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Hey there,
got a couple pics of my Nanochromis Transvestitus.
I think these pics are all of the dominant female.







And heres the best pic I could get of one of my
4 new Keyhole Cichlids, the dominant male.



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nice!!!!

See your Nanochromis transvestitus are settling in nicely!

Didn't know you had Keyhole Cichlds as well ... a VASTLY underrated species that SHOULD be on the 'bread and butter' Cichlid list at most dealers instead of big, aggressive Cichlids because Keyholes are practically pacifists in comparison with the likes of Convicts ...

By the way, is that one of your tea mugs in the aquarium with the transvestitus?


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

See your Nanochromis transvestitus are settling in nicely!

Yes, they certainly are. Now if only they will pair up!

Didn't know you had Keyhole Cichlds as well ... a VASTLY underrated species that SHOULD be on the 'bread and butter' Cichlid list at most dealers instead of big, aggressive Cichlids because Keyholes are practically pacifists in comparison with the likes of Convicts ...

Yes, just got a group of 4 from a fellow via the local aquaria society I recently joined. (which just started 3 months before I discovered it last month). I am very impressed with these fish. They are gorgeous!! Not only that but they are peaceful, with very interesting social behaviour. Squabble a little more than my Bolivian rams, but no more fiercely and with no more damage than to their prides!
I got 2 sub-dominant males and a dominant alpha pair that has successfully spawned and reared young.
I am hoping they will reward me with some babies in the future!
I agree that these fish should definitely be a "bread and butter" fish as you say....they are very very nice.

By the way, is that one of your tea mugs in the aquarium with the transvestitus?

Yes, my exciting aquascaping!
Since money is tight right now, I opted for some readily available caves for these little guys, which includes 3 mugs, 1 shot glass and a clay pot!
I figured it would do until I could find something more realistic.
I was considering trying my hand at making some cave decor for them that resembles the sponges found in the lake they came from! I think that would be very neat and worth trying. Otherwise, It will a matter of just hunting down some items that look more natural as opposed to derived.
Anyway, the fish seem happy and for now thats all that matters!

On a side note, one of the less dominant females seems to be getting thoroughly harrassed by the 2 larger more dominant females, of course I expected this.
I am hoping that they will soon decide who is paired with who, so I can remove the others.
Also, on another note, they seem to be quite fine (so far) with the neons, glowlights, and single white cloud that share their tank. Perhaps the tall tank height allows this.

And a final observation of these fish is that they seem to have a great gusto for algae! I watch them nightly attacking and devouring the beard/bush algae on a peice of driftwood in the tank! I never expected that! They also thoroughly enjoy algae wafers and peas! I plan to try them on some zuchinni tonight.

They are amazing fish, and I really cant thank you too much, Cali, for suggesting these guys and gals!
Great fish.



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Your transvestitus eat brush algae? WOW!

I'll make a note of this if I obtain them in the future!

That little revelation could earn you some major brownie points among those board members who are trying to exterminate brush algae in their aquaria!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Yes, I was totally amazed! I have rarely seen ANYTHING
eat the brush algae, usually I just pull it off as best I can.
This particular peice of wood is like a root peice,
maybe 10 inches long, and was so covered with brush algae
that it looks like a furry green carpet...now it is down
to just a few sparse patches of it...these fish have cleaned it off nearly bare!
They also seem eat snails ...however, I havent yet seen this happen, but have been collecting many more snail shells off the bottom than I was previously....I assume
it is due to them. They are the small ramshorn style pond snails.

Also, they have shown no interest in any of the tetras or the lone otto in the tank, no nipping or aggression, just more passive interest. Kinda cool.
I like em a lot. I will be trying to get some more pics
tonight...Id like to get a few of the dominant male...hes sure a looker. Never knew a fish could be so brightly white and black.



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Bet you're glad I pointed you at this fish now aren't you?

If you can catch them on film eating snails as well as nibbling at brush algae, then this will not only be a major achievement but welcome confirmation of your observations, for which a LOT of aquarists will doubtless be grateful, myself included - though I have to say that the thought of actually cultivating brush algae to give future transvestitus in my collection something extra to nibble on will seem VERY strange indeed to those aquarists fighting tooth and nail to exterminate the stuff from their aquaria!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Last night, again trying to get more pics of these
little guys, I noticed an interesting behaviour.
Two females, both looking very colorful and plump,
came upon each other at the crest of the driftwood.
A red flake hovered between them.
Suddenly, the slightly larger female opened her mouth
super wide like a yawn.
The other female did the same thing!
They did this for about 2-3 minutes, this open mouth yawning display, then the smaller female retreated, the the larger received the spoils of war! a nice large red flake!
These fish are so interesting!
I think I will start a journal of their behaviour.

I wonder, how old they are when they pair up? Like most cichlids I am assuming some time between 6 months to 1 year.
On a sad note, it seems there is only 4 of these fish remaining, I have no idea what happened to the two smallest males, perhaps picked off, perhaps the stress of moving them. The remaining male is nice indeed.
I am going to see if the guy I got them from has any more males left.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames