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Is it okay to have 6 T. duboisi cichlids in a 40g tank? It'd have plenty of hiding spaces, made out of a bunch of CaribSea "moon rock" I bought. Equipment would include a H.O.T. Magnum Pro system, plus an Oceanic PC lighting fixture, and a 150-watt submersible heater. The fish themselves are farm-raised, so that might help in aggression and hardiness.


Last edited by TheGOLDENdOJO at 22-Nov-2004 14:02

So, tell me people, is that enough room? I know it would fit the bio-load capacity, and I also know that Duboisi cichlids are less aggressive that Moori cichlids. By the way, they would be fed Cichlid Veggie flakes, Cichlid Veggie frozen formula, and dried seaweed. I would be using R/O water too, fixed back up with Tanganyika Buffer, Cichlid Salt, and Cichlid Trace. I think it should work.

Hi there;

To quote: "A tank of no smaller than 75 gallons is recommended for a colony of Duboisi because of their aggressive nature and because they should be kept in quantities of ten or more. Plenty of caves and other hiding places should be provided, to give females sufficient room to hide. If you plan to keep more than one male in the same tank, you might consider going with a 125 gallon aquarium."

These guys reach a mature size of around 5".

I personally would not recommend keeping a group of six in a 40g tank.

Hmm, you know, I bet I could get away with it... it shouldn't be too hard. I have a good record with fish compatability, that and nearly a decade experience. Plus, I have my dad, he has 35 years experience, and the budget isn't a problem. Anyways, I'll be cautious, but I'm still gonna go for it. I could coustom order a tank that would fit the stand's diemosions, that would add on an extra 12 to 17 gallons...

I still wouldn't do it. They are pretty territorial and aggressive fish. In a 40 gallon, there wouldn't be as much room for them to hide, as compared with a 75 gallon. You might run into some trouble if you go ahead with your plans...

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Dojo

A 40G is too small. Several people now have told you this. Go over on Cichlid-Forum (http://www.cichlid-forum.com) and ask the same question. You'll get the same answer you're getting here. At best you could use this 40G as a very very temporary (I mean temporary) grow-out tank for them. But that would only be if a larger tank is going to be available for the duboisi.

A 55G is an absolute minimum. A 75G would be a much more desireable minimum. Even if you custom ordered a tank to fit a stand intended for a 40G, you still have a tank with the same sized footprint as the 40G. Extra vertical height with a tank like that is essentially useless with regards to the territorial requirements of these fish.

People don't invent these numbers for no good reason. They come from fish keepers with years of experience with those specific species. Why post a question here if you're going to completely disregard what people recommend?

Take a look at the species profile for Tropheus duboisi:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/t_duboisi.php

Last edited by AndyCLS at 23-Nov-2004 09:46

I would say you needed more than 6 to make it work, as they need to spread out the aggression more. And, in getting more than 6, yes you will need a larger tank, more likely a 125.

Last edited by ACIDRAIN at 23-Nov-2004 08:17

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There is always a bigger fish...

Sadly, I can't go to cichlid forum as I was banned for no reason. Mean people suck. Also, how would any of you know how big the stand I have is? It's dimensions would fit a 50/65g tank easily... lousy know-it-alls...

Last edited by TheGOLDENdOJO at 23-Nov-2004 12:22

YOu knwo, I'm just gonna go with peacocks, after all. Somebody close this thread before I get into a fight... please.

And I quote:

I could coustom order a tank that would fit the stand's diemosions, that would add on an extra 12 to 17 gallons...

You were talking about a 40G, and then you wrote this. One could only assume you were talking about ordering a tank that would fit a 40G stand, which would mean that even though you be increasing the capacity of the tank, you'd still be keeping the same footprint. Get it?

Also, being banned on cichlid-forum doesn't prevent you from searching the forums or reading the species profiles.

Lastly, you seem mad because people are telling you things you don't want to hear. You asked a question, we told you it wouldn't work, and then you said you were going to do it anyway. Haphazardly going against common knowledge is a recipe for death a disaster. Doesn't sound too pleasant for those unfortunate fish to me.

I thought this thread was locked... why is it showing up as open?

It was locked - and it is now!