Benitochromis finleyi

[Nebraska_cichlids]

I've been offered a small group of B. finleyi, but I'm a little worried about their level of aggression. Anyone with first-hand experience out there? Thanks.

Janos

 

[aquaticclarity]

I started with 5 wild B. finleyi and 1 wild B. nigrodorsalis in a 30 gallon (36"x12" footprint) quarantine tank. The tank is bare save a sponge filter and some recently added pieces of PVC pipe. A pair formed killing one of the smaller B. finleyi. The pair have spawned and are currently holding eggs (3 days or so now). I added some floating logs (ZooMed) for some shelter at the top of the tank when I noticed the pair holding. Currently the fish are just in my well water (7.6 300ish ppm). Time will tell if the spawn is successful or not. The other 3 Benitochromis in the tank are hen pecked but holding there own by staying out of the end of the tank that the pair has claimed.

So to answer the question: Yes, B. finleyi are aggressive (What medium to large Benitochromis aren't?), but with some space and shelter the aggression seems to be managable.

Jeff

 

[ed seeley]

Jeff's dead right. I had 4 w/c finleyi in a 36" x 18" x 18" and had to remove the spare two as my pair were beating them up constantly despite lots of cover. I wish I had been able to leave them in though as, once their second spawn was removed, the male killed the female. If the others had still been there then they would have focused his aggression I think. However I wasn't able to do that. I wish I'd been able to put a group in a 4ft long (or bigger) tank with lots of cover.

Good luck, they're great fish and once I have space and time and will try and get them again.

 

[westafrica]

Hi!

I keep 4 B. Finleyi Mungo (1 male, 2 big females and one small female, all of them just mature) with other westies in a 360 liters tank, in which there are plenty of hidings and plants. A pair has formed 2 weeks after they arrived, but the second big females still keeps trying to seduce the male. the little one lives its own life, avoiding the 3 big ones.

Here is one of the big females :

I don't know why but in this tank they turn to be very calm and to relatively tolerate each other : never any injury neither harrassment. Nonetheless I can think of 3 possible reasons :

- even though not really dominated, they are not the bosses in the tank and therefore have trouble forming territories
- there are really many plants and it is therefore easy not to be seen
- the 4 fish grew up together in relatively small tanks

Hope this may help