Calling All Lionhead/buffalo Cichlid Owners

[N0body Of The Goat]

These amazing looking fish, especially the blue variety, are hopefully going to be the star attraction (a bonded pair if I can source them) of a west Africa/Zaire river biotope!

I would love to hear from anyone who owns them and their experiences of them as a community fish in particular.
Were they easy to source, especially in the UK?
What sort of ballpark price should I expect to pay for a pair that can definitely be identified as a bonded pair? (I believe the males can grow to ~20cm, almost twice the size of the females, but it would be nice to get a young pair and watch them develope).
What aquascaping did you do to the bottom of the tank to cater for them? (I've read about supplying multiple caves throughout the tank base, but there are only so many that can be put in a 48"x16" floor and fit an 8" male and his partner )
What water readings do you keep them in and do you feel this affected the chance of sucessful fry producing? (Read they are tolerant to a wide range of pH and hardness)
How "hardy" have you found them in your ownership? (I've read they need "moderate" care and upto 50% water changes to keep them healthy)

I look forward to reading stories and watching some pics and video clips

 

[barrycuda]

i have a breeding pair and they are prolific breeders one batch after another. they are hardy fish normal water change is fine. the male is about 3 times the size of the female

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Lucky you, barrycuda, I had a female now for almost two weeks and I'm just waiting for this "Congo season's" Lionheads to reach the south coast (www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk is showing them in other areas recently) to find a prospective male member for my head-butting crew!

Did you seperate the pair from the rest of your community into a breeding tank, or did they raise the fry sucessfully in your main tank? Given how my juvenile female guards her home under the bogwood mountain, I could so easily see them doing a great job in the main tank.

 

[barrycuda]

i had them in a seperate tank and they raised young quite often. since putting them into a community tank they have not laid any more eggs. which i dont mind as i now have too many of them anyhow. but iam sure if i were to put them back in the breeding tank they would go at it again.

mine lay eggs in a shipwreck. the male owns the wreck and the female is only allowed inside when they are ready to lay eggs. they both guard and stay in the wreck until the fry venture outside in close proximity to the ship. i then noticed the male does not want the female near the wreck anymore and this is because she eats them! i saw alot of babies and as the days passed the numbers reduced and the male started to get aggresive towards the female and defend the shipwreck from her, he knows she eats them. i remove her from the breeding tank after the fry lose their yolk sack and the male is happy to raise them alone, he chews up the food for the juveniles even.

 

[rdp50734]

Hi barrycuda, where are you located? Maybe you could sell some of your young to us?

 

[barrycuda]

Hi barrycuda, where are you located? Maybe you could sell some of your young to us?

far far away. new zealand

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Well it just so happens that my sister has been touring New Zealand since February, she is currently in Wellington, staying at the "Yoga in daily life!" centre on Jessie Street in Te Aro!

If by some freak of nature I cannot source a male by around Xmas, when my sis is due to come home (although its an open ticket), maybe she could bring a batch from the other side of the world?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I've just come back from Cadnam with three (3) Lionheads, currently acclimitising!

I bought all three as they are still young, with what looks like dorsal fin damage on each of them. Before males grow their hump forehead, its the extended dorsal going beyong the caudial fin that is a good clue.

Looks like I might not need some New Zealand Lionheads after all!

rdp50734, if I get to a point where I feel I need to find new homes for any of mine, you can get first refusal... Although hopefully you can find a companion for your existing one soon.

Have you tried entering "steatocranus" into the search firld at www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk and then selecting "stock" for "casuarius (elongatus)" to see if there is any shop in that chain of subscribed stores near you?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Still early days, but breaking news...

My original Lionhead may not be a female after all! "She" has banished the larger two of the newcomers to the far end of the tank and is quite happy for the smaller one to share "Bogwood Mountain!"

"She" does have a dorsal fin in great condition, which has thin extensions that go ~1cm beyond "her" caudial fin.

I'm about to add six Milton sterilised garden pots to the tank to try and give each Lionhead and each Garra a mini cave to call home...

 

[rdp50734]

Sweet I hope it all works out for you and you get a breeding pair! I haven't found a partner yet but its early days! I'l have to check the dorsal on mine see if its a he or she!
I would love to rehome yours I'l defo have them price depending! LOL. One of the slender lionheads has passed on, but the others are all good!

 

[rdp50734]

I've looked at the dorsal it extends past the base of the tail but thats it! But there is a small hump, its 2" body length so far so still very small! I can only hope for a male! Or goats!