Over the years I have owned many pets which has embedded me with a strong passion and fondness for all kinds of animals. A few months ago, I took on a new project and hobby which is fish keeping. To be more specific, I’m keeping a variant of Cichlid’s called Tropheus, which originate from Lake Tanganyika in Africa.
I’ve always liked fish, but hesitated from keeping them as I never thought they really had personalities so to speak. I was proven completely wrong and blown out of the water when my colleague (and very close friend) who is an avid Tropheus keeper showed me his Tropheus Ikola →. As soon as he walked into the hallway, the fish broke away from their general habits and came to life swimming frantically in the corner of their tank. They would follow him from end to end of the tank and even let him scoop them up in the palm of his hand, something unbelievable and totally absurd for a fish that was caught from the wild and air shipped thousands of kilometres.
After seeing all this, I was converted. Not to mention all the nagging from my colleague, when are you going to get your fish?, so, are you going to get fish yet?, Have you decided if you want to get fish yet?
I initially was going to start off with a smaller tank and get Lake Malawi Cichlids, but after seeing the Tropheus I thought I’d take the plunge and go with them, after all I had an experienced keeper which I could seek the advice of if I needed help.
And so my research and question asking began. The ideal species for a beginner Tropheus keeper seemed to be the Duboisi. To my luck, my colleague has a strong friendship with a Tropheus breeder who keeps Duboisi. Before I knew it, 25 young fry were on hold for me.
Unfortunately, as with anything I seem to do, something always is bound to go wrong. I picked up a second hand cabinet and 4x2x2 foot tank which was in average condition for a fairly decent price. Not to mention the free external canister filter that was thrown in, sweet! I thought, deal of the century. This proved to be far from it. The external canister filter sprung a leak from the lid, I’m assuming because of a worn out gasket. A day or two later the tank started seeping water from one of the corners. I went from 0-to-frustrated in around 10 seconds, this wasn’t the start I was hoping for.
Back to square one, the next day I had a think about what to do. I figured it wasn’t worthwhile fixing the second hand tank as it was in a pretty average condition. So, off to St. George Aquariums I went and ordered a brand spanking new 4x2x2 foot tank with sliding lids. They have a good reputation for making high quality tanks and seeing as they were only a 15 minute drive for me, it was only logical to go there. $330 later, I had a tank being made up. Next was a new filter. I didn’t want to risk keeping the external canister I was given in case it sprung a leak again.. I’d feel stupidly guilty if it leaked when I was at work, coming home and knowing I let 25 fish die a slow death. I was so over things going wrong and with price not really a concern at that point in time I went on the hunt and purchased a Fluval FX5 multistage external filter off eBay for a great price of $400. I was back in business!
The next step was setting up the water in preparation for the fish. I used a method which probably would be frowned upon by many Tropheus keepers, that is.. putting the fish in the same day the water was put in. Why did I do it? because I was given 2kg of matrix filter substrate and a large sheet of aged filter wool from my colleagues sump which would have a lot of the required good bacteria cycling a tank creates. So in theory, I was putting fish into a properly cycled tank. Duboisi are known to be more tolerable of unfavourable conditions (to a certain degree), so this worked to my advantage a bit too.
So, before you cringe your teeth thinking, what is this idiot doing? I’ll tell you the outcome.. the fish were fine! The night they went in they were scared and kept in a group, the next morning they were swimming around happy as could be. To this date, the fish are happy and growing at a steady rate.
How am I buffering my water?
I use a DIY method which is proven to work and keeps the costs down greatly. I use Bicarbonate Soda and Epsom salts which keep my kH levels at 18-20 and gH between 11-13 respectively. pH is kept above 8 using coral bone in my filter along with coral sand in the tank.
How do I feed my fish?
I keep them on a strict diet of Spirulina Flake and NLS Cichlid formula pellets (1mm). They are kept to a strict feeding routine as well, a small pinch in the morning and in the evening. The rest of the time they graze on algae that covers the background and rocks.
How do I complete my water changes and how often?
I’m lucky with my setup, it takes me approximately 40 minutes with a total of 50% weekly. The Fluval FX5 filter has a “purge valve” which allows me to drain the water quickly and easily. I age my water in a large 220L drum where I add my Bicarbonate Soda, Epsom Salt and solution that dechlorinates the water. Then I just pump the new water back in.
Final words
A big thanks to my colleague and close friend Marc who has helped me countlessly with getting my project off its feet, not to mention his generosity with equipment and parts. Check out his website dedicated to Tropheus and general fish keeping →. Also, if you’re into Tropheus keeping, why not check out the Tropheus Fanatics → community.
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