Reganochromis calliurus

[Changongo]

Are someone experienced with Reganochromis calliurus and/or any other mud dweller such as Triglachromis otostigma?

Many thanks

[serponcla]

Yes, I have some experiences. You can find me like moorii in Spain.
If you want (i think you know) that you can write me to my email.
I´m Sergio, congratulations for your Reganochromis i saw, they are so beautiful.

[Changongo]

Well, seems this species is not much popular, as well as other mud dwelling Tanganyika cichlids like Triglachromis otostigma.
So let me introduce you some of my fishes.



Reganochromis calliurus



Couple Triglachromis otostima

Hope you like it

Best wishes

[Thomas Andersen]

Great fishes and photos Reganochromis calliurus is one cichlid I really like to keep one day

Have you seen this thread?: http://www.cichlidae.info/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=970 - there´s quite a few in situ pictures of mud-dwellers

All the best,

Thomas

[Changongo]

Thanks Thomas

I don´t know if you have ever kept Triglachromis, if not, I strongly recommend you. Is a tireless digger who changes the sandscape all the time (mud will be more suitable from the naturalistic point of view, but not from the acuaristic one).

As you mention, there are very few pictures of mud dwellers, not only in the wild, but also in aquarium. After kept them, I really can´t understand how unpopular they are. Their beauty is unquestionable as the pictures show, they are not picky at all concerning food, but above everything, their behaviour is absolutely amazing.

There goes some other pictures.



Reganochromis calliurus



Triglachromis otostigma showing his branquial archs well suited to filter the mud.



Male to male combat

Regards

[Dave Schumacher]

Beautiful photos! I have kept both species in the past. Your photos have convinced me to start looking for another group of each!

[JimmyTheFish]

Wow, I'm impressed! Just wondering if you could provide me with some of the basic info about keeping these guys.

Such as:
Diet
Breeding requirements
Breeding strategy
Tank size requirements
group size
What type of substrate are you using in the pics.

Cheers

James.

[Jesper]

Waw !!! Great pictures of a beauityful fish


Jesper

[supermariodj]

Hi Chan. Your photos are beautiful but your English is excellent my friend!!

[Changongo]

Wow, I'm impressed! Just wondering if you could provide me with some of the basic info about keeping these guys.

Such as:
Diet
Breeding requirements
Breeding strategy
Tank size requirements
group size
What type of substrate are you using in the pics.

Well, first of all, both species share habitat but have different habits.
R. calliurus is a predator of small shrimps and fish fry while T. otostigma is a "mud eater" (filter edible material from mud such as algae, small anellids and cruataceans...).
I feed Reganochromis with a high quality marine protein rich pellet, Mysis (live and frozen), live Daphnia and sometimes small pieces of squid.
My Triglachromis are fed on a 15% Spirulina content high quality pellet as a staple food, Mysis and small live marine benthic copepods. Triglachromis should be take care to not overfeed animal protein due his large intestine adapted to slow digestion of diatoms and other low energy food.

The most important requirement for breding both species, specially Triglachromis, is the presence of tubular caves and lots of soft bottom material. PVC pipes are recommended as caves. I use 40 mm section ones in pieces ranging from 20 to 50 cm long. I haven´t bred them to date but first mating behaviour have been observed in both species. Very fine sand is specially good for Triglachromis due they are superb diggers.
It seems both are biparental mouthbrooders, but few information is available concerning breeding groups. I have 3/3 adult Triglachromis in specific tank 75 cm L x 50 cm W x 40 cm H (150 lts.) for trying to breed them, and 2/2 adult Reganochromis in a 105 cm L x 80 cm W x 55 cm H (462 lts.) alone while I wait for a group of Xenotilapia sp. Red Princess, and a group of Paracyprichromis nigripinnis Kantalamba.
Finally, the substrate used in both tanks is fine grey color beach sand.

Regards

[Mark Smith]

I maintained and spawned R. calliurus a few years ago. I had two adult pairs in a 60 gallon aquarium that was 4 feet long, 12 inches wide, and 18 inches tall. I had about 1 1/2 inches of fine silica sand. No other fish were present. Good, quality biological filtration was present in the form of a Marineland bio-wheel 400 filter.

I used no tubes, only largish ceramic caves, round and about 7 inches in diameter with a 2 inch hole. I had two of these caves, evenly spread apart in the aquarium. This is the trigger for this species, they need large and private caves, with no other fish present to distract them.

