Another Bathybates Thread!

[austinpetemo]

isnt a 4ft tank a little small for them? i thought that all of the bathybates species really large tanks to accomodate them. because thats the reason why i havnt gotten any. what size tank do they need?

[richb]

A 4' tank is quite a bit small. Dalton is an experienced aquarist (you may be as well) and I suspect had plans to move them long before they reached adulthood. I have 5 B. minor right now in a 4' tank. However, I'm about to move them to a 5' tank with a 6' tank to follow that. Also, B. minor is much smaller than any of the other species. I believe Mark Smith spawned B. fasciatus in a 6' tank. IMO - that is a bit small for them but obviously not too small to reproduce.

[austinpetemo]

what about in a tank that is 72in x 12w x 18h? would this be enough for one?

[elwood]

The 12" wide would concern me, as they grow there would hardly be room to turn around. I am keeping 4 adult B. Ferox in a 140 gallon tank that is 84"X 20" X 24" high.

[richb]

Hi austinpetemo,

What species are you considering? And why only one? They are pretty challenging to spawn and that really reduces your chances

Knowing the species you are considering would make it much easier to comment but a 12" wide tank is pretty narrow for most species, considering all but B. minor get really close to that size or larger.

richb

[austinpetemo]

im guessing the smaller, that is, if i can even afford one, i know they are really cool, but its hard to justify paying $80 for a single fish when i could buy an entire colony of something else. I really like faciatus, but those get to big right? would a B minor or 2 be ok? and the reason for only one or 2 is once again, the cost, as well as i would like to possibly have some other species in there.

[richb]

I wouldn't buy one or two. If you buy two, one will die and you will be pissed or both will die and you'll be really angry. Same with buying one. I'd stock that tank with any of the other 250 cool cichlid species from Lake Tanganyika and wait until I could afford 6 or more. With that said, B. minor is the smallest and usually the least expensive.

Just my 2 cents.

richb

[austinpetemo]

yea, i gotcha, what would be a interesting stock list for a tank of that size? ive looked at alot of the species, but im just not sure what i want, i want something that would be really cool, and most likely more than one biotope (sand, rock, shell)

[richb]

A really nice combo for a tank that size is a variant of C. foai., some goby cichlids and C. leptosoma, pavo, microlepidotus (pick a species). But it really depends on what you like. Other than Bathybates, what tangs excite you that you haven't kept?

richb

[austinpetemo]

um, well foai would be nice, but i thought they got like 9inch, i like some of the the C furcifer too. ive had gobies, i have some C. lep utintas, id love to have microlepidotus 'bulu point' but i cant afford them. ive got a lone E melanogenys. they would be interesting but id have to find some. i like alot of the oddities, but im not sure what could be kept in there. there is one species that i found that i cant find for sale anywhere, i had to google it because cichlid-forum didnt have pics, its the Trematocara stigmaticum (i think thats how its spelled) they are an amazing looking fish. ive also considered trigs, but cant find them and when i do they arnt cheap

[richb]

While foai can get large, it is really not all that common. They do fine in a 6' tank. Look great, too. Trematocara stigmaticum is a super cool fish but not a good community subject. They are fairly delicate and the fry are super touchy. I thought I posted a pic or two of the ones I had? Hmmm. I'll have to go look.

richb

[austinpetemo]

in your opinion what is the best of the foai? i know they turn their colors on and off in a "flashing" behavior, which has the best flash?

[richb]

I may not be the best person to ask because I honestly think they are all beautiful. It may be my favorite species of fish. I've had and bred several locations and they all were stellar. I recommend getting wild or f1 stock, though. The most trouble I have had with them is getting f? stock that was not hardy. I think they suffer inbreeding poorly.

Oh, and when they are happy, it is not flashing it is full on fantastic for days and weeks at a time. They seem to cycle through the girls, so the more girls you have the more time they spend colored up.

Actually, that is two questions that would be great to post in the featherfin section! Favorite variant and any reported problems with line breeding vigor.

richb

[elwood]

How did the Bathybates thread become a Cyathopharynx thread?

[richb]

Yeah, I know. I know. We'll move it over. Sorry.

rich