Tang Tank - What To Add Next?!

[myrtle]

Evening all. I am starting to plan the next addition to my 240l Tang tank and am looking for suggestions. At present I have 2 adult male multies with the juvies from Lisa (I'm hoping that some of these will be female) and a family of Julidichromis trascriptus totalling 2 adults and 4 juvies. There are also 9 Rainbows and 2 BN Plecs. I am thinking along the lines of a pair of punks or maybe a single calvus or altolamp. This will be the final occupant as I don't think there is room for anything else. I like the calvus but I've read that they will predate heavily on the multi fry. I know that any fish will eat fry if they get the chance but I'd like to give the multies a fighting chance! Any thoughts or suggestions?

On a side note, I have a mature culture of vinegar eels that I feed the Celebes fry with; this is ok for the Tangs is it? I'm thinking that as they live for several days in fresh water they'd be good for the multi fry...

 

[Redfishmagazine]

Hi -

In my experience the Altolamps will almost certainly predate the fry. When I kept these kinds of fish I frequently used dither fish -- which were attractive and added some movement at the top of the aquarium. I kept Mountain cloud minnows in many of my tanks with smaller Neolamps (multis/ocellatus etc) or Julidochromis without incident and I think it helped the cichlids be a little calmer and more confident.

Hope this helps!
Rf.

 

[kiriyama]

If it's all working well with the rainbows I think the calvus or altolamp would work well, they are fairly peaceful and non agressive, good community all rounder. Yeah they will predate fry but the Julies are going to try that anyway, they are professional fry hunters...
Be nice when your Multi colony grows, funny wee things, I had some Sumbu fry and they spent there time hiding in the shell bed with the Multies, it's like they were adopted
Let us know what you go for, be nice to see how it works out

 

[myrtle]

My lfs has calvus but they can order stuff in so I'm not 100% certain yet, plus the calvus are £21 each! The Julies are staying well away from the shellies now, when they went in they were all over them but seem to have given up now.

 

[bullit]

Id personally go with a calvus/ comp aswell for the above reasons. Your multies will still multiply. With punks youll prob have a lot more bikering aswell. Im sure Youll be able to find some cheaper aswell.

 

[myrtle]

I am erring on the side of calvus or comps now though i'll def have to find some cheaper! Should I just have the one or go for 2?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Have you considered the more oddball fish, like the Tanganyikan Mud Cichlid or the small (some being mouthbrooders) Phyllonemus/Lophiobagrus catfish? There are a few unusual species hidden away in the Wildwoods section at www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk !

Seems like everytime these Tanganyikan threads come up, I keep beating myself up and wishing I had looked at Tangs in more detail last Easter, as like Lisa I've not had a great experience with fish in our hard alkaline water on the south coast...

 

[myrtle]

The hard alkaline water was what took me to rainbows originally but the lfs stock are so poor and interbred that they aren't worth it and there are only 2 keepers of pure stock in the UK that I know of who had to drive to Europe to pick them up! That's what then took me to Tangs after seeing Lisa's tank & thread (she's such a trend setter that girl!).
I hadn't even looked at Wildwoods tbh. The mud skippers look interesting but not interesting enough to pay £23 each for! However they do have the firefin comps...

 

[myrtle]

Well the final tankmates have been decided upon - Lestradea perspicax. The pair on AC have been reserved for me so I got my sand sifters after all! I'd have loved the breeding group of Xenos he's selling too, but I'd need another tank and a bank loan.

 

[elisew]

Glad you decided on them Jo, they look like they`ll be a great addition from reading info on them

It`s difficult to get your head round after having kept a busy, well stocked tropical tank but do remember that with the Tangs you need to be stocking the tank lightly with only 3 or 4 (maximum) species that keep separate in the levels of the tank

Hope to see some pics of them all once the new additions are settled

 

[myrtle]

Yeah, they are the last occupants; 1 shell dweller, 1 open water, 1 rock dweller and 1 sandsifter/rock dweller is enough for a 240l I think! Aparrently he's selling up as he wants to change to Tropheus, his loss! It'll be interesting to see if they are male and female or same sex I didn't actually ask, doh!

 

[bullit]

Saw them myself . Yeah you might aswell ask him.

 

[myrtle]

Just got back with the Lestradea and they are lovely, still an inch or so to grow (he'd had them 18 months) and just the slightest hint of colour on one of them. They're incredibly skittish at the moment but I'll get some pics once they settle (and once I've made sure any gaps in the lid are sealed...

 

[kiriyama]

Look forward to seeing the pics
Nice choice, a Tanganyikan oddity

Can't wait till my own new tank arrives and then I can free up the 240ltr and start with MORE TANGS




Cheers, Sean

 

[myrtle]

Surprisingly the Lestradea are quite settled already, they've investigated the entire tank and rested right on top of one of the multies shells much to hs dismay! It took quite a bit of tentative pecking to shift him, they are by far the largest fish in the tank! The Julies haven't bothered them, even when they ventured onto their rocks so it's all looking good so far. Right now they are hovering about 3" above the shell bed and the muties are ignoring them now. I removed the centre rockpile to free up more sand for them so now there is the Julies planted rock/bogwood pile in the right third, the shellies in the left third and open sand in the middle. Unfortunately the smaller of the 2 seems to have a small patch of finrot on it's tail so I'm keeping an eye on that. Apparently he does fortnightly w/c (he has a 5x2x2) so as I do weekly I'm hoping that'll clear up.

I'm quite excited too, I've got a little bit of money coming in the next few months (unfortunately it's because my Great Aunt died) and my husband said "what about a pair (yes, pair!) of the oak tanks at MA! I tried to suggest same size but cheaper Fluval type but he's adamant he wants the oak ones! So, if that comes off I'l be searching for some more L perspicax! God knows where I'll get them from!

What are you hoping to put in your new tank?