Xenos with Frontosas and clowns???

[Mule]

I'm currently setting up a 360g tank, and planned on putting my large school of clown loaches as well as a small pack of Frontosas.

I was also hoping to throw in some Xenos, julies, and maybe Callochromis Greshakei.

The tank is quite large, with numerous hiding places, and was hoping they would all get along. What do you think?

Also, could you give me some of your personal exp. with the Xenos, like water parameters, diet, personality etc...?

Thanks

Matt

[Thomas Andersen]

Hi Matt,

the combination of Frontosa´s with sand-dwellers are not recommendable - Frontosa´s in the Lake are fish-eaters that scoop up their prey at night, while the prey are resting on the bottom, so sand-dwellers would be an easy target in the aquarium - bred Frontosa´s seems not to snack so much on their tankmates as do wildcaughts, but still it isn’t recommendable, unless you known exactly what your doing and know your Frontosa´s very, very well - see also this tread:

http://www.cichlidae.info/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=732

As for the clown loaches, I have never kept them, but aren’t they some quite active fishes? I could be afraid that they would stress the Xeno´s too much - something that Xeno´s are notorious of

So, sand-dwellers may not fit so good in your plans - if you want sand-dwellers and want them to thrive and show all aspects of their behavior, they should be the dominate fishes, and to make them be that, the tank needs to be "build around" them, carefully choosing their tankmates

Waterparameters: hard water with a pH of 7.5 - 9.0 (never below 7.0)

The diet needs varies between the species, but generally a diet consisting of various forms of frozen food like cyclops, artemia, mysis etc. and some good quality flakefood with an amount of vegetable matters, would be fine


Thomas

[Mule]

ok, I'll set up a seperate tank for them. What about Callochromis Greshakei, will they be taken as food too? Could I keep these with Xenos and brichardis?

[Dave Schumacher]

Are you sure you have the name right on that Callochromis sp? The only ones I know of are pleurospilus, macrops, melanostigma, and stappersi. If there is a new one out, I gotta have it!

[Thomas Andersen]

No, Callochromis greshakei is not a new species; in fact it’s an old name for C. pleurospilus from the area of Kigoma, Tanzania - it could have been nice with a new Callochromis spp. though

As with the Frontosa´s and Callochromis in the same tank, it’s the same as with the Xeno´s – I wouldn’t do it.

Bo, who’s a member of this board, is a very experienced Frontosa keeper who has tried various Frontosa setups; maybe he could join the discussion and direct you to some suitable tankmates that won’t get snacked on

Callochromis spp. are known to be rather aggressive, especially males towards other males, but they could also be pretty tough on other tankmates. I’ve tried keeping C. pleurospilus with other sand-dwellers like Xenotilapia bathyphila and X. spiloptera, but quickly gave up that idea, as the Callochromis were stressing the Xeno´s.

How big a sand-dweller tank are you planning to set up? If the there is enough room, some of the smaller Neolamprologus species could work out fine, but beware that N. brichardi builds colonies and have a remarkable tendency with time to spread out and be quite dominating, so it isn’t the best choice - which Xenotilapia spp. are you planning to keep? If you have some in mind, it will be easier to direct you to some suitable tankmates

Thomas

[Bo]

Yes i've tried Frontosa with a lot of other fish.

But i have always found back to one set up, that works every time. (when we are talking beed ones)

A tank for frontosas can only get too small. Get a big tank. Then you need a good pack. In my eksperience something like 10 - 15 is good.

For roommates neo. Leleupi, all Julidochromis, Altolamprologus, Ctenochromis Horei, etc.
That kind of fish wont disturb the gentle giant. Frontosas hate fast moving fish around them. And needs too be king of their tank.
These fish all have the same needs when it comes to food.

Also, those fish reach a sice so they wont get eaten. Some of them can even breed sussecfully, in a tank with Frontosas. (if you set it up correctly)