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How can i do a Lake Tanganiykan setup in my 5 foot tank?.
Please give me your ideas about Rocks, hiding places, substrate & plants.

Thanks alot in advance.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

There isn't really a right or wrong way for a Tang setup. A sand substrate is probably best, although you can also used crushed coral or a combination of the two.

With such a long tank you can arrange the rocks to offer a number of territories. Place them with spaces for fish to hide and/or spawn.

Not many plants are actually found in the lake itself. If you decide you want them in your tank look for those that can tolerate hard water with a higher pH. Also remember that many of these fish dig so plants may not stay in place.

I have 6 Tang tanks, although 5 are strictly shellies. Here are a few photos of my 29g from the past few months. I need to take a new shot since I finally got that darn heater hidden







~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I think the rock is the trickiest thing to set up. It's also the most expensive. You can get rock from landscaping suppliers, garden shops sometimes, or if there is a quarry near you, you might have luck there. Make as sure as you can that they havn't been contaminated with weatherproofing chemicals or pesticides or fertilizers. I used lots of fist-sized rock with a few larger pieces, and I also incorporated ceramic caves from www.cichlidbreeding.com. I put together sections of rockwork that stand independantly, but look like one piece when in the tank. That way I can remove one piece at a time without breaking my back or possibly damaging anything. I just used aquarium silicone to glue everything together, though I have also used aquarium safe epoxy putty with good results.

You might want to place egg crate or plastic grid on the bottom of your tank under the sand. This prevents the rock from putting pressure on a particular place so it doesn't crack the glass bottom. I used the expensive cichlid sand, which is just aragonite and tahitian black sand. I like the aragonite a great deal because it is a regualr rounded shape that I have found easy to keep clean. And it buffers the water.

For plants, so far I have had good luck with crypts in addition to anubias and java fern. I tuck the roots near the rockwork and that seems to shelter them fairly well, but I don't have any real diggers in my tank. Your milage may vary.

Good luck, and let us know how it's going as you set up this tank.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Thanks alot for your help. At the moment i am only collecting rocks from different places around Malta & i am treating them in sea water. Hopefully i'll start the tank in 2/3 weeks time.

I will be using sand as a substrate & i think 1cm will be fine.

I want to keep N.brichardi, julidichromis & maybe lelupi, but i am open to suggestions.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Hi,
With the high pH and GH necessary for the fish, the easiest
way to maintain those vaues is with a good substrate.
Just about any carbonate substrate is good. You can use
the aragonite, crushed coral, crushed dolomite, crushed
limestone, or even crushed oyster shell. The crushed
oyster shells are sold in large bags as feed for fowl
(grist for the gizzard) and is very inexpensive. In a tank
it looks like a rubble field at the base of a reef. Or,
blended in with some "sand" provides an interesting
"landscape." Also the use of carbonate rocks for
hardscaping is recommended. Rocks such as limestone, and
some sandstones make ideal backgound and also help maintain
the water qualities you are looking for in the tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks alot Frank for your help. Well, i'll mix the sand i already have with some crushed shells & yes, as a background, i'll be using carbonate rocks. The tap water will also be good, as it's on the hard side.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com