Lake Tanganyika Species • Setting up a 125 Tanganyika Community

[Catfish Dan]

A couple of months back we were fortunate to win a raffle at our fish club for a 125 gallon tank. Best $20 we ever spent! We've decided to set it up as a Tanganyika community tank but are pretty inexperienced with Tanganyikan fish. We do have a 125 frontosa tank and a 20 long shellie tank, but that about sums up our first hand knowledge base.

Also, we don't see many Tangs available here locally. With the ACA approaching we thought it would be a great opportunity to find some of our base species.

This is a starter list I'm thinking of. Suggestions are absolutely welcome, we want these guys to thrive!

6- Cyathopharynx furcifer or foae. I am absolutely in love with these guys and want them as a centerpiece of the tank. Unsure of M/F ratio.
12- Cyprichromis sp, non-jumbo. Again, not sure of M/F ratios.
2- Eretmodus cyanostictus (a pair)

What else??? Can our pair of shellies live in here? They are L. ornatipinnus, and just bred for the first time! We also have 4 Sumbu dwarf compressiceps.

We'll have a sand substrate, rocks, shells if need be. Our water is perfect for Tangs, pH 8.3 and very hard with lots of buffering capacity.

Thanks!

[Dawg2012]

WOW I'd absolutely love to do a 125 Tang tank - I'm envious!

Anyway, I just setup a 75, and am new to Tangs. I stocked six of the Eretmodus cyanostictus, among others. I LOVE them... Little characters. I'd recommend six so that you have a good chance of winding up with a pair.

I read something somewhere about Cyprichromis and m/f ratios. Not much help I know. I came away with the opinion that it wasn't as important as for mbuna and/or other Tangs. I think with 12 you're likely to get a decent mix so spawning should happen.

I have Multies in my 75, so yes Shellies are possible. With a 125 I'm going to guess you could get away with a couple of Shelly species.

Sounds like you're set to go with substrate, water, etc... Did you happen to read Marc's article on the Tanganyikan Community? Explained a lot to me wrt these fish.

Good luck!

[Catfish Dan]

Our 125 Tang community is finally on its way.

Substrate: fine sand and pea gravel
Filtration: 2 sponge filters, Rena XP3

Inhabitants:
13 Cyprichromis leptosoma "Utinta" (4M-9F, already breeding)
7 Paracyprichromis nigripinnis
2 Cyathopharynx foai (we lost 6 others as fry, looking for some more)
5 Tanganicodes irsacae
4 Compressiceps "Sumbu Dwarf"
16 Frontosa fry (~1/2 inch), basically a grow out tank for these guys

We removed the Sumbu Dwarves from our 20 long, which also had a pair of L. ornatipinnus (shellies). Now that the pair is alone in the 20 long and the rockwork is gone, leaving only shells, it seems the smaller of the 2 has been shunned and is hanging out on the sponge filter. Should we add this pair to the 125 also?

[Frazee86]

Put the rock work back in it will give it somewhere to hide when the other decides it wants to be aggressive

[Dawg2012]

Awesome! Pictures!!!!