I'm thinking of trying to start up a 55g or 75g victorian tank, but I really have no idea where to start. There doesn't seem to be as much info out there on the net aobut things like species compatability, breeding techniques, etc. I'm interested in finding species that are available, learning about them and possibly starting the tank this fall. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks guys.

bump?

Matt, I dont have a lot of experience with vics. In the early days (in my area), species 44 were called obliquidens. I found these to be super easy to breed. Im talking "yellow labid easy to breed". The male could be somewhat aggressive at times, but not as much as pseudos. He colored up beaautifully while spawning

I bred the salmon point vics as well. Similar looking to the Sp 44's, but with more pinkish reds in the body. Same temperment, and just as easy to breed. I liked their coloration much more than other vics.

I also experimented with zebra obliquidens, kind of a cool yellowish tiger striped pattern. Also easy to breed and less aggressive.

I had other vics as well, but they werent real colorful and I lost track of their names.

Unfortunately in my area, vics are not as popular as they once were, and the stock I have seen around seems to be hybridized and less colorful than I once remembered them to be.

I think Armke's has a nice catalog of different vics to give you an idea of what you might want to look for.

Sorry, Im not much help in this area. I find myself going down the tanganikan route these days, though I admit with tangs, they dont have nearly the vivid coloration that originally drew me toward africans. Im just giving it a go now, since I overlooked them for so many years.

Keep us posted as to what you may want to try with vics. As I usually see some nice pics of members fish and then I start getting ideas for something new to try myself!! (I see Orbitals fish and I start thinking of taking a massive road trip to his house one day, knock on the door in a UPS outfit, when he opens the door, I plan to tie him up and go scoop some of his beauties and make a run for the hills funne )

Thanks for the response Les. I'm mostly trying to figure out how to figure necessary tank size for these guys.

I think it's very interesting to hear what drew different folks into this addiction (hobby). My attraction to Africans was through Tangs. I wanted to keep calvus SO bad.... I really liked the different behaviors. I'll admit that I didn't really enjoy the Malawians so much when I had them (though I'm thinking about a yellow lab tank for the classroom - the kids might like it). It was the behavioral aspect of the Tangs that drew me to cichlids, but I have developed some interest in the plight of the fish population in lake Victoria as well.

Then I got my copy of the July issue of Cichlid News and saw Konings' pic of what is labeled Haplochromis nyerei (p. 13 - I think they're classified as Pundamillia nyererei now). holymoly holymoly holymoly Imagine one of those guys on NLS! grin Combine the conservationist concerns with the very cool colors, and I think I'd like to give it a try. There aren't too many folks in these parts that keep them anyway...

We'll see. Any thoughts on tank size?

I think if you go with a minimum of 30 gallons and stock maybe 8 fish total, you should be ok.

If you want to go with the yellow labids, I can ship you as many 3/4 fry as you would like. The fish would be free, just pay for the shipping. I am in CT (06078)

Maybe UPS wouldnt be so bad. Also this time of year you dont need heat packs?

What a great offer!! Thanks Les! I'll have a look at my finances as far as whether I'm interested in putting the money into a tank for school and let you know. Thanks also for the hints on the vics.

What friendly folks around here!! grin grin

"hornplayer" i have been keeping a few vics for a couple of years. right now i have a nice foursome of Pundamill Neyeri. (check out my pics in the "photo gallery" under "some of my fishy friends") i have kept "golden ducks" and "zebras" also. i currently have several one inch fry ready to go, with more on the way as we speak. i have found these guys easy to breed. all though they dont seem to produce large broods, you just need to supply a ratio of at least three females to one male in my experience. and i use yellow labs as dither fish in the tank. both of these stratagies seem to lessen the aggression. they breed at a very early age, and very often. if your interested, i would be willing to ship you some if you want to pay the shipping. but i must warn you i have never shipped fish before. so i'll have to get some help from the guys on the forum about how to do it. let me know, you can e-mail me at
rexal_mongoson@yahoo.com

HornPlayer54,

I would ensure that the tank was at least 36" long and preferably 18" wide (but not necessary). So the 55 and 75 would be just fine. Aquascaping with rocks is the norm, though not as heavily as mbuna tanks. I always liked two piles of rocks in a tank, one on each end. Add a big rock in the middle as a territory marker, and you should be just fine. The fish did seem to appreciate an open area to swim in, with flat-topped rocks to spawn on.

mongo, you have Harpagochromis sp. 'golden duck' fry? holymoly That's one of the fishies on my wish list grin

Thanks Trianer-

I also thought I'd include more plants (silk) than I usually do. It appears to me from pics that Victoria has more vegitation than Malawi or Tang. Perhaps I'm wrong... I was thinking a 55 with heavy plants and some rocks and 8 young P. nyererei. I would hope for something like 2-3m and 5-6f. Maybe some synos too? Sound like it might work?

