Tang setup info please

[señor_pescados_felices]

Well since the first step in my plan fell through due to lack of MFK members with nano tang setups I would like to try phase two.

I am hoping to get info on our members tang setups,any size for a project I am working on.For those who missed my first thread basically what Im looking to do is create a "rift lake setup guide" of sorts that will have features not unlike similar sections seen on other sites,but using info derived from our MFK members themselves.I will just copy/paste the general info I seek for those that hadnt seen it.

I really cannot begin to express how much I would appreciate your taking out five or so minutes of your time to post the info needed to make this project a worth while effort.

Here is a copy of the info I am looking for:

Info I was looking for would include,but not be limited to:

Stocklist

Filtration

Decor

Buffers

Special or abnormal feeding requirments for said stocklist

Any problems you may have had setting up the tank,especially any compatibility issues that may have arisen.

It would also help to include fish species that could possibly be switched for a species you have wich may be hard to come by or not recommended for a beginner.

In addition,I was trying to think of some way to apply a recommended skill level of 1-5 to any given tank so that it can give an idea of where you should be at as far as experiance level before trying a particular setup,if that makes any sense.Any help or suggestions on "fine tuning" the rating system,or weather or not its even a good idea, are greatly appreciated.

Factors I think would affect the skill level are,but again are not limited to:

average aggression level of tank occupants (was it hard to get them to co-exhist?)

Average difficulty in getting a hold of species in said tank (did you have to special order them,get them online?or can you get them at petco,petsmart?)

Average difficulty of caring for and doing maintanance on said tank (are the fish delicate or hardy? are they liable to get sick at the slightest swing in ph levels or the slightest spike in water parameters?)

I thank you for you time on this matter and I assure you that if I can get enough data together I will turn it into something worthwhile for MFK in the future.

señor_pescados_felices
Monstruo de Malawi

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well, this is my Tang tank as it currently stands:

It is a 55gal tank, with silica sand and river rocks from a local park in town. The filter on it is a AC 110, and the heater is a Visitherm Stealth (250watt, I believe). The current stock list is:

6 juvenile Altolamprologus calvus 'Inkfin'
6 juvenile A. compressiceps 'Kasakalawe' - four of which were added just today
5 juvenile Cyathopharynx foai (Karilani)
4 juvenile Neolamprologus brichardi

However, this is just a temporary setup, meant as a growout for the juvies. By next week, it will have changed.

1) I'm selling the foai - they're neat fish, but get much too large for the tank they're in, and I have no plans in the near future to dedicate a proper sized tank to them.
2) I'm splitting the calvus and the compressiceps up to prevent crossbreeding. Each species will get its own 33gal tank (species only for now). They will both have silica sand, AC filters, and likely Visitherm or similar quality heaters. I will be adding much more rock to the two smaller species tanks, to create caves and crevaces for breeding that are lacking in this main tank now.
3) The brichardi will be put into a 20gal long species tank for breeding. They get too nasty when breeding, and I don't trust them with the Altos. Same thing applies to this tank - silica sand, more rockwork, AC filter, and higher-quality heater.

My water from the tap is INSANELY soft and has a very low pH level - obviously the opposite of what Tangs need. As a result, I have to use chemicals to keep it where it needs to be. Every weekly water change, I add Kent Cichlid Chemisty and Kent African Buffer (both in powdered forms) to the water to adjust it as necessary.

This group is pretty much the only group that I worry about varying their foods. The Altos and the brichardi are very much carnivores, so they get a mix of bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, Hikari flake food, some spirulina flake, and a couple different types of meat-based sinking pellets. I've never had a problem with this routine.

These guys mix incredibly well at the moment, but as I said, they're juveniles. I can't tell you how they'll comingle as adults, because they will be split up into species tanks by that point. I highly recommend either the comps or calvus though..they're an amazing fish. I love the physical look of them. They're very docile and mild-mannered, but can hold their own against others no problem. I can't wait until they start breeding. As for the difficulty level, in my perspective, they're quite easy as long as you're willing to dedicate the level of attention to detail (feeding, water params, etc) that they require. I'm all for self-maintaining tanks, so if it was a lot of work, I would be the last one to have a Tang setup

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

Awesome start,Thanks sinister