Alt. Compressiceps Sumbu Dwarf

fishguy1978

Legendary Member
I had some butcher paper laying around so I painted a background for the dwarves. The 5 F1s are always out and super aggressive towards each other. I was able to count 7 dwarves when I fed but the original 3 are super shy.
Also, an AC110 holds about 3/4 gallon of water.
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fishguy1978

Legendary Member
These guys went from swimming out in the open prior to redoing the tank to hovering over a shell and disappearing when they sensed any entry into the fish room. Shy is an adjective used in every description of them and they are indeed. I need a dither fish but I want a L. Tang dither. I would really like to add N. leleupi or Julidochromis ornatus. Brichardi maybe? Open to ideas.
 

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
These guys went from swimming out in the open prior to redoing the tank to hovering over a shell and disappearing when they sensed any entry into the fish room. Shy is an adjective used in every description of them and they are indeed. I need a dither fish but I want a L. Tang dither. I would really like to add N. leleupi or Julidochromis ornatus. Brichardi maybe? Open to ideas.
They are happier with the new arrangement, and are displaying more species-typical behaviours. These are not 'out in the open' fishes.

For possible tankmates, definitely not N. leleupi, irrespective of what you may read online: they are way too aggressive for the Sumbu's. N. brichardi, are less aggressive, but they get too large for this to be a happy combination. J. ornatus or J. transcriptus should work. That said, the Sumbu's are shy fishes, and the presence of a few dithers is not going to change that. :thumbsup

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J_transcriptus_01.jpg

 

fishguy1978

Legendary Member
They are happier with the new arrangement, and are displaying more species-typical behaviours. These are not 'out in the open' fishes.

For possible tankmates, definitely not N. leleupi, irrespective of what you may read online: they are way too aggressive for the Sumbu's. N. brichardi, are less aggressive, but they get too large for this to be a happy combination. J. ornatus or J. transcriptus should work. That said, the Sumbu's are shy fishes, and the presence of a few dithers is not going to change that. :thumbsup

I was hoping you would chime in :D. What about the j. dickfieldi? But leleupi have that magnificent yellow warning that the red light is coming :D. I have read about them pulling adult multies out of shells to get at the fry snack inside.
 
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fishguy1978

Legendary Member
Dave's Rare fish and I find this "Ophthalmotilapia boops Nkondwe Island." BOOPS, I gotta say it the best Latin naming convention ever :ROFL: and I now have an irrational need to add this fish to my collection.
 

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
I could easily see using a 33L instead of a 55g for these types of fish since they dont really use upper areas of the tank. Im happy I ended up choosing what I did ad opposed to the Sumbu dwarf because mine are very outgoing in comparison. It is also funny that I too wanted to try N. leleupi in my tank but got the same warning from @sir_keith, lol
 

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
I was hoping you would chime in :D. What about the j. dickfieldi? But leleupi have that magnificent yellow warning that the red light is coming :D. I have read about them pulling adult multies out of shells to get at the fry snack inside.
J. dickfieldi get a pretty large for a Julie, and the larger they get, the less attractive they become. My least favourite Julie, but tastes vary. J. ornatus and J. transcriptus are the smallest Julies, and the prettiest IMO.

And yes, I've heard that story about leleupi invading shells; I have no idea if this is true, it sounds awfully like an urban legend kind of thing, so who knows?
 

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
These guys went from swimming out in the open prior to redoing the tank to hovering over a shell and disappearing when they sensed any entry into the fish room. Shy is an adjective used in every description of them and they are indeed. I need a dither fish but I want a L. Tang dither. I would really like to add N. leleupi or Julidochromis ornatus. Brichardi maybe? Open to ideas.

Another good choice, N. caudopunctatus. This pic doesn't show their pretty blue eyes.
N._caudopunctatus-_Kapampa.jpg
 

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
I could easily see using a 33L instead of a 55g for these types of fish since they dont really use upper areas of the tank. Im happy I ended up choosing what I did ad opposed to the Sumbu dwarf because mine are very outgoing in comparison. It is also funny that I too wanted to try N. leleupi in my tank but got the same warning from @sir_keith, lol

Yes, a 33L would work fine; I have mine in a 40L, which is similar, and even the 16" height is largely wasted, as you can see.

IMG_3198.jpg

It seems that everyone who wants to try Tanganyikans is drawn to N. leleupi because of their eye-catching color, especially when small, not realizing what a handful these fishes can be as adults.

N_leleupi_01.jpg
 

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
Dave's Rare fish and I find this "Ophthalmotilapia boops Nkondwe Island." BOOPS, I gotta say it the best Latin naming convention ever :ROFL: and I now have an irrational need to add this fish to my collection.

O. boops is the most aggressive Opthalmotilapia. I have two different forms of O. nasuta, which is the most mellow member of the genus, but I can keep only two adult males in a 125. O. ventralis is the next step up on the aggression scale, and it is a big one. And then there is O. boops at the top of the heap. Spectacular fishes when in color, but quite challenging. Here is an O. boops 'Neon Streak' male, photographed in the wild. I know where you can get some nice F1's at a good price. :whistle

Oph-boops-nkondwe-Ad.jpg
The next featherfin on my 'to do' list is O. ventralis, of which there are many distinct color forms. This is one of my favourites, O, ventralis Tongwa, also photographed in the wild.

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis 'Tongwa'.jpg

This is a WC O. nasuta Kipili 'Gold' male, photographed in my fish room-

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fishguy1978

Legendary Member
O. boops is the most aggressive Opthalmotilapia. I have two different forms of O. nasuta, which is the most mellow member of the genus, but I can keep only two adult males in a 125. O. ventralis is the next step up on the aggression scale, and it is a big one. And then there is O. boops at the top of the heap. Spectacular fishes when in color, but quite challenging. Here is an O. boops 'Neon Streak' male, photographed in the wild. I know where you can get some nice F1's at a good price. :whistle
The next featherfin on my 'to do' list is O. ventralis, of which there are many distinct color forms. This is one of my favourites, O, ventralis Tongwa, also photographed in the wild.


This is a WC O. nasuta Kipili Gold' male, photographed in my fish room-

So this would be the equivalent of little bunny foofoo booping the little mice on the head? :rofl
 
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