"hornplayer" i dont have any plants in the tanks containing my vics. so i cant say for sure if plants help or not with them. but i can tell you this...lots and lots of hidey holes. the first real rule i have learned the hard way is that "there can be only one". i wouldnt put more than one male per tank, even if they are from different species. i had my neyeri and my "golden ducks" growing out in the same tank. the neyeri killed one of the "golden ducks" males. and then tried to start breeding with the "golden duck" females.(OH NO, hybrids!) i have also found in the past that the male will chase the females constantly once he reaches breeding size. and they will be ragged and malnurished when its breeding time if you dont have lots of places for them to hide. or you could put the sexes in different tanks i guess. i have found through trial and error also that vics reach sexual maturity at a very small size. i currently have some astatotilapia aneocolor that are about one and a half inches long, one of the little females is holding right now. at an inch and a half so be prepared for this. another thing i have noticed is that the females vics i have kept in the past dont hold their fry as long as other mouth-brooders, and dont seem to have very large broods. i dont know if this is the norm or not, i've never asked anyone. maybe someone with more experience with these types of fish will post here and tell you. but i can say that i love vics, mean nasty little buggers that they are. the neyeri that i have right now were terrors in the last tank i had them in. the male neyeri at anout two inches was lording it over my male aristochromis chrysti. and the chrysti was three inches longer and alot bigger than the neyeri. so those little guys have tons of grit and aggrssion. i'm begining to try to find more varieties. i have had about four different varieties. right now all i have is a trio of pundamilla neyeri and the astatotilapias (six of them). like i posted earlier, i would be willing to send you some of my neyeri fry. i've only got about ten or fiftenn right now, but some of the little males are just starting to color up real nice. well good luck in your new mission should you choose to take it. i think you'll have fun with vics, i know that i sure do.
mongo

Mongo- insightful, good read...now I am thinking about them again....
Jeez, I want everything!! funne

thanx "les", but Mrs. Mongo was reading that post over my shoulder. she asked if ya'll had banned me from writing "essays" yet. she thinks that i'm too long winded when i get on about my little hobby. i tried to tell her that other people write as long of posts as i do (in a whiney voice). but she just says "thats what they get for letting the son of an english major on their forum" ROFLMAO thanx again, have a great day man.
mongo

Vics are my recent favorite flavor. Mondo seems to be on top of things IME. I currenty have and bred H. limax, H. burtoni. A. latifasciata. I would love more but I have downsized recently. Most Haplochromis are rather small 3-4 inches at best, and as Mondo said they do breed early. 55g is a great star for a colony. I would just avoid same genus species in the same tank with multiple females for each male, and no more than 2 vic species per tank. IME this has worked. The hardest thing with vics is ensuring you have a pure strain. I only trust a few sources.

From what I hear...this is the Vic man...http://www.africancichlidcentral.com/

thanx for that post "Z'. i like th elook of that site. you say that hes a reputable breeder and has quality fish? thats good to know. its hard to find quality vic sellers around here. DANG hes proud of his stock. but i guess it would be worth it to get good fish,
mongo

Alain,

Wow, small world thumbs up

I have to agree with the seperate rockpiles for dividing territories and also as site breaks. I have my vic tank heavily planted, along with plants floating and hanging from the surface.
Since I added the floating plants I have added a second male (Nyerei) and he does fine living in the upper level of the tank. They breed like rabbits and I always have a supply of fry on hand.
Two males and six females live in chaotic harmony in a 60 gal cube. 24x24x24.
No torn fins or fish hiding in the corners. Dinner times are peaceful and no one gets left out.
So I'd have to say add as many plants as you like. It won't harm a thing and perhaps help. Your listed tanks should be fine also.

Regards

Mark

Outstanding threads... I miss my emerald green haps...