NEW Tanganyika Tank!!! what do ya think?

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

NEW Tanganyika Tank!!! what do ya think?

by a70m1c

Ok on the weekend discus went bye bye to local fish store.
i used the couple of hundred dollars credit i had to setup a Tanganyika tank.

The tank : 3 foot by 1 foot tank, sand over the bottom, lots of coral, aquaone aquis 1000 canister filter, air pump, 40watt light (claims it for plants) Java plants.

I laid a bunch of shell in 1/4 of the tank.

10 Neolamprogus multifasciatus in the area of the shells (3 male 7 females)
6 Neolamprologus tretocephalus (2 male and 4 female)
2 Neolamprogus Brichardi (1male and 1 female)

also put a small bit of driftwood in and 3 x 10cm bristle nose catfish.
all seems to be going good!


any comments on the mix of fish or how many are in the tank?

I have kept multis for some years in a 22L tank. i have never kept trets or princess before.


vwfan79
 
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:20 pm

by vwfan79

It seems like a good mix.....I do know Lake Tanganyikan Cichlids grow a lot slower than other African Cichlids.....I have 2 Brichardi and 2 Tretocephalus in a mixed African tank and they haven't grown nearly as big as the others.......but they do get to be a good size, 3-5 inches.....so you should be fine in the tank your using, at least for a while


cedricandcandy
 
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:36 am

by cedricandcandy

What! ...you traded in your discus?!

Well it sounds like your putting together another great tank there anyway. The tretocephalus are especially beautiful I reckon.

The amount of fish you've got in there so far is probably about perfect for all the fish to thrive well. The tank might well be able to handle more fish as far as biological load goes, but I think your fish will do really well as is.


burgerking
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:16 pm

by burgerking

If the brichardi pair up they will most likely go on a killing rampage. They will often kill off everything else in the tank. When breeding they are EXTREMELY aggressive.

If I were you I would exchange the brichardi for something else like a pair of comps/calvus. I have never kept them but have heard tons of horror stories. You could ask around on Cichlid-forum.com as there are tons of brichardi keepers there.


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

by a70m1c

Yeah i was losing a discus every 3 to 6 months.
when the last one stopped eating and died over 2 weeks that was it!
i worm them every month good water conditions, i dont know what i was doing wrong.
i got $500 in credit from a LFS.

I dont want the birchdis to kill my multis or trets. i will do some research. I was so close to getting some compressips instead of the princesses! the reason i choose them is because i could pick a pair where as i couldnt tell with the compressips.

I wont be adding any more fish.

this is the first time i have had a chance to setup a tank from scratch with lots of funding so i wanted to get it right first time!

the only thing i wish i did....glue on styrofoam backround! next time!


WCAfishboy
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:54 am

by WCAfishboy

Great to read about a tanganyika tank!

Here are my recommendations

First any and ALL Tropheus Cichlids. I recently added them in and they are BY far my favorite.
They are sensitive to water quality and need to be fed mainly on a vegetarian diet.
I have Tropheus Kaiser now and want to try other species as well!

Also maybe look into Calvus? They are not aggressive but won't take anything. All my fish left him completely alone, but he never chased anyone, very defensive fish.

Another addition could be Neolamprologus Daffodil. They are similar to the Birchardi but I think a ltitle more attractive. I don't know if keeping them together can create in breeding, but I have had no problems.

Also one other great fish to look into is the Cylindricus. They are more rock dwellers than the others, rarely leaving the bottom three inches of the tank. They are moderate aggressive, won't chase any one consistently just out of territory. Once they grow up a bit, they are absolutely STUNNING!

Hope this helps. My one advice is the Tropheus! Just look up pictures, there body shape alone is absolutely gorgeous. But be sure to read about diet and water, they are picky! Hope this helps!


dizzcat
 
Posts: 648
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am

by dizzcat

Ahh, the beautiful Birchardi. Once they spawn they will never stop! They will keep any fish that lives thru it in a far corner from their spawn.

They are best alone. As they spawn they keep the fry around. The older fry actually take care of the younger fry and so on thru different generations. Soon you will have a tank full of different size Birchardi.

I had a beautiful pair, but anything I tried to put in the tank got killed right away, and this was BEFORE they even spawned! I ended up trading them after a year because it just got to be too much.

NEW Tanganyika Tank!!! what do ya think?

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