T. Duboisi advice needed (a bit long)

[jowens]

Hello, this is my first post here. Thank you for having a look.

I am planning to bring home eight Duboisi tomorrow. They will be housed in a 90 gallon aquarium by themselves. I would like to get a larger group, but the LFS (where I work) only has these eight. They are juveniles and have begun to clearly lose their spots. They have been at the store for about two months, get along well, and appear to be in great health.

I have two questions.

First, according to some authors I have read online, these fish are best kept in aquariums devoid of decorations in order to deny them territorial markers. What are your opinions on this? They are in a bare tank (with gravel) now, and seem content.

Second, seven of the eight fish are currently housed in the same 29 gallon and, as stated above, get along perfectly. The eighth is in another tank, although he came from the same shipment. Do I risk upsetting the herd or compromising the safety of the eighth guy if I put them all together in my tank? I suspect not, as everyone should be on equal ground in the new tank, but I do not know.

Thanks.

[tom]

Hi and welcome, jowens

Keeping the Tropheus in a bare 90 (4 ft' ?) no doubt will ease tensions that might otherwise exist with structures, although I'm unsure that it'd be to a degree sufficient to warrant a sacrifice in aesthetics, if any, for you and a sense of security for the fish themselves. I do know that some Tropheus aquarists who've encountered acute aggression in rock-filled tanks have seen dramatic reduction in hostile behavior once the rocks have been removed.

Question 2: I think your supposition is right: No. 8 shouldn't encounter problems in the new tank--not necessarily because the group is being moved to new quarters, but rather because it's unlikely any hierarchy has yet been established.