That'll be a big challenge for you. I'd go with noddy's suggesting to get adults, or go with a breeder that's selling F1's bred from HIS adults. There seems to be a lot of mislabeling going on out there and you don't want to end up with a mix. Insist on pics of what you're getting or pics of adults if getting juveniles.Goal is 2X males 6 females, I'll probably look for at least one wild male to assure color and variant etc.
Nice choice. I guess it's exLamprologus now. But, I thought furcifers were Neolamprologus. I've seen breeders label them either way. Not that breeders are good at properly identifying and labeling per the latest. Furcifers get big though. You want your c. foai to be the dominant ones. Worth a go, since it's such a nice fish. In that size tank, you can always pare their numbers down if they start inhibiting the foai.L. Furcifer 1m/1fm. (Is there any such thing as "Lamprologus" anymore?) If I can find them to be had?
Typically foai's fit this, and avoid 'furdfers', but there are exceptions, and get pics of adults and be certain of what you're getting. A lot has to do with lighting. You can bring out the blue with a combo of daylight/actinic. I'd suggest a look at foai moliro's also.Whatever the bluest variant is. Anyone? I'm talking all blue, no yellow on the head
Some build in open sand, some on top of large rocks and some seem to prefer to build up against a rock. I had one the built two right next to each other in open sand, one higher than the other, sort of a bi-level house. Scape it like you suggest and hope for the best.If not, then my hope is to manipulate where the dominant male will build that legendary bower... If I, with lace rock, build a horse shoe like cove (Walls of rock around the hopeful, centered, breeding site.) will the Foai be comfortable building in what essentially ends up being the only open sand patch? Or, will he ignore my manipulative aquascape and just start piling sand wherever he pleases (Over rockwork etc.) until he builds, more or less, a hill, where he then builds his bower? If not, then my hope is to manipulate where the dominant male will build that legendary bower...
I've got a single male that colors up just fine. I've got a group of seven extra males, two have built bowers and are colored up in spite of no females in the tank. They're clueless. I think the only time they won't is if they're dominated by some other species. At least that's been my experience.Is there any chance of building to "horseshoes" and getting both boys to color up?
I'd give him 18".If I can control where they/he builds how big should the open area be for him?
Keep us posted.