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I've decided to go with Tangs for my 150g. Except, I need some help with stocking it. I want some colorful fish around 4-6". Also, will they eat plants, I'm going to go with java moss and fern. Also, what type of substrate? I have lots of slate, would that make good structure?

Thanks for any replies,
Nick

Hello. Substrate should be sand or crushed coral(or Eco cichlid substrate). Slate will work great for caves. Not sure bout those plants as I can only keep Amazons,Bamboo, and jap moss balls alive in my tanks LOL. Most tangs are not as colorful as the malawians. You could look into Altolamps, Neolamps, Tropheus, and Cyprichromis types for the size and colors your looking for. Try cichlid forum.com and go under profiles for tangs and you will get a large list/most with pictures. Let us know what you fancy, and we will do our best with compatability for you. Dont forget about the bottom, cause a 150 screams SYNOS.

There are cookie cutter setups [link=here]http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_75g.php" style="COLOR: #FFCCCC[/link] for tanks up to 75g. You might want to take a look thru and see what they recommend, you could adjust for your larger tank.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

This is a great size for a cichlid community. Cyprichromis are a schooling cichlid that like the upper regions of the tank, so starting with 6-10 of those (two females to every male if possible) will help you figure out what else you can have. Tangs are less brightly colored than mbunas from Malawi, but their patterns can be more interesting. Some julidochromis, Neolamp. compressiceps, Brichardi, and cylindricus (or any of the Neolamp. species, really) are all smaller species that would probably do fairly well together.

Slate is a good building material, but if at all possible, you should try to get hold of some texas holey rock (limestone), which will help buffer your water, as well as providing natural caves and crevaces.

Instead of Java ferns for plants, why not anubias? It's more authentic to the region, comes in more varieties, and in my experience is easier to care for and looks better, especially on rock.

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

Take a look at this site & you'll find all the reply's that you need:-

http://www.tropheus.info/riftlakes/cichlids/tangan_e.html

Post pictures when your Tang. tank is ready & good luck.


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My tap water readings were: GH-22 KH-13 and PH-7.4, that's before going through the softener. How much will I have to condition the water?

Also, could I mix shell dwellers, in with other tangs? Could I mix a few types of tangs that are around 3", and start a few communities? Or would this cause issues?

Last edited by nickman713 at 22-Dec-2005 20:51

First off, your numbers - the first two are great, if they're accurate, but the pH makes me question that. PH is a 0-14 scale; a pH of 22 is impossible. Can you recheck?


Yes, you can mix shell dwellers with other Tangs, but be aware that most common species will predate on shell dweller fry and you're unlikely to raise spawns with them. One notable exception is Cyprichromis species; I have a 125 gallon C. leptosoma "Bulu Point" and Neolamprologus similis tank, and both species are able to spawn without predation issues.

Yes, you can mix some tangs, but you'll need to pick some species you like so we can help - there are lots and lots of Tangs around 3"; you could be thinking of gobies as easily as brichardi, or Xenos, or whatever. What you need to match are aggression levels, feeding needs (all carnivorous or omni, ie), and size - Frontosa with cyps is a bad mix, for instance!

Thoughts? Favorite species?

-Molly
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Sorry, the PH was 7.4, I copied the GH.

I looked at some tangs, but didn't read about 'em. So I went totally on looks for these: Julidochromis regani, Tropheus duboisi, Cyathopharynx foae, Altolamprologus calvus, Ctenochromis horei, Enantiopus melanogenys, Julidochromis marlieri, and Tropheus duboisi and Lamprologus stappersi

Probally to hold all these fish, you'll need...a ..umm whole lake . If you could tell me which ones could go best together, that would be great. I especially like the Lamprologus stappersi

Last edited by nickman713 at 22-Dec-2005 21:57

The Altolamprologus Calvus are a very good choice. (my personal fav. Fish)

You should check out Cyathopharynx furcfer. They will certainly add some colour to the tank.

Cyathopharynx foai and Neolamprologus leleupi also have nice colour.

See, Lake Tanganyika still has good colourful fish.

Ah, stappersi are WONDERFUL. Can't recommend them highly enough. Juvies sometimes aren't ideal community fish but if you add them first they'll learn to handle it.

Julidochromis regani and marlieri - these are quite large, aggressive Julie species; you'd be better off swapping in J. transcriptus, J. ornatus, or J. dickfeldi, three beautiful species. Just one Julie species per tank, though.

Tropheus duboisi - Tropheus are lovely, aren't they? But they have special needs; if you want a tank stuffed with Tropheus and nothing else (maybe a goby or three), go for it! It can be an amazing display. But they're not community fish.

Cyathopharynx foae - A beautiful fish, but won't mix with the stapps (or, in many cases, the julies or other rockdwellers). It's up to you to decide which you'd rather have.

Altolamprologus calvus - A wonderful rockdwelling species that will work wonderfully with stapps and julies.

Ctenochromis horei - Definitely not one I've had experience with, so take this with a grain of salt. I've never seen one listed in a community tank to my knowledge and they're listed as aggressive (on cichlid-forum) - these might be too much for the other species, but find someone who knows and double-check.

Enantiopus melanogenys - ah, a looooovely species, but again, special needs. They'd need more or less the whole bottom of the tank to themselves (no shellies, no rockdwellers) but you could add Cyps in with them. Worth thinking about; it's a wonderful species.

-Molly
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