Hey everyone,
I've been doing some research on a peaceful cichlid species that could work well in my oddballs tank. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of info available on the usual websites I visit.
For a 3-foot tank, how many of these cichlids do you think I could keep comfortably?
What level of the tank do they typically inhabit - is it the bottom, middle, or top?
Would an adult African butterfly fish see them as potential food?
Also, would they be likely to fin nip or harass a laid-back butterfly fish like mine?
information on anomalochromis thomasi
Re: information on anomalochromis thomasi
I've no experience with butterfly fish, but I can share my experience with A. thomasi. I'm currently keeping two in a densely planted 80x35x40 cm tank with a complex structure. Unfortunately, one is harassing the other as soon as they're in sight, which has led me to question whether I have a pair or not. Initially, I thought I did, but now I'm unsure. I did notice that the smaller seller's tank had about 5-6 of them coexisting peacefully. Based on this, I'd recommend starting with 6-8 juveniles if you can't get a functioning pair. As long as they're not breeding, they should leave the butterfly fish alone. In my tank, they seem to ignore the lambchop rasbora and the Epiplatys dageti.
They're bottom-oriented, but in a smaller tank like mine, they tend to use the entire tank.
They're bottom-oriented, but in a smaller tank like mine, they tend to use the entire tank.
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lanky_bark - Posts: 11
- Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:45 pm
Re: information on anomalochromis thomasi
I appreciate your insight, it's really helpful. With many cichlids, I've found that having a larger group can often help to distribute aggression more evenly - could this be the case with A. thomasi as well?
Re: information on anomalochromis thomasi
I don't own these fish, just did some research.
It seems like keeping them in pairs is recommended, but sexing can be tricky - males are slightly larger than females, that's about it. One way to get a pair would be to buy 4-5 and let them form pairs naturally, then separate them.
From what I found, they inhabit the middle and bottom layers of the tank.
I'm not too worried about them eating each other - they're both robust fish and occupy different water levels, plus they're similar in size when fully grown, or so I'd guess.
It seems like keeping them in pairs is recommended, but sexing can be tricky - males are slightly larger than females, that's about it. One way to get a pair would be to buy 4-5 and let them form pairs naturally, then separate them.
From what I found, they inhabit the middle and bottom layers of the tank.
I'm not too worried about them eating each other - they're both robust fish and occupy different water levels, plus they're similar in size when fully grown, or so I'd guess.