Cunningtonia with Asprotilapia?

[GerdK]

A Hello to all!
Is there anybody in here, who is keeping Cunningtonia longiventralis?
I’m planning the stock for a new tank (160 X 60 X 60 cm).
It’s first of all supposed to be for a group of Asprotilapia leptura. A "must".
As a tankmate I’m looking for another epilithic algae-feeding species and I’m interested in Cunningtonia longiventralis, but I have no experiences with that fish.
What do you think?
Is Asprotilapia / Cunningtonia a couple, that goes together well? Or should I quit this idea?
If so, what would be the better Idea?
Thank you for advice!
Gerd

[mime]

Hello Gerd

Keeping and breeding C. longiventralis I wouldn't recommend a tank of the mentioned dimensions for this species. I started with a 180x50x60 cm tank and faced some problems then. The males are far too aggressiv to other males and too active to females for this volume. It may work for a while especially with tank raised ones, but not too long after they have got sexually active there will be problems with uncertain cause - probably just stress leading to different symptoms. In my bigger tank (270x90x80 cm) I didn't have those problems; I would say from 800 l up - depending on the other species combined - should be fine for Cunningtonia.

I also recommend having a look into Siegfried Loose's book "Fadenmaulbrüter im Tanganjikasee".

Good luck and greetings
Michael

[GerdK]

Hello Michael,
and thank you for your advice! It sure spares me bitter experiences.
To be true, it’s coming up to a suspicion I had.
I have to face, that it’s better to quit this idea. And wait, until I’m able to afford a tank of the size you mentioned.
I’ll find other tankmates for my Asprotilapias.
Greetings
Gerd

[sidguppy]

if you like the more weird featherfins, as opposed to the Kabogo Greens or the blue Ventralis; why not go for Ophtalmotilapia heterodonta?

they fit in that tank with ease and they also share biotope with Asprotilapia.
I've kept it myself and although males can be troublesome to each other, this one's not nearly as agressive as many other Featherfins.

at a mere 13-14 cm max (male) it's not a fish that needs whopping big tanks, as long as you keep a lot of open water and a few larger rocks (it nests against a rock). heterodonta really like a few vertical rocks, cause it digs a very nice crescent halfmoonshaped pit against a steep rockwall instead of a circular pit.

Asprotilapia likes rocks as well. from my experience these are more "rockproof" Ectodines than many others. because they live close to rocks they onviously learned not to smash themselves headlong right into them; something that Cyathopharynx doesn't seem to get.

[GerdK]

Well,
you know,
it’s not actually the weirdness, that attracts me to the Cunningtonia. (I learned by now, that this one really seems to be a weird guy. And that I should be prepared better.) But just the fact, that I’ve been keeping some Ophthalmotilapias before, and sometimes we are all looking for something new. Aren’t you?
Nevertheless looking for new experiences should not end up in going through new disasters.
But you are right, the heterodonta would sure make a good company to the Asprotilapia. And I kept ventralis, nasuta and boops, but, indeed, never the hederodonta !
I’ll look for it!
Thanks for sharing ideas!
Gerd