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Decisions, Decisions! Cyps Or Paracyps?

Dodders

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My new Tang tank is progressing, and I'm starting to think ahead about fish (there's a surprise!). In my previous thread here, I said I'd like to house a trio of Lamprologus ocellatus, a pair of Lamprologus caudopunctatus and half a dozen Paracyprichromis nigripinnis. However, the substrate, rockwork and lighting has all ended up a lot lighter and brighter than I originally intended. I'm concerned that with the tank as it looks now, the Paracyps would be uncomfortable and also look washed out. Another consideration, as there is only one rock pile (albeit a fairly big one) might they possibly run into trouble with the Lamprologus caudopunctatus? With all that in mind I now find myself wondering if it would be better to think about Cyprichromis leptosoma Utinta instead of the Paracyps, my thinking being their more open-water behaviour would be better suited to the layout plus the male's bright colour might show better in the brighter environment. I'd be very interested to hear some opinions please! :)

Here's a pic of the tank when first set up - basic layout is still the same but tidied up. There are shells on the sand to the left side and a few Java Fern hiding the heater, pipework and the repair to the seam in the back left corner. Oh, and I finally remembered to clean the glass!
4ft_new.jpg
 
Hi, nice sized tank there. If it were me (and I know you didn't ask)I would have the heater on the end side with the pipes. Also I like the structured type backgrounds and they allow you to 'lean' rocks on the back which allows stacking. More rock would be a good idea and may open up what you have to create holes and caves.


:blush: sorry, I seemed to have pulled your tank apart :huh:

Back to you OP....
The Paracyprichromis Nigripinnis look fabulous (never seen them in my LFS) but I still like my Cyprichromis Leptosoma as they have coloured up lovely.
 
+1 for cyps in a big open tank like that, more actice than paracyps :good:
 
Thanks all, opinions gratefully received. Doresy - thanks for the thoughts, there's some 'method in me madness' though. There's a wide brace across the top of the tank at both ends which makes it difficult to put pipework/heaters at the end, plus I thought it'd be be more difficult to hide them. With you on the structured backgrounds, far nicer but I don't have time to build one and if I bought one it'd be half my fish budget gone west! Have to save that for next time... :lol: I could have added some more rock but I wanted some open water, plus sandy area for the shellies so stopped with the one sackload.
 
Well, it's been a long time coming but I finally managed to stock the tank last Friday. In the end lack of funds decided the cyp/paracyp question and the answer was Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish - sad but necessary! There are two small Ancistrus, but most importantly the cichlid inhabitants are Neolamprologus caudopunctatus and Lamprologus ocellatus. I'll try and remember to take some pics!
 
I had about 10 in a 20gall with Multies and Dwarf Sumbu, worked fine and looked good . . . :good:
 
I have Rainbowfish in my tang tank and they get on great. Their colours don't show quite as well as they do in a heavily planted tank but they enjoy the water parameters. There's nowt wrong with using non-tang dithers in a tang tank if you ak me, especially when you see the price of cyps - £22 each in my lfs and even the coloured up ones aren't great...
 
£22 quid for LFS Cyps ? :grr:
Nearest place to me could get them in for £7 - £8 , were they full grown ? Even at that sounds a bit "Robin Hood" :rolleyes:
 
Fully grown?:no: They are tiddlers, although a couple are showing some colour it's not good. There are some decent enough ones in a large tank under the 'for sale' tanks but these belong to the manager... Even those I wouldn't pay £22 each for!
 
£22 quid for LFS Cyps ? :grr:
Nearest place to me could get them in for £7 - £8 , were they full grown ? Even at that sounds a bit "Robin Hood" :rolleyes:

£7-8?? I wish that was the case locally to me :hyper:

The price of cyps near me is anywhere from £14 each at one lfs or £22 for 2 at another. I think I paid £22 for 2 when I got my cyps, needless to say I was pretty peed off when most of that first batch died. No chance of me paying that price when they were replaced though :huh:
 

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