Overcrowding J. marlieri juveniles to minimize aggression    11/28/18
Hello,
<Hi Rina>
I wrote very recently regarding keeping panther crabs together with J. marlieri. Thanks again Bob for your help there.
<Welcome>
I've decided to separate the two for the safety of the crabs, but now what to do with the Julies? One of them is a real bully and keeps the other two hanging near the top of the tank so the 10 gallon is clearly too small for them.
<Yes; best to move it... if no room, float it in a "breeding trap/net" or plastic colander...>
I have a 30 gallon tank but I can't quite justify giving three tiny fish so much real estate! I do however have three other J. marlieri, about 1-2 cm bigger than this group and I'm wondering if I could put all six in the 30 gallon tank until a breeding pair forms.
<With decor (rock, plants, wood...) I think this is your best plan>
I know the larger fish will pick on the smaller ones until the latter get a bit bigger at least, but if I add a fake rock wall with caves and three or four distinct rock piles, plants to break up lines of sight, plus five
Danios (which I also happen to have already) to give the larger Julies an extra outlet for their aggressive behaviour,
<Yes; good dither fish>
would that keep the aggression at a manageable level?
<I do think this will work. Have seen Julidochromis cultured, kept in such settings several times successfully.>
Thanks again!
Rina
<Welcome! BobF>
Re: Overcrowding J. marlieri juveniles to minimize aggression    11/28/18
Hi Bob,
<Rina>
Thanks for such a swift response.
I'll go ahead and do that then. Which brings me to my next two questions.
If a breeding pair forms, I know I'll have to promptly remove all the other fish from the tank.
<Mmm; maybe not so promptly>
But again, it seems like a lot of tank space for just two fish.
<Wouldn't be two for long eh? Is there a local market (fish stores, clubs...) for your African Cichlids?>
I just recalled reading somewhere that a Julidochromis mating pair can be kept in a 20 gallon.
<Yes; a long vs. a tall format better>
But a 20 gallon would be too small for growing out six juveniles with Danios, right?
<Mmm; no; it might well work>
And secondly, could I keep the Danios in the breeding pair's tank or no?
<If they're smart, yes... such that they'll keep out of the way. May be an issue with eating young>
Thanks again,
Rina Khan
<Welcome as well. Bob Fenner>
Re: Overcrowding J. marlieri juveniles to minimize aggression     11/28/18
Thanks again Bob. Will try to find a cheap 20 gallon then.
Rina Khan
<Real good>

Adding Julidochromis to existing tank     5/12/18 Hi crew, I have an established tank (about 5 years old) with Neolamprologus multifasciatus colony (total 9 fish). Do you think I can safely add pair or maybe even single Julidochromis transcriptus or other similar Julies species. Photo of my 20 hexagon tank is below. Thanks, Mark <It is going to be dicey, to be honest Mark, but not impossible. Julies operate strictly in terms of surface area, not depth. So they'll be expecting a certain amount of real estate somewhere among the rocks. Your 20 gallon tank (assuming that's what it is) will be taller rather than wide, which puts a premium on the types of habitat the Julies will be after. Your little Neolamprologus work much the same way, albeit favouring shells or burrows. If you can rearrange the tank in such a way there are a nice mix of shells towards the bottom, and a raised mountain of rocks up the back, say, where the Julies can make their territories, you might be okay. You'd want one of the smaller Julie species of course, simply because of the size of the tank, and bear in mind all Tanganyikans are sensitive to water quality issues, so you can't compromise in this regard. Of course both kinds of fish are zooplankton feeders, so in that sense at least you shouldn't have too many problems. Cheers, Neale.>

Julidochromis... stkg./sel.   1/17/11
Bob / Neale,
<Rick,>
I have a 29-gallon sitting empty right now. I am thinking of populating with a species of Julidochromis. Common internet wisdom is get 6 juvies, let two pair off, rehome the other 4.
<Correct. Julidochromis are hard to sex, but once paired off, pairs are extremely intolerant of other pairs.>
I am leaning toward J. dickfeldi if I can find some.
<A lovely species.>
1) Is the tank big enough?
<Actually, the tank size is not key, but the amount of rockwork. If you have rocks with lots of caves going up to the top, yes, this tank should be fine.>
If the answer to #1 is yes,
2) If I create several territories separated by rocks can more than two be kept instead of rehomed?
<Don't bank on it. They *may* cohabit, but in a tank this size, I doubt that they will.>
3) What sort of bottom-feeder is a good choice to go with Julies?
<Almost anything, depending on water chemistry. Tanganyikan Synodontis like S. multipunctatus or S. petricola are the classic companions, but in medium hard water something like Ancistrus would be fine too. Stupid and gentle tankmates such as Corydoras would probably be harassed though, so be sensible.>
Rick
<As it happens, I had a piece published on this genus on a UK site, here:
http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/news_article.asp?id=2187
A fine genus of fish, and by far my favourite of the "Tangs". Mix surprisingly well with hard water community fish, too, so you can use things like Swordtails or Killifish for open water colour. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Julidochromis  1/17/11
On item 3, What about C. siamensis?
