Anomalochromis thomasi: good fit for me?

[blucenere]

Hello everyone, this post follows what i initially posted here https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/species-recommendations.30176/page-2, but since the water parameters do not seem to match any Apistogramma species, I thought of an alternative for which i would like your experienced opinion.
My tank is 100x40x40 cm, 160l / 39" x 16" x 16", 42g.
My tap water parameters are: pH 7.5, GH 12 (from town measurements)/ GH 15(from my stripes)
I would like to house Anomalochromis thomasi.

• Do you think they can live well with those parameters? I do not want to make custom water, i just want to know if they fit. If not i will have to make peace with it.

I can only find online stores with unsexed fish, which means that if i buy N fish, they will have to stay together in that tank whichever sex combination they happen to be.

• What N or how many would you suggest?

Thanks a lot in advance

 

[MacZ]

Do you think they can live well with those parameters? I do not want to make custom water, i just want to know if they fit. If not i will have to make peace with it.

Then make peace with it. You can keep them in your water, it will not kill them, but they will not thrive either.

What N or how many would you suggest?

Considering you have no option to separate any fish: 1 single male provided you ant to stick to dwarf cichlids from South America or Western/Central Africa.

 

[blucenere]

That's disappointing
But so be it.
Thanks

 

[Mike Wise]

Your water values are not optimal for South American nor West African species. They will live in such water but not generally breed in it successfully. They will also be more susceptible to diseases. Your water is better suited for Rift Lake cichlids. You might consider some of the smaller Neolamprologus species, like shell dwellers.

 

[Bach]

I use my RODI water for South American and West African fish. I use my well water with a TDS of 450 ppm for a lake Tanganyikan tank. The n. multifasciatus are really a treat. I also keep j. transcriptus Gombe and insular dwarf a. compressiceps. It’s a terrific hard water tank. You should head in that direction. BTW the fish I mentioned are less than 3 inches. It is a very peaceful tank.

 

[MacZ]

nsular dwarf a. compressiceps

The Altolamprologus sp. "Sumbu shell"?

 

[Bach]

The Altolamprologus sp. "Sumbu shell"?

Yes. My guys maxed out at under two inches.

 

[anewbie]

My understanding is he wanted fishes that would eat his endlers and while shell fishes are a great option for harder water i'm not sure they are very predatory in nature.

 

[Chromedome]

If you are looking at juvenile A. thomasi, they are likely aquarium bred. The current variety that is available in the hobby is quite adaptable, and your parameters are roughly the same as mine when I bred them; they were quite prolific and spawned repeatedly in a 36" long 30 gallon tank. although I did have a lot of plants in the tank. The current strain available in the hobby is from Guinea and can be differentiated from the original imports by a row of black dots just below the dorsal.

It should be mentioned that this strain is much more aggressive than the old one, which seems to have vanished from the hobby. It's also not as colorful as the original imports. Mine terrorized a pair of Pelvicachromis twice their size. They are prodigious snail hunters, even eliminating MTS infestations.

 

[anewbie]

If you are looking at juvenile A. thomasi, they are likely aquarium bred. The current variety that is available in the hobby is quite adaptable, and your parameters are roughly the same as mine when I bred them; they were quite prolific and spawned repeatedly in a 36" long 30 gallon tank. although I did have a lot of plants in the tank. The current strain available in the hobby is from Guinea and can be differentiated from the original imports by a row of black dots just below the dorsal.

It should be mentioned that this strain is much more aggressive than the old one, which seems to have vanished from the hobby. It's also not as colorful as the original imports. Mine terrorized a pair of Pelvicachromis twice their size. They are prodigious snail hunters, even eliminating MTS infestations.

I'm curious are there different strains in the wild? Most of the ones i see for sale in usa are label wc.

 

[KenL]

My understanding is he wanted fishes that would eat his endlers and while shell fishes are a great option for harder water i'm not sure they are very predatory in nature.

My Neolamprologus mulitifasciatus colony are in a 70 litre tank with a few guppies. They never seem to bother with them.

 

[MacZ]

My Neolamprologus mulitifasciatus colony are in a 70 litre tank with a few guppies. They never seem to bother with them.

I can confirm, I had other cichlids breeding in the same tanks as Shelldwellers and none ever showed interes in fry.

If you are looking at juvenile A. thomasi, they are likely aquarium bred. The current variety that is available in the hobby is quite adaptable, and your parameters are roughly the same as mine when I bred them; they were quite prolific and spawned repeatedly in a 36" long 30 gallon tank. although I did have a lot of plants in the tank. The current strain available in the hobby is from Guinea and can be differentiated from the original imports by a row of black dots just below the dorsal.

It should be mentioned that this strain is much more aggressive than the old one, which seems to have vanished from the hobby. It's also not as colorful as the original imports. Mine terrorized a pair of Pelvicachromis twice their size. They are prodigious snail hunters, even eliminating MTS infestations.

I'm a bit wary, as usually the tankbred strains in Europe differ wildly from the ones in North America.
BTW: Nice to hear from you again Chromedome.

 

[Mike Wise]

According to Loiselle there are 3 species of A. thomasi. The original species in the hobby was from Liberia. The present species is collected in Guinea. The other species from Sierra Leon has never entered the hobby AFAIK.

 

[anewbie]

According to Loiselle there are 3 species of A. thomasi. The original species in the hobby was from Liberia. The present species is collected in Guinea. The other species from Sierra Leon has never entered the hobby AFAIK.

Do you know if they are the same dna or actually different species sharing the same name.

 

[Mike Wise]

Paul told me this back in the 1980s. There were no genetics at the time. AFAIK they are isolated populations in separate river systems. No one has really studied them.

 

[blucenere]

Your water values are not optimal for South American nor West African species. They will live in such water but not generally breed in it successfully. They will also be more susceptible to diseases. Your water is better suited for Rift Lake cichlids. You might consider some of the smaller Neolamprologus species, like shell dwellers.

the fact that they may not breed successfully may be a positive point, since i would not have a way to give the offsprings away, but i definitely do not want to make them sick.
I really do not like aestethically: shell dwellers, Perlvicachromis, Microgeophagus altispinosus, Altolamprologus

If you are looking at juvenile A. thomasi, they are likely aquarium bred. The current variety that is available in the hobby is quite adaptable, and your parameters are roughly the same as mine when I bred them; they were quite prolific and spawned repeatedly in a 36" long 30 gallon tank. although I did have a lot of plants in the tank. The current strain available in the hobby is from Guinea and can be differentiated from the original imports by a row of black dots just below the dorsal.

It should be mentioned that this strain is much more aggressive than the old one, which seems to have vanished from the hobby. It's also not as colorful as the original imports. Mine terrorized a pair of Pelvicachromis twice their size. They are prodigious snail hunters, even eliminating MTS infestations.

that is very interesting and it matches with what i have read...on some fish-data-sheets...