I fed them live aquatic brown worms. They also go by the name of black worms or California brown worms. Similar to tubifex worms, but 3 times larger and they do not ball-up.

Within 4 weeks of having them, they did what came naturally. The eggs are small, and if I remember correctly, the female initially held the eggs for 7 days and then the male for the remaining 7 days. Pretty easy, I was surprised to find out.

Mark

[Sébastien Bochenko]

[Ammavita]

Hi All,

Ten days ago, I had the chance to have a reproduction of this sort so rare and so pleasant
In here is photos as well as a small video.
I hope that it will please you:

First of all, that I think of being female of big size. We can even perceive youngs in its mouth:


Small general view, sorry for the flash:


Here, we can realize the difference of size between the male and the female. Given that the "female" does not leave its cave, it is difficult for me to show it to you better:


Here are the first pictures of the babys. Not easy because it is only the 2nd time when I see it since the first time 3 days ago.
The happy family:



The happy babys:


"Clean Mum" :


And finaly a small video, enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXvk-vGevi0

For the story, I lost all the baby this week and wait for the next spawning.
I croos my figers...

Fred

[Thomas Andersen]

Great photos and video Fred, thanks for sharing! What happend to the fry?

All the best, Thomas

[Ammavita]

Hy Thomas and thanks.
Sorry for my very late answer, I have a lot of work for the moment.
I don't really know but I think that the other fishes of the aquarium eat them. The group of larvea decreased every day for 3 days until it have nothing more there.
3 weeks ago I lost the small one (the male I think) and no spawn yet

Fred

[Nail]

Thanks for share with us keep it up...

[seanpual123]

All pictures are lovely....

[DerBueraner]

Hello „changongo“ I am coming late, but I hope not too late. I have found the “The Cichlid Room Companion 14 days ago. Maybe I can give you a council. In the Year 1986 reached a new cichlid a wholesailer in Netherlands – “Reganochromis Calliurus”. Within the shortest time were informed all brine Tanganyika freaks. Immediately became all professional books rummages. Nobody had seen the fish in an aquarium up to this time and nobody knew how he had maintained or is bred. Many freaks and experts went to the netherlands and bought there the fish. Also I belonged to the crazy German. My advantage was that I lived only 100 km away. When I reached the wholesailer, I found a very big tank with round about 100 Reganochromis. You have a look at the fish and can recognize no gender. I took a chair from myself and observed the fish. After half an hour had secluded itself two fish of the other. Because I made purchases from the wholesaler already a few years, I might catch the fish myself. I transported the fish home and put them in a prepared aquarium. The pair felt fine in your 200 liter aquariums obviously and ate the offered feed. Every day the phone rang several times during the day and one of my friends or expert called and inquired after the fish. The big race had begun and everybody wanted to be the first one which brought the fish to the breeding. Because I had, however, a functioning pair and had to form with the other to myself only a pair, my projection was big enough.After three weeks the female had a full mouth (pictures) I called up likewise diligently, but nobody succeeded up to this time. After a few days professor Dr. Walter Eysel (brine Tanganyika expert informed me, he died hey this too early in the Oct. in 1999) that his female has eggs in her mouth. But he and all the others came too late and I publish the breeding in the Professional magazine' the aquarium '.
Reganochromis maintain both. The evolution of biparental care is favored when the provisioning of care from two parents substantially increases the probability of survival in offspring and the chances of remating (for males) remains high (Maynard Smith, 1977).
Because the little man was very decayed what concerned the brood care, the female spitted to him the brood before his mouth. They were fed on fresh-slipped Nauplien of Artemia Salina and dust feed. Because the feed is very small, the filter arrangement was switched off for a few minutes.
Became to raise by the chances to live of the brood, the parents very well and often fed. I have promoted the protective desire of the parents, while I an enemy's factor placed. It concerned a whitebait of Pseudotropheus zebra. (I am ashamed for it, however, had at disposal no other fish as an Mbuna, they only eat algas) Mbunas are very alive and the parents had to do all handful to protect her brood. It functioned very well and everything became bigger and survived.
I have them later in the democratic republic Congo caught and they were exported to Europe.
If there are still questions, I am ready very much with pleasure to help. Excuse for my ghastly English.Unfortunately, I have none excellent slide-positive more, because they are 26 years old meanwhile.
Yours faithfully
Bruno Dickmann

[Lisachromis]

What a fantastic story and great pictures!!