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Hi All!
Recently I lost my large male angelfish that was
in my 25g tank, as many of you know, and have decided
to go for something "different". Cali mentioned
these interesting little cichlids ...Nanochromis
Transvestitus, and I started reading up on them,
then amazing, came across a local breeder
selling sexable sized juveniles for 2.50 each!
So, I have decided to take the plunge and go for some of these little beauties.
I have decided to get 6 individual pairs 3m 3f,
and allow them to pair on their own.
I am thinking I will be 2 pair in total in the tank,
with lots of caves of course.
So, either going to pick them up tonight, tomorrow,
or Monday.
The fellow who keeps them, keeps them at a ph around 7.2,
and a gh of about 120ppm, quite higher and harder than my ph is now. In the tank, I have tested today, and found
levels to be at ph 6.6 and gh of around 60ppm (thanks to the lovely peat granular). I think this will be suitable.

What kind of decor should they have?
I have rough nasty gravel now, but plan to replace in september with either tahitian moon sand or eco-complete, or flourite sand, whichever I can find.

What can I use for caves? Cash is tight so no buying caves now, what household items would suffice?
Also, I am not sure how they are with plants, I have Amazon sword, Jungle Val, Water Wisteria, Java Fern Windelov, and Java Moss in the tank.
I also have a big tacky "reef" statue in there.
Heres a pic, tell me what you would do to make the tank
more comfortable for the N. Transvestitus when they come.
And, I forgot to ask, what temps do they like?
The room gets warm, tank is staying about 84F right now,
in the winter stays at 80F.
I want to make their adjustment as easy as possible!
Thanks!


Edited: I forgot to mention, I was thinking about keeping the group of neons/card/glowlights in the tank with them,
that should be ok for now right? Do they need dithers like other cichlids?
They are already in the tank.
I will be removing the corys though.
Thanks.

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Ah. First of all, that aquarium looks great ... bit on the tall side, as transvestitus is normally a dweller of the lower levels and doesn't usually need much depth, but otherwise, it looks as if it has the caves that the species likes.

As for putting in other fishes, I think transvestitus is a bit on the feisty side (it certainly is when breeding!) so Neons and Glowlights might prove a tad delicate to be in with them for any length of time. However, since most keepers in the past have tended to keep the species in a species aquarium, not a great deal is known about their compatibility with other fishes (but they apparently can be part of an African non-Rift Cichlid commuunity if this is planned with care). Never heard of anyone mixing them with Tetras - I'd definitely label this as 'experimental'.

So far, I've found this series of posts]http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/N-transvestitus.html[/link] at TheKrib.com (which mostly covers breeding) and it seems they will live alongside certain African Killies in the aquarium (at least one poster there has that combination with no mention of attrition). [link=This page]http://www.home.zonnet.nl/Ericnaus/Cichlidae/Nanochromis_transvestitus.htm[/link] should also prove useful. Another good read is [link=this article. All of these links concentrate on breeding, however, although I have heard mention that the fishes will live alongside barbus nigrofasciatus, the Black Ruby Barb, but Black Ruby Barbs are somewhat tougher fishes than Glowlight or Neon Tetras if the Cichlids cut up rough. So, once again, I'd put your proposed combination well and truly in the 'experimental' realm.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi Cali,
definitely experimental indeed!
Its probably going to be challenging, but rewarding.
If the N. Transvestitus prove too fiesty, I can
always move the tetras back to my big tank!
I have a few small clay pots, should I pop them in for
caves?
They are maybe 2-3 inch diameter.


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Caves are a VERY good idea with this Cichlid. However, the fish is an industrial scale excavator, so make sure that furnishings are VERY secure and won't topple over onto the fishes!

Best results will be obtained if you silicone glue structures that are likely to be undermined onto flat pieces of slate, which are then covered in the substrate. The Cichlids can then dig to their heart's content, and not cause catastrophic structural collapses.

Oh, and one article I've just read from the British Cichlid Association puts out a warning - if the female becomes ripe, but then refuses to spawn, the male will turn very nasty indeed, and may kill her. This usually arises when the water isn't acidic enough. Once the females start becoming gravid, you have to lower the pH down as low as 5.0 otherwise they won't lay. Several aquarists claim that peat filtration is a MUST with this fish if spawning is to be successful, but this is something of a grey area. Acidity, however, IS vital. The conditions that this fish likes to spawn, incidentally - soft, very acid water, plenty of shade, low light levels reaching the bottom - are also the conditions that Cardinals like, so chances are if you put Cardinals in with them, the Cardinals might spawn too, which should lead to some interesting fun and games ...



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi Cali,
the fellow who bred them, has been breeding them for
several generations from wild now, so they are f3 i think
he said.
He has been breeding them in a ph of 6.6 with hardness
of around 60ppm....so thats a good sign for me!
I am really lookin forward to seeing his tanks and how
he keeps them, to give me more pointers.


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Ah, they're tank bred and acclimatised to a slightly less vinegary pH???

That should ease some maintenance issues considerably if this is the case.

You'll have fun with those critters. Mind you, I'm still quite taken by the look of your proposed home for them - if you can find something other than flowerpots for caves, something that looks more natural, then the finished project will be a commendable achievement and well worth displaying in Photo Booth!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi Cali!
I am getting really excited...more and more
by the day.
Currently, I popped in some old coffee cups a big shot
glass "5 ounces for jack*sses" lol, and a clap pot,
for temporary caves, Put in 5 altogether,
and plan to go hunting for a nice new peice of
driftwood.
Last night I rechecked my Ph and GH, which are
coming out as ph 6.6, with a GH of about 60 - according
to my table thats "very soft".
I am probably gonna toss another handful of peat in just for a little extra.
I have heard rumors that Eco-Complete can lower ph too.
Is this true? If so I will probably go with the black eco-complete in the fall to replace to rough white gravel.

I was also thinking about popping in a few crypts and a nice big leafy red lotus for cover. What do you think?
I have rearranged the tank slightly with my water change last night. I will post a new pic soon as I get my pc to download the pics...its not bringing up the download from camera option weird.

Edited: Heres a Pic




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