goldenswimmers Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Well I'm always happy to show off some fish so thought I'd share the other side of the coin (don't worry not in pics!) but yeah thanks to my African Predatory addiction I chased down some little baby Exochochromis Anagenys or the Threespot Torpedo as they are also known as which = etc So managed to get myself a great group of 10 little guys and was mighty happy... it's maybe 2 months into it now and I think I have one left yes it can always happen.... Didn't seem right from the beginning..they are/were super skittish fish freaking out at any movement near the tank..a couple even had what seemed like baby heart attacks or fits when freaked out convulsing and looking like they had instantly died but would then chill out recover and start swimming around again..I don't think they handled the temperature fluctuations very well either so yeah I was pretty worried from the outset..then I noticed a few really supersized and a few looked to struggle feeding wise(and they were being fed well with a variety of edible delights! ) and then looked liked bullying kicked in as well but yeah randomly dropping off so yep my Threespot torpedo dream will have to be a new quest...sad to lose the little guys but hey thems the breaks and a little wake up call(kind of take it for granted that once you have some experience everything will survive n thrive! ) So RIP little scuds and the time will come!... A few pics of the guys and example of adults(nice to see yellow on a big predatory Hap ) Edited August 10, 2015 by goldenswimmers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbunamad Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Well I'm always happy to show off some fish so thought I'd share the other side of the coin (don't worry not in pics!) but yeah thanks to my African Predatory addiction I chased down some little baby Exochochromis Anagenys or the Threespot Torpedo as they are also known as which = etc So managed to get myself a great group of 10 little guys and was mighty happy... it's maybe 2 months into it now and I think I have one left yes it can always happen.... Didn't seem right from the beginning..they are/were super skittish fish freaking out at any movement near the tank..a couple even had what seemed like baby heart attacks or fits when freaked out convulsing and looking like they had instantly died but would then chill out recover and start swimming around again..I don't think they handled the temperature fluctuations very well either so yeah I was pretty worried from the outset..then I noticed a few really supersized and a few looked to struggle feeding wise(and they were being fed well with a variety of edible delights! ) and then looked liked bullying kicked in as well but yeah randomly dropping off so yep my Threespot torpedo dream will have to be a new quest...sad to lose the little guys but hey thems the breaks and a little wake up call(kind of take it for granted that once you have some experience everything will survive n thrive! ) So RIP little scuds and the time will come!... A few pics of the guys and example of adults(nice to see yellow on a big predatory Hap ) It is frustrating when you lose fish for no apparent reason. Temperature fluctuations? Could you get advice from the person you bought them from? After you rob the bank grab some more and try again. bgomf. It is good to have a challenge thrown at you and eventually succeed. PS Would you still post if emoticons weren't available?? hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFishkeeper Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Share your pain, I had the same experience many years ago with a group of 4cm Lepidiolamprolus elongatus. Started with 10-12 from memory, within 30 minutes of being put in their tank one had tried to swallow a similar sized bristlenose catfish front on with predictable results, and I lost them one by one after that. Never did get around to trying them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqc247 Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 (edited) Exochromis has a nice ring to it eh [MENTION=2649]goldenswimmers[/MENTION] If you want to try again Doug @DFishkeeper , shoot me a PM Edited August 11, 2015 by aqc247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted August 14, 2015 Report Share Posted August 14, 2015 These are great fish, but they can be a bit finnicky. Not sure on how the current lot cope but when I had mine 10 years ago they all just died as well, one after the other. Reading these links will go a long way imo to why fish just start dropping off. Fish TB or Mycobacteriosis - Technical - Australian Cichlid Enthusiasts Forums sorry for the off site link...not familiar with here yet. A few pics of mine...bad shots but all I have left of them.. Chuck mum holding a small mouthfull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbunamad Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 [MENTION=16473]Chuckmeister[/MENTION] I am pretty sure the link will stay, it certainly deserves to. Good to see you posting here. Folks, follow threads that Chuck is involved in he has a lot to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humbug Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I have a couple of groups of Exochochromis. I have 6 juvis which I suspect came from the same source as yours, goldenswimmers. Mine are from a later batch than yours, but to date they are cruising with no apparent problems. They are eating well and growing steadily. I also have an older, unrelated group which came from Keysborough Aquariums earlier this year. I visited Keysborough a couple of weeks ago and grabbed another 2 females to add to the colony. I suspect I now have 2 males and 6 females. This group is still young, but have spawned at least three times, and I’ve just collected my first batch of fry from them. I’ve found Exos to be quite different to other haps I’ve kept before. They are certainly skittish fish, and I’m terribly conscious of keeping lids on tight, but they aren’t shy. They are fascinating to watch, and I “waste” inordinate amounts of time in front of that tank. They are very obviously strike predators. They aren’t a fish which cruises the tank all day - they tend to sit in one spot and watch and wait, and then slowly stalk their prey until in close proximity, before striking. Their speed over short distances is staggering! Great fun to watch even when that prey is a piece of flake slowing sinking from the surface. All I can say is that they are well worth persevering with!!! These guys are real favourites of mine at the moment – definitely in my top three, and possibly nudging top spot. Edited October 27, 2015 by humbug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...