Rick
<Why? I suppose they'd be okay given a big enough aquarium, but this tank will be filled with rocks presumably, not plants. That being the case, a few Nerite snails would be much more logical.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Julidochromis   1/17/11
The why is because I love C. Siamensis and they are not compatible with my other tanks. Looking for a place to keep some, but it isn't mandatory.
<Oh, I see. Julidochromis generally ignore midwater and surface fish. But stuff that shuffles across the rocks is likely to be viewed with suspicion.
Understand that, and choose accordingly. Ancistrus spp. are the best bet in terms of algae-eating fish, though they dislike exceptionally hard and basic water chemistry.>
If something else is a better match I'll go that way. I have some Nerite snails in my Endler tank because I feared that shrimp might be able to catch fry and eat them.
<Doubt that'll be a serious problem. Julidochromis may eat juvenile shrimps, but as you presumably know, Julidochromis are primarily interested in zooplankton.>
But, I'm not particularly fond of the eggs Nerites lay.
<I see. Well, nothing a bit of green and red algae won't cover! The eggs aren't really obvious on nice holey rocks like tufa.>
I expect the tank to be filed with rocks as you say, and adorned with a little bit of probably Wisteria tucked in the corners to keep the nitrates down.
<Possibly.>
I say wisteria mainly because I have had good success with it in my tap water.
<Fair enough. Floating plants work well, and Vallisneria thrives in Tanganyikan conditions, as well as being authentic to that habitat.>
Rick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Cichlid Compatability Questions, Julidochromis, sys.   1/1/2010
Hi there, A year ago, I received 7 cichlids (about 4 golden Julies and 3 cichlids with blue green stripes if I remember correctly) in a small fishbowl :(. Being new to taking care of cichlids and at the time I was always away from home, I ended up with 1 stunted surviving golden Julie (female, I think, without the spots). I recently upgraded her from the fishbowl to a 2.5 gallon tank. Is it advisable to find her a mate? I tried finding her one with a little bigger male golden Julie, but she terrorized the living daylights out of him. My sister gave me 2 ice blue (albino) cichlids (is this correct? they both have red eyes but no stripes, though they are called here ice blue cichlid) a few weeks ago. I tried putting them with the elder golden Julie, but she terrorized them yet again :(. I ended up buying a 5 gallon tank to put the pair and included 2 smaller ice blue cichlids. My questions are the following, and I hope to beg your indulgence on this matter :(.
1. Are golden Julies and red eyed ice blue cichlids compatible in a 5 gallon tank?
< Absolutely not. Each of the Rift Lake cichlids you own gets to be 3-5 inches. They are territorial and will defend their territories with very sharp teeth. The combo you have listed should be in a much larger tank.>
Or should I find a mate for the golden Julie ( she is by her lonesome in the 2.5 gal tank :( )
< Don't bother trying to pair her up. A pair need at least a 20 gallon tank.>
2. Is it advisable to have 4 cichlids or 5 cichlids in a 5 gal tank?
< In a 5 gallon tank you might get away with a couple of small dwarf cichlids. Non of the fish you have listed are suitable for a 5 gallon tank.>
I thought I was given a pair plus 2 additional female ice blues, but being juveniles, I think what I have now are 3 males and 1 female ice blue (though it is a bit too early to tell)
3. What other cichlids/fishes compatible with both golden Julie and ice blue that can eat the excess food stuff but will not grow too large? I tried a Corydoras with the cichlids and I had to have a friend adopt him because the cichlids picked on the poor albino Corydoras
< Any fish you place in this small tank will be treated as a trespasser and will suffer the same fate as the poor Cory cat.>
4. A nephew of mine slipped a snail in the aquarium and now it is multiplying like crazy! Any ideas to stop the snail deluge in both the 2.5 and 5 gallon aquarium?
< Snails can be killed using Fluke-Tabs.>
5. I am currently feeding them Tetrabits. The golden Julie used to love them but now it seldom eats them. Any ideas on how to get her to eat again?
<In a little tank there is very little room for swimming. Hold off feeding for awhile and offer the food once. Remove any uneaten food in 5 minutes.
She will eat when she is ready. Having food sit around in the aquarium will spoil and foul the tank.>
6. I recently cleaned both aquariums and noticed some thin, white wiggly worms after cleaning. Is this bad? What do I do to cure this?
< Could have come in with the snails. Fluke-Tabs will kill these too.>
Thanks, and am hoping for your response :)Happy Holidays :)
< A 5 gallon tank is only good for very small fish. Please research any fish you wish to put in a 5 gallon or find a knowledgeable fish store that
can provide guidance.-Chuck>