Five 3-inchers feed minutes in the new tank:
Emperor cichlids at Fish Story
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
IDK. IDK anyone who keeps them and reports on them. Does anyone know?
I’ve only ever seen one at an LFS housed with some frontosas. Tank was small so it didn’t move much.
Not sure if you’ve see this report:
Bred In Aquarium: Boulengerochromis microlepsis
Boulengerochromis microlepis is, with a maximum adult length of about 70 cm, one of the biggest (maybe even the biggest) cichlids in the world. It is a notorious predator which catches its prey by pursuit. There are a few reports about its breeding technique in its natural environment but these...
IDK why 1 by 1 we already lost 4. Only 1 remains.
Highly useful input on YT:
kevinhammond3320 I’ve gotten several from Rapps over the years and they all thrived and grew very quickly. Not picky with food or water quality. I ended up selling/giving them away. Josh may still have one of mine. Sorry for your experience but perhaps just the batch you received.
Fish-Story The input based on firsthand experience with rarely kept fish is so invaluable, thank you, Kevin!!! Yes, what you say is what I'd expect from them, that is they shouldn't be snowflakes. From those rare reports of people keeping them, they are not said to be sensitive or touchy. Of course, their tank is stocked heavy but the water chemistry is pristine and the stress of many tankmates probably shouldn't bother them too much because they are usually in the top hierarchy in any tank, they are assertive and can be bullies and often are, is that your experience?
kevinhammond3320 mine were also kept in a heavily stocked tank and in all honesty I’m sure your water chemistry is better than mine. Seemed to be very hardy and assertive for sure but not overly aggressive as in bullying. Best of luck Viktor
Fish-Story Can't thank you enough! With this info I think that some bug probably caused their demise. Either they came with it and it took some time for the disease to progress, or they picked up the bug in our system. What was your water pH, GH and KH?
kevinhammond3320 Honestly I don’t know Viktor. I like you have been doing this a long time…. Early on I was very interested in water chemistry but I haven’t tested water parameters in years. Regular water flushes seem to keep things very stable and fish have a history of growing well and thriving so I’ve gotten away from frequent testing. … Tremendous fish. I’ve always fancied them over pbass myself. No offense to your supplier but I’d suggest contacting Rapps and seeing if he can bring some more in.
Fish-Story Thank you. Is your water generally hard, soft, or medium? These emperor cichlids came from Wesley Wong but latent illnesses can happen regardless of vendor. Besides, my conclusion is tentative, of course. Jeff Rapps sold his business several years ago with the name. I forgot the new owner-operator name but I think he has good reviews.
kevinhammond3320 I have well water that is high iron and generally hard. It’s processed through a softener as well as iron filter which removes some but not all of the minerals. One side note of interest is that my water does contain a bit of salt
Fish-Story Gotcha. Thank you so much. So your water must be more or less medium, neither hard nor soft, and contains a bit of salt.
kevinhammond3320 I’ve gotten several from Rapps over the years and they all thrived and grew very quickly. Not picky with food or water quality. I ended up selling/giving them away. Josh may still have one of mine. Sorry for your experience but perhaps just the batch you received.
Fish-Story The input based on firsthand experience with rarely kept fish is so invaluable, thank you, Kevin!!! Yes, what you say is what I'd expect from them, that is they shouldn't be snowflakes. From those rare reports of people keeping them, they are not said to be sensitive or touchy. Of course, their tank is stocked heavy but the water chemistry is pristine and the stress of many tankmates probably shouldn't bother them too much because they are usually in the top hierarchy in any tank, they are assertive and can be bullies and often are, is that your experience?
kevinhammond3320 mine were also kept in a heavily stocked tank and in all honesty I’m sure your water chemistry is better than mine. Seemed to be very hardy and assertive for sure but not overly aggressive as in bullying. Best of luck Viktor
Fish-Story Can't thank you enough! With this info I think that some bug probably caused their demise. Either they came with it and it took some time for the disease to progress, or they picked up the bug in our system. What was your water pH, GH and KH?
kevinhammond3320 Honestly I don’t know Viktor. I like you have been doing this a long time…. Early on I was very interested in water chemistry but I haven’t tested water parameters in years. Regular water flushes seem to keep things very stable and fish have a history of growing well and thriving so I’ve gotten away from frequent testing. … Tremendous fish. I’ve always fancied them over pbass myself. No offense to your supplier but I’d suggest contacting Rapps and seeing if he can bring some more in.
Fish-Story Thank you. Is your water generally hard, soft, or medium? These emperor cichlids came from Wesley Wong but latent illnesses can happen regardless of vendor. Besides, my conclusion is tentative, of course. Jeff Rapps sold his business several years ago with the name. I forgot the new owner-operator name but I think he has good reviews.
kevinhammond3320 I have well water that is high iron and generally hard. It’s processed through a softener as well as iron filter which removes some but not all of the minerals. One side note of interest is that my water does contain a bit of salt
Fish-Story Gotcha. Thank you so much. So your water must be more or less medium, neither hard nor soft, and contains a bit of salt.
Viktor, I don't think that being at the top of pecking order in a tank is any guarantee of low stress. In fact, I think it can be quite the opposite. The top gun in any pecking order is often the most continuouslly-stressed fish (or other animal) in the group, possibly excepting the very bottom members who are constantly getting beaten up. But the top fish in a crowded situation simply has a lot of work to do keeping so many challengers and upstarts in line.
Each challenger can pick and choose how often and how far it will challenge the top dog; the alpha fish must respond to each and every such challenge. I think that this alone is a source of continuous stress. It isn't coincidental that alpha animals don't usually hold their titles/positions for very long, compared to the potential lifespan of the species in question. They achieve their apex position by a combination of physical strength, size and aggressiveness. Maintaining their rank quickly wears them down. At the first sign of decline, their top spot is usurped by an up-and-coming younger challenger, resulting in either the death of older alpha or at least demotion down to the bottom of pecking order...likely soon followed by death.
Live fast...die young...leave a good-looking corpse.
Don't know if this would apply to the Emperors, just speaking very generally.
Each challenger can pick and choose how often and how far it will challenge the top dog; the alpha fish must respond to each and every such challenge. I think that this alone is a source of continuous stress. It isn't coincidental that alpha animals don't usually hold their titles/positions for very long, compared to the potential lifespan of the species in question. They achieve their apex position by a combination of physical strength, size and aggressiveness. Maintaining their rank quickly wears them down. At the first sign of decline, their top spot is usurped by an up-and-coming younger challenger, resulting in either the death of older alpha or at least demotion down to the bottom of pecking order...likely soon followed by death.
Live fast...die young...leave a good-looking corpse.
Don't know if this would apply to the Emperors, just speaking very generally.