists but not with others.

Method 1:

A plastic box is hung in the aquarium and the injured or oppressed fish is placed in it until it recovers. The fish is not placed in another tank.
When the animal has recovered, the setup in the tank is changed so that all territories have to be redistributed. The fish is then let out of the box into the tank. The box remains in the pool. It is pushed a little deeper so that the affected fish can put it back into the box itself if necessary.

Method 2:

The aquarium is completely darkened for 2 days, e.g. B. with a woolen blanket. The darkening can also be carried out additionally after the release according to method 1.

Some Tropheus species eat plants.

Tropheus duboisi eat z. B. Waterweed, various Anubias, Java fern etc.
Only stalks or small plant parts of 3 to 4 millimeters in size remain on the water surface.

With plenty of vegetable food, at least in some cases it can be achieved that the cichlids do not eat plants and even such a perch tank shows good plant growth.

Suitable aquatic plants are e.g. B. the knobbed water goblet and waterweed. Some cryptocorynes are also suitable for rock littoral, even if they do not come from Africa. There shouldn’t be too many.

Tropheus rearing and brood care

Depending on the water temperature, the gestation period is 4 to 6 weeks. When the young are released, they are 10-15 millimeters in size. The young will eat whatever food they can get their hands on. With good water care and enough space, they grow quite quickly.

Even with good feeding, it takes 1 to 1.5 years for Tropheus to reach maturity. When they are about 2 years old, they raise offspring themselves.

Whether young make it through depends on what other fish are in the aquarium and how many hiding places are available. For example, Labeotropheus are tough and survivable. On the other hand, an adult Ahli will also eat 2 centimeter juvenile fish if they feel safe and swim around in front of him.

Tropheus spec. “Kiriza” & Tropheus moorii “Kachese” Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: Public domain Author: Thomas Ernst

In order for as many young as possible to grow up, the female must be isolated in good time and the young later provided with suitable food. Because it is very difficult to reintegrate a single Tropheus into the group, this should only be the last measure if no other boys get through. A loss of the mother must then be expected.

Therefore, an attempt should first be made to raise the young fish in a community tank.

As a rule, enough young animals come through. At first, the young hide and are relatively cautious. When young are bigger, they become more courageous and swim completely unmolested in the tank because many other fish then no longer regard them as food.

Only when none of the young survives from two broods because all the young have been eaten should a short-term removal of the pregnant female be considered.

Breeding in a community tank is definitely preferable.

Ultimately, the chances of survival in a community tank can only be tested through experiments.

In any case, you have to think about and check in advance what you can do with the fish, e.g. sell, give away or keep.

Tropheus moorii (red namansi)

Tropheus Moorii “Red Rainbo” (Kasanga) Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: Public domain Author: Nelson.oliveira Tropheus Moorii “Red Rainbo” (Kasanga) Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: Public domain Copyright: Nelson.oliveira

Tropheus moorii “red…