[Reel North]

I currently have a 125 gallon (72x18) with cichlid sand as a substrate, with some plants (water onion and vals)

I hardly have any algae, even though I leave the lights on sometimes for a couple days at a time - go plants!!! There are 2 rock piles, approx 1/3 of the way in from each side of the tank.

Ocupants of the tank are 3m 7f WC Sibwesa Foai and about 20 WC cyps.

I just picked up 14 WC gobies, which I understand are a pairing fish, so they are in my big QT tank.

My questions are this:

1. what is the best arrangement of the rocks to allow the foai to begin spawning, and the cyps to continue

2. can I change out my Utinta cyps for WC Jumbo Kigoma cyps

3. Once the gobies pair in the QT tank, can i move 2 pairs of them to the 125 gallon tank

4. what is the best method to get gobies to breed

Any other advice?

 

[noddy]

I have my rock piles set up the same way as you do, one of the male foai decided that he wants the middle of the tank, so I'm going to make one big pile down the middle. I have jumbo cyps in with the foai and, I'm still to see how it will work out, so far so good but, sometimes the cyps just come down and hang around in his pit and he can't do anything about it. I also have a pair of gobies in there that sometimes like to hang around in the pit, make sure you give the gobies lots of rockwork to play around and chase each other in. The bottom line is, the foai are wussies and I've never seen one try to fight off any intruders.

 

[noddy]

This is a pic of my 210g. 72"'x24"x30"high just to give you an idea of how I set mine up, the gobies love all the rocks as do the paracyps. Like I said, I am going to make one big, tall pile in the middle that runs from the front glass right back to the rock pile, I might cover it with annubias. I don't think you will get 3 males spawning in your tank. :thumb:

 

[punman]

This is how I had things in my tank with Sibwesa foai

You don't want lots of rock work with foai - they could spook and injure their eyes. Also cyps are open water swimmers - don't need lots of rock.
I know nothing about gobies.
When I had foai in my 180 gallon I had two males nest building all the time. Now I have one Male, four females in my 90.