snip
There are numerous color variants of the Altolamprologus Calvus and
Compressiceps.
snip
OK, thanx for that. I guess it's down to finding a shop with some
and
seeing what takes my fancy.
These fish may be hard to find at most LFS. You may have to visit a
local aquarium club or order online.
Pardon my stupidity, but all of these names are new to me, so I want
to
make sure I got you. Are the four species ...
Altolamprologus Calvus
Neolamprologus Occelatus Gold
Compressiceps
Julidochromis
or did I miss something ?
The four we
Altolamprologus Calvus - The Altolamprologus Compressiceps look almost
the same. Chose a pair of either.
Neolamprologus Occelatus - 1m & 3-4f (N. Brevis & Multifaciatus are
also nice shell dwellers)
Neolamprologus Leleupi - 1m & 1f I like the Karalini (Firecracker)
strain the most - small & better color
Julidochromis - 1m & 1f J. Transcriptus Gombi or Bemba stay smaller
and shouldn't harm the others.
If these are right, then I like the first two best. You said the
last
could be a problem with other fish, so I'd probably avoid them. I
must
have missed the Compressiceps in the thread 'cos I didn't go looking
for
them (will do now though !!).
The Julidochromis will form a very strong pair-bond and may attack
others of the same species but I wouldn't consider them a problem. It
is best not to separate them once they have bonded. Otherwise, they
are not really considered a threat to the other fish unless there is a
large difference in size.
Any of these fish can be extremely difficult to sex even as adults. I
don't even try, I just wait until I see them pair up. If you plan on
getting juveniles, you may want to get 4 of each species and let
nature do its work. When the pairs form you can sell or give away the
extras if they are getting beat up.
So, assuming I stick with the first two listed above, what mix do
you
recommend ? Sorry to keep asking this, but being a complete newbie
with
these I want to get it right. Just an indication of how many males
and
females of each would be excellent.
Bear in mind I'm looking at a 24" cube tank 'cos I don't have
space
for
a bigger one !!
Your fluctuations in water parameters would be less drastic with
more
volume. At almost 2.5 gallons per 1-inch of height, an 18-inch
high
tank will give you a 40-gallon tank which I think would suffice.
The 24" cube would give me about 57 US gallons, 24x24x18" would give
me
about 43 US gallons. Surely the extra 14 gallons would help ? Or
would
the fish not use the extra space ?
I think the bigger question here is: How long are your arms? To be
able to reach the bottom of the tank is a good idea.
Choose a light-colored substrate and the Leleupi will show much
better
color. I like to use sandblasting sand but many people don't. It
costs approx $5 at the local lumber mart, won't cloud the water,
and
these fish can do their landscaping much easier.
Will that affect the pH or hardness ? Remember I have soft neutral
water. I had heard that crushed coral was a good substrate for
cichlids
as it hardens the water. Would sand do the same ?
Sandblasting sand will do nothing for buffering your water. Crushed
coral is a fine substrate for rift lake cichlids but will do little to
buffer the water when used as a substrate. I would suggest putting
crushed coral in the filter or some place so the water runs through
it. The media cartridge of an Emperor power filter works good. I'm
not saying you need an Emperor, but if you look at one you will get
the idea and can adapt to suit your needs. Since buffering this way
takes a substantial amount of time, you will likely need to add some
buffers to your water during setup and possibly during water changes
if you do large volumes.
Somewhere on the site
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com they
discuss what salts they use for buffering. George and Francesco are
very experienced fishkeepers and have some excellent ideas. You could
buy Tanganyika or Malawi Buffers too. Like I stated in an earlier
post: These fish will do fine in water that is buffered to hold a ph
close to 8.0. My tapwater is 7.8 and I have not added buffers for
years.
I would definitely refrain from high ph until after your biological
system stabilizes or you may end up with ammonia poisoning. I don't
mean to scare you but ammonia is far more toxic in 9.0 ph than it is
at 8.0 Maybe Tanganyika cichlids hate high ph but they live with it
because they can't change it or move to another lake. Who knows?
Mine are doing great in 7.8
--
Mark
http://www.cichliddomain.com