[LeastkillifishFTW]

Does this work for pair of calvus, pair of julis, and a colony of shellies? I don't quite know what the rock is but I find this magnificent.

I was also looking at this island scape for a pair of calvus and pair of caudopunctatus. Won't be exactly the same but would the caudo's like some more rocks on their sandy area or? Already planning on making sure they have plenty of shells and I would make the island more proportioned to give everyone the same-ish amount of space.

 

[sir_keith]

...I would make the island more proportioned to give everyone the same-ish amount of space...

The best-laid plans... I'm not going to comment on the details, but I think you are going discover in short order that it is the fishes who will decide in the end who gets what space. You can nudge things one way or another with the hardscape, but they are going to decide for themselves, and it rarely turns out just as you planned. Good luck.

 

[Mazan]

I think the first tank looks very nice, but it does not look at all like Lake Tanganyika. I would prefer to try to recreate something closer to their natural habitat with lots of rocks, ledges and caves as well as a sandy area with shells. As a disclaimer I don't have any actual experience with these fish.

 

[DJRansome]

Hard to tell without the shells. My calvus preferred large shells to rocks but they are reputed to like vertical rock crevices the size/shape of the mother's body which she uses to block the male so he can't get the fry. Julidochromis like a flat rock propped up on one side so they can get underneath and lay eggs on the underside. My caudos chose to excavate in the sand in the crack between 2 rocks over the shells provided for them.

 

[sir_keith]

I think the first tank looks very nice, but it does not look at all like Lake Tanganyika. I would prefer to try to recreate something closer to their natural habitat with lots of rocks, ledges and caves as well as a sandy area with shells. As a disclaimer I don't have any actual experience with these fish.

I agree; that tank looks more like a soft-water Amazon biotope than Lake Tanganyika. And the stocking appears to be really strange- a few Tropheus, and what appear to be Xenotilapia? That's not a combination that's going to be stable for very long. I do love the Vallisneria, which does grow in some sandy-shoreline regions of Tanganyika (although I've never had success with it in my Tanganyikan tanks), and the duckweed looks quite happy, although it prefers acidic water. One has to wonder whether the water parameters in this tank are actually suited to Tanganyikan fishes.

 

[Furcifer]

If you use Vallisneria plant like this,it’s not good choice for scaping African cichlid tanks because you won’t have enough bottom space for territorial species. With time, those plants will cover all the sand. Crytocoryne can be better choice. Scaping with African cichlids are non-sense to me.

 

[dlanderson]

I keep some vals in with my multies and they do well in some parts of the tank. If you're willing to let go of complete control it'll work fine. If any vals start to spread too much just uproot them. Not a big deal.. You can keep some plants but be prepared to work around your fish. My julies don't dig a lot so they are in with even more plants. If you go with an island I'd recommend using anubias on the rock to help get this same look. Those are safe from anything the diggers might do.

 

[sir_keith]

Anubias and Cryptocorynes work for me-

 

[sir_keith]

The Anubias in particular have been useful in breaking up the tank's sight lines, and Ophthalmotilapia seem to like them...