keeping a L333

[katherine dillon]

hi,
i am about to bite the bullet and empty the wallet on a L333. now i really want to put it in a african tank i am about to set up only keeping johanni cichlids in it . but i have read that it only likes 6.4-7.2 PH....

the tank i will be setting up will have a 7.8-8.0 PH.. will it be ok in this tank or will it die??

i have other tanks it can go in but i really wanted to put it in its own so to speak., and considering it will be costing me AU$300, i dont want it to be sick and or die..

any advice will be greatly appreciated, katherine

[Bas Pels]

dear Katherine

As you found out, a huge gap exists between the pH the L333 accepts, and the Mbuna need. However, the L333 comes from the Rio Xingu, a very hot river, temps 28 - 33 C. Your Mbuna will only accept 25 or 26 C

So basically you inquire whether the L333 would be OK in far to cold water with quite wrong water. Believe me, they will not

It might hang on for a while, but it will die

You would do for better providing it (better them, but 300 Aus $ is a lot of money) its own tank, with soft, sightly acidic water with the right temp - and, if possible, a nice current (something Mbuna, lake fish don't like either)

if the Johanni cichlid is not a Malawi, but Tanganjica fish, the pH you mentioned should even be higher - thus I assume it is Malawi

The only loricarid able to survive these kinds of tanks are Ancistrus cf cirrhosu - they are by now well domesticated, but come from less hot (Paraguay) water, which are also not that soft and acidic as Amazonian rivers are

[apistomaster]

Katherine,
Bas is so right on with his advice.
The cost of L333 in Australia alone warrants them a tailor made environment.
You could set them up with a few Characins and shrimp that would not have any negative aspects if you also wish to breed the L333.
I often keep some Nannostomus eques, Pencilfish, Paracheirodon simulans, Green Neons or Hyphessobrycon amandae, Ember Tetras in pleco breeding tanks and shrimp. These will not harm any L333 fry that may be produced, add some signs of life and help find any uneaten foods missed by the Hypancistrus. I use earth worm and Spirulina stick foods quite a bit but these foods soften and break down into particles which are often widely scattered by the feeding catfish. A couple small groups of these fish and or shrimp are great for helping to keep the pleco tanks clean. Even some Otocinclus would be alright. They would help eat the algae Hypancistrus ignore. A couple of Farlowella would also be something to consider as resident algae eaters. Just stock very lightly so the focus remains on the needs of the L333's.
By and large, Hypancistrus spp hide so much during the day their tanks can be rather uninteresting so having a few harmless, small and peaceful fish can help add signs of life. Just don't over do the stocking of these "decorative" fish because too much activity may discourage Hypancistrus L333 from spawning and if they do spawn you don't want too many other fish that may deprive the young catfish of their food supply.
I am keeping six Dicrossus maculatus, Spade Tail Checker Board Dwarf Cichlids in with my 7 L333 breeders and a couple 4 inch Sturisoma aureum. They are housed in a 40 gal breeder style tank. They leave each others youngsters alone. The tank has many standard rectangular caves, pieces of Malaysian wood, floating Ceratophyllum(Hornwort) and potted Echinodorus hybrid var. Kleiner Bar Sword plants. The Dicrossus spawn on leaves of the sword plants and the L333's rarely leave the bottom. I remove the Dicrossus eggs by snipping off the leaf with eggs and hatch them out artificially in a different set up.
I trust these Dicrossus around Hypancistrus fry but I would not recommend Apistogramma spp as tank mates. Apistogramma spp are bottom oriented cave spawning Cichlids with too much attitude. They will kill a newly emerged Hypancistrus fry, Rat Terrier style.
Be sure to provide a lot of structure including hiding places only Hypancistrus fry may enter. I find stacking thin slate or slabs of petrified wood stacked with ~1/8" spacers between them to work well as primary refuges for the pleco fry.

[zenyfish]

Johanni cichlids will kill L333s. I have no doubt about that ... not a good idea.