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Trewavasae Thoughts

Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Short of borleyi, Copadichromis are on the more shy end of the haps in my experience. Generally less aggressive (and less durable) than most peacocks.

You can try them with more mild mbuna, but be ready to move them if they're not pulling their weight.
 
DiscusnAfricans

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
I think he may have been referring to Labeotropheus. I've found that the labeotropehus can get larger than some of the average mbuna, and can get pretty mean too. I'd recommend them in at least a 75g tank.
 
Rasta Fish

Rasta Fish

Members
YES they are mine is not that BRIGHT RED as in the pic i think the camera have something to do with that, but none the less he is a beauty
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
Fuelleborni (I've seen 10"+ males) are by far the larger of the Labeotropheus (vs. trewavasae, which should only max at about 4-5")...and also more aggressive.

I've kept and bred plenty of groups of L. trewavasae in 4' 55gs...like other mbuna they are best in female-heavy harems (and crowded to disperse aggression). Heck, I've even had groups in my 2'x2'x1' tanks (back before I returned to the New World).

As an aside, I wouldn't keep Fuelleborni in less than a 75g. Six foot tank would be preferable. And only a single male...

Matt
 
W

WendyFish

Members
dogofwar said:
Fuelleborni (I've seen 10"+ males) are by far the larger of the Labeotropheus (vs. trewavasae, which should only max at about 4-5")...and also more aggressive.
Click to expand...

As a keeper of fuelleborni, I have to ask... are these 10" fish overfed captive crazies, or is that within the range of relatively natural possibility?

My understanding is that fuelleborni should cap out at 7" or so for males and somewhat smaller for females. My 2 year old marmelade cat males are in the 4.5-5" range and I would imagine will now grow very slowly towards the 6-7" size that I would expect.

What are we really talking about here in terms of natural vs. max size?

I will say that my fuelleborni live in a pretty rambunctious tank, and certainly have the capacity to be mean, but have a good enough ratio of females and well enough established hierarchy between the two males that actual violence is rare. The dominant male turns pale and shows at the subdom, at which point whatever threatened or imagined menace goes away instantly.


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My advice is based on the fact that I'm a strong believer that environment, tank size, and planning can address a lot of aggression issues and that with good planning, you can and should keep the fish you really want. I keep some relatively unpleasant fish so would say, be ready to bite your nails, be ready to buy some more tankmates, be ready to sell some males and buy females at a relatively higher cost... but if you love a fish, find a way to keep that fish.
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
I can't speak to wild fish as I've never dived the lake but a lot of fish get bigger in captivity than the wild.

I had a 350-ish gallon DIY (by someone else) mbuna tank in my garage in Sacramento and had several male fuelleborni in the 10" range. They get truly monstrous in the right conditions. I really didn't overfeed the tank but NLS or any food hads lots more protein and colories / level of fish work than what they eat in the lake (I've seen the Ad Konings video).

Matt
 
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