Its never wasted if it is the fish you enjoy.
Is a 96x24x18 tank wasted on Tanganyikans?
- Thread starter RyanM
- Start date
I used to have my 125 as a tang community. If I had more patience or started with older fish I may have kept it as is- but they now have a 55 to themselves. Pair of julidochromis, pair leleupi, pair brichardi, 3 pair of alto lamps. Elipsifer eel and some synodontis ( can’t remember the species but smaller and from lake tang)
The tanks fun to feed, haven’t moved a rock in it almost 3 yrs.
You may not get the activity you want though unless you went the tropheus route and those fish are heart breakers IME.
it’s your tank and your viewing pleasure do what you want, with time, research and resources any tank can turn into a show stopper
The tanks fun to feed, haven’t moved a rock in it almost 3 yrs.
You may not get the activity you want though unless you went the tropheus route and those fish are heart breakers IME.
it’s your tank and your viewing pleasure do what you want, with time, research and resources any tank can turn into a show stopper
Ive been slowly aquiring the fish I want for my tang tank. My 180 is going to be a tanganyikan tank. Currently I have
10 Neolamprolgus meeli
3 cyprichromis leptosoma kitumba
3 neolamprologus buescheri chituta
2 altolamprologus compressiceps kigoma
So my thoughts are to have a pretty diverse biotope. I know the last 2 will prey on the young fish especially the comps. All are small at the moment and compressicips grow slowly. I have the meeli in a growout breeder tank hoping to get a decent population of them by the time the 180 is finished. 180is getting a new rock background. I am currently using barnacle shells for the meeli, they seem to enjoy them. If that continues I'll use them in the 180 also. Thinking of adding something else though.......
So after all that I dont think its a dumb idea. I think a large diverse tank is cool.
10 Neolamprolgus meeli
3 cyprichromis leptosoma kitumba
3 neolamprologus buescheri chituta
2 altolamprologus compressiceps kigoma
So my thoughts are to have a pretty diverse biotope. I know the last 2 will prey on the young fish especially the comps. All are small at the moment and compressicips grow slowly. I have the meeli in a growout breeder tank hoping to get a decent population of them by the time the 180 is finished. 180is getting a new rock background. I am currently using barnacle shells for the meeli, they seem to enjoy them. If that continues I'll use them in the 180 also. Thinking of adding something else though.......
So after all that I dont think its a dumb idea. I think a large diverse tank is cool.
More Cyps for the top of the tank...the thing will be awesome. I would love a large solo colony of ilangi Tropheus or 2 colonies of Tropheus in a a longer tank...However, you probably wouldn't want the cyps or neolamps if that was the case. There are awesome oddballs and featherfins too that would be great in a larger tank. I like Neolamps and altolamps...they have interesting behavior; however, they mainly just hang out in the rockwork or around it. You definitely want a colony of cyps to fill out the top of the tank. There are also some awesome sand sifters that are nice; furthermore, some of the syno varieties from Tangyanika are stunners too. If you go for the community thing more cyps....if you want to try your hand with a colony of Tropheus, watch out...they are truly addictive and amazing. Neolamps get really aggressive if they pair off and start pumping out fry. Some of my favorite tangs that are also rockwork huggers unfortunately are Julidochromis Regani Kipil Since you already have the community vibe...more cyps and some featherfins 
Watch out for the Neolamps they can take over a tank and back everything into a corner pretty easy; however, the shell dweller varieties not so much.
Watch out for the Neolamps they can take over a tank and back everything into a corner pretty easy; however, the shell dweller varieties not so much.
Ive got a group of synodontis lucipinis in with my Schoutedeni. I have a few synodontis actually. Dont need any or should I say want synodontis in this tank.
No tropheus. They really need a tank of their own. Too much meat food going in this tank for tropheus to be healthy.
I would love some more cyphs. But I need to get the same ones or they could hybridize.
I was also thinking another shellie like gold ocellatus. I know some of the shellies will hybridize so I need to be careful.
Xenotilapia if I can get my hands on some.
Cylindricus, lulepi are also contenders.
No tropheus. They really need a tank of their own. Too much meat food going in this tank for tropheus to be healthy.
I would love some more cyphs. But I need to get the same ones or they could hybridize.
I was also thinking another shellie like gold ocellatus. I know some of the shellies will hybridize so I need to be careful.
Xenotilapia if I can get my hands on some.
Cylindricus, lulepi are also contenders.
Ventralis has some nice species too. They are almost like anthias of the lake.
If you can find one the elipsifer eel is from the lake and doesn’t get all that large- mines done well for years now and comes to the glass when it’s feeding time
If you can find one the elipsifer eel is from the lake and doesn’t get all that large- mines done well for years now and comes to the glass when it’s feeding time
I find Tropheus can do well with most high grade cichlid pellet like NLS or dainichi...think I fed mine a lot of spirulina flake too... I think stable diet is actually more important...but yeah can't really have a community with them. Most of mine that did die...died from hyper-aggressive males rather than bloat. The illness always seemed to be secondary to con-specific aggression. I have had Altos and Julies with them before...but fry would get picked off. My Yellow Calvus actually started exhibiting Tropheus like behavior since I had raised them up from smaller fish...it was kind of odd. Seemingly, I have had better luck with just a single colony and nothing else. They are kind of manic fish.
Yeah, your right forgot you had shellies and synos wouldn't be too ideal sorry that slipped my mind.
I think you could find some more Cyp Leptisoma in from that collection point in time...they are really stunning when the males flare. I hope you find more.
Xenotilapia are extremely cool. I hope you find some.
I have never dabbled in New World Cichlids and really want to, so I am kind of have the opposite interest.
Overall, I think Tangs have some of the most amazing behaviors and personalities. I am sure with your experience in fish-keeping that your tank is going to look amazing. Especially with that new background. I always wanted one of those rock backgrounds.
Yeah, your right forgot you had shellies and synos wouldn't be too ideal sorry that slipped my mind.
I think you could find some more Cyp Leptisoma in from that collection point in time...they are really stunning when the males flare. I hope you find more.
Xenotilapia are extremely cool. I hope you find some.
I have never dabbled in New World Cichlids and really want to, so I am kind of have the opposite interest.
Overall, I think Tangs have some of the most amazing behaviors and personalities. I am sure with your experience in fish-keeping that your tank is going to look amazing. Especially with that new background. I always wanted one of those rock backgrounds.
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I don't consider 180s to really be excessively large tanks, especially if you consider the space nature has available to Tanganikan (or any other cichlid for that matter).
The suggestion a few posts back, of Cyprichromis with Enantiopus seemed a great suggestion to me. I did it years ago in a 150, with sand substrate and vallisneria in corners and along the back.
At the moment my 180 is stocked with a dozen Andinoacara, a Goby and a couple tetras, heavily planted, I it consider it well stocked, and would hesitate to add more. Water quality is always good, even if I miss a few water changes, and little to no detectable nitrates, and title to no overt aggression.
The suggestion a few posts back, of Cyprichromis with Enantiopus seemed a great suggestion to me. I did it years ago in a 150, with sand substrate and vallisneria in corners and along the back.
At the moment my 180 is stocked with a dozen Andinoacara, a Goby and a couple tetras, heavily planted, I it consider it well stocked, and would hesitate to add more. Water quality is always good, even if I miss a few water changes, and little to no detectable nitrates, and title to no overt aggression.
Yeah! The enantiopus kilesa are sweet. I see them with both names of enantiopus and xenotilapia. But those are what I was meaning when I said xenotilapia.
Opthalmotilapia are nice, boops, ventralis and nausuta. So many fish!
Some are really hard to find.
