One Of You Lot

[CFC]

Having recently found myself with a reasonable sized tank (40x12x15") being uninhabitated in my fishroom i thought id try out something completely different and have somehow found myself with a Tanganykian set up. Cichlids and small fish have rarely interested me but i have always liked the look of calvus so after a chat with the guy at the lfs i purchased a small selection of fish which he assures me will be suitable for life with a couple of calvus as the main showpiece of the tank, though i dont actually have the calvus yet as i am waiting to collect a couple of Altolamprogus calvus "flame".

The fish i bought were a pair of Lamprogus ornatipinnis (though i plan to add two more females as the pair are having "marital disputes" ) 4 Cyprichromis "Jumbo Kekese" and a single Eretmodus cyanostictus.

So far all seems well, the fish are starting to colour up and all have settled into their new home apart from the Lamprogus female which seems desperate to mate with the male who in turn doesnt want her anywhere near him, but there hasnt been any real aggression just some threatening posture.

But before i get too comfortable i thought id just get some opinions from more experienced Tanganykian keepers on how suitable the long term of my stocking may be and any suggestions for extra additions (including the calvus) if any.

 

[denis coghlan]

Hey CFC,

I personally don't know much about Tanganyikan fish (but one day I would like to dip my toe) so I cant give you any advice. But if you are looking for a reliable a source of information regarding fish specific to this lake and to answer your question about your future stocking. I would try sending a pm to this user mamafish "said in hushed tones" I think she still logs in occasionally to check up on us!!!!!!. From only having a number of correspondence with her and reading some of her posts, it appears that she has a range of experience with both fish and their husbandry from lake Tanganyika. In fact I would say she is the most knowledgeable member I knew with an insight into tangs.

Regards

Denis

 

[CFC]

Since i was the one that finally suspended mamafishes account i dont think that would go down too well

I thought there were a few members keeping tangs on here but maybe not oh well.

 

[denis coghlan]

I thought there were a few members keeping tangs on here but maybe not oh well.

Sorry, I think I have mislead you! I didnt mean to say that people didnt keep Tangs, it was just a suggestion that mammafish might be a good source of information. Anyways a good few people on here have shellies but I'm not too sure about calvus and the like! Nick sw, griz and 14gtr14 all have tang tanks so they might be able to throw some light on your current situation.

regards

 

[Nick Sw]

I`ve got a Tang Community tank (which I love) but it`s only being setup recently, I don`t really know that much about some of those fish but i`m not sure you will do this but there a few Tang experts on the BCA site that I`m sure would help ?

I`m 99% certain they will say Cyps need to be in groups of 10-12 at least to get the best out of them afterall they are shoaling fish.
I can definitely recommend a species of Shell Dwellers I have a small colony of Multis and are fantastic fish loads of character.
The Calvus will keep numbers of fry down which you may want anyway ?

 

[CFC]

Thanks Nick.

The L.ornatipinnis are a shell dweller, they are one of the largest species with the males reaching aproximately 3.5cm and were recomended by the lfs guy as they are less likely to be viewed as snacks by the calvus, especially the smaller females.

I bought all the Cyprichromis the shop had but if i see any more i'll add to the group, the trouble is making sure i get the same species as they all look so bloody similar at this small size.

 

[Fella]

Next you'll be telling us you're going marine CFC! Hahaha.

When I kept tangs they were a really neat fish, the behaviour was impressive. I kept Julidochromis marlieri for a short time, neolamprologus multifasciatus and paracyprichromis nigirpinnis "blue neon".

Have you got a sand substrate? That was quite essential for my shelldwellers.

 

[Nick Sw]

CFC - Have you seen the National Geographic Video on teh fish of Lake Tanganyika ?
It`s well worth watching, a shell dwelling fish can be seen nipping the tail of a Croc at one point.

 

[CFC]

Next you'll be telling us you're going marine CFC! Hahaha.

When I kept tangs they were a really neat fish, the behaviour was impressive. I kept Julidochromis marlieri for a short time, neolamprologus multifasciatus and paracyprichromis nigirpinnis "blue neon".

Have you got a sand substrate? That was quite essential for my shelldwellers.

Sand substrate, slate background, pebbles in the foreground and several large snail shells scattered about, a couple of bits of vallis for some greenery and some bits of dead coral to keep the hardness up. I'll get a pick tomorrow after ive cleaned the calcium deposits off the front glass. I'm quite pleased with them actually, its nice to have some fish that actually interact with their enviroment rather than dwarfing it. I didnt get the calvus today, two reasons, one they were A.compressicips not true calvus and two i speant the money on a Gymnothorax polyuranodon instead

Marine is too expensive to run for the size i'd go, with all the lighting, powerheads, pumps and gadgets running it would probably use more power than the whole fish room.

I havent seen the NG video, we dont have cable/sky so unless they showed it on normal TV theres no way for me to have seen it.

 

[adambrum]

If would check your ph, If you have calcium deposits on the glass your water must be very acidic.

coral is quite inert unless the ph is low ie acidic which dissolves calcium therefore raising the ph which should be 7.5 min

 

[CFC]

Good old London tapwater here, pH of between 7.8 and 8.2 depending on the time of year and the KH and GH of liquid rock, might as well be pumped direct from Lake Tanganykia itself.Calcium deposits, i.e limescale are caused by hard water not soft, the less calcium the water has the lower the KH and pH, the more it has the higher they are.

Since my tanks are in the fishroom and not on display i rarely bother cleaning the glass so all the drips and splashes from maintainance leave white streaks down the glass which look terrible in photos.