40 Breeder Lake Tanganyika

I *think* I want to convert my 40 gallon betta sorority to a Lake Tang cichlid tank. Let’s be honest, a betta sorority can be fun at times, but then boring at other times. Plus I stocked the dither fish as Celebes Rainbowfish, which are not doing well at all, and Congo Tetra. So I kind of am bored of Rainbowfish too. The only Fish Id want to keep in here is the Congo tetra is at all possible!

Lake Tanganyika cichlids have always intrigued me, so I thought this was the best starting place into exploring new tank stocking.

I want to know what would be a good stocking and what type of substrate and rocks everyone uses. My pH is 7.6 so I need to raise it obviously.

 

Ive got a similar ph out of the tap. I use fine aragonite sand and ocean rock to get my ph up to 8.2 for my brevis tank. Also use seachem cichlid lake salt when needed too. Whats your gh and kh?

im wondering in a 40 whether you would have enough space to do a group of shellies and some rockdwellers such as julies, lemons, brichardi etc.

 

I’d have to test the gh/kh again because I don’t remember, but I believe it was on the harder side.

I was hoping to be able to do 3 types, but then the Congo tetra would fill in the open water region. For me a 40 breeder is huge as I’m used to just nano tanks, but I realize when compared to other tank sizes it’s not that big haha.

 

The congos won't do well with the Tanganyikans. Not only due to water parameters but also due to the tank structure. It's best to keep Tanganyikans with each other.

Stay clear of the whole brichardi-species complex if you want more than them in the tank. Most Tanganyikans are colony breeders and brichardi and pulcher can be more than aggressive. I've seen them push fully grown Petrochromis into the corners.
So rather go for a colony breeder (and why always shellies? Rather try a less a usual species of Julidochromis.) and a singular fish, maybe an Altolamprologus or Lepidiolamprologus.

 

The congos won't do well with the Tanganyikans. Not only due to water parameters but also due to the tank structure. It's best to keep Tanganyikans with each other.

Stay clear of the whole brichardi-species complex if you want more than them in the tank. Most Tanganyikans are colony breeders and brichardi and pulcher can be more than aggressive. I've seen them push fully grown Petrochromis into the corners.
So rather go for a colony breeder (and why always shellies? Rather try a less a usual species of Julidochromis.) and a singular fish, maybe an Altolamprologus or Lepidiolamprologus.

Haha I’ve always wanted shellies.
Yes I know about the brichardi, which is so sad because they’re so pretty! One LFS as the Neolamprologus pulcher which is even prettier IMO. If only I had a few more tanks lol.

That’s what I was afraid of with the Congo tetra, but I have seen people keeping dither fish in lake Tang tanks, like Giant Danios. But tbh I hadn’t even looked into how high of a pH they could go in. So if I really want to do Lake Tang cichlids I’ll have to think about what I can do with the Congo tetras.

I’m finally starting to make a good amount of money at work so I want to try out some new things haha. 16+ years of keeping just bettas, Gourami and Rasbora is getting boring lol.

 

Tanganyika Lampeyes would be great for a Tanganyikan tank, but they get up to 15cm and need a lot of space.
Whoever keeps them with danios is pretty much ignoring that danios need far softer water. I also find them too hectical to go with Tanganyikans. The cichlids rather seem more skittish then.

You could try open water cichlids like Paracyprichromis in a 40.

 

If you want to keep congo tetras, you could go with west African cichlids, like kribensis. If you can find butterfly cichlid, that's also a good one to try in an African community.

 

Anomalochromis really would be great. But with Pelvicachromis maybe not go for the standard P. pulcher or P. taeniata, they WILL procreate and you WILL have trouble getting rid of the fry.

 

Well I could always put the Congo tetra in with my keyholes in a 4ft tank. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I think they would work.

 

Yeah, could work out.

 

Anomalochromis really would be great. But with Pelvicachromis maybe not go for the standard P. pulcher or P. taeniata, they WILL procreate and you WILL have trouble getting rid of the fry.

Tell me about it. I am stuck with a tankfull of adult kribs, even after selling a good amount to the LFS.

 

Tell me about it. I am stuck with a tankfull of adult kribs, even after selling a good amount to the LFS.

Admit it, you only smelled a chance to maybe send some of your's over.

 

Okay here is what I decided! I don’t want to move the Congo tetra to a different tank. Therefore I will try something else in the 40 breeder.

On the other hand I still want some Lake Tang cichlids. I have a 20 long that will be free in a couple of days after the fish in it move to their new home. If I stop being lazy it will be sooner than later lol. Then I can do some lake Tang cichlids in the 20 long. Yes, shellies haha.

I got some lace rock and caribsea argalive substrate today. It’s a 10 lb bag. Can I just mix that with some white play sand? And if it’s 20 gallons should I get 20 lbs of it??

Also, does it really matter what type of shells I use?

 

Okay here is what I decided! I don’t want to move the Congo tetra to a different tank. Therefore I will try something else in the 40 breeder.

On the other hand I still want some Lake Tang cichlids. I have a 20 long that will be free in a couple of days after the fish in it move to their new home. If I stop being lazy it will be sooner than later lol. Then I can do some lake Tang cichlids in the 20 long. Yes, shellies haha.

I got some lace rock and caribsea argalive substrate today. It’s a 10 lb bag. Can I just mix that with some white play sand? And if it’s 20 gallons should I get 20 lbs of it??

Also, does it really matter what type of shells I use?

Escargot shells are a good choice and usually available.

 

Escargot shells are a good choice and usually available.

Ever use shells from a craft store? Like the ones that come in those little baskets. I kind of wanted to have the tank look like a tide pool at the beach. Probably with a few pieces of jungle Val too. Anubias would be nice too, but that might take away from the aesthetic I want, but Lord knows I have more than enough Anubias to stock 10 tanks haha.

I buy a lot of stuff from Michaels that I use in my tanks, the rocks etc. They have crushed shells and tiny shells too. Never had any issues with the rocks, so I figured these may be fine too, but the investment in shellies is a bit more than other fish.

 

Ever use shells from a craft store? Like the ones that come in those little baskets. I kind of wanted to have the tank look like a tide pool at the beach. Probably with a few pieces of jungle Val too. Anubias would be nice too, but that might take away from the aesthetic I want, but Lord knows I have more than enough Anubias to stock 10 tanks haha.

I buy a lot of stuff from Michaels that I use in my tanks, the rocks etc. They have crushed shells and tiny shells too. Never had any issues with the rocks, so I figured these may be fine too, but the investment in shellies is a bit more than other fish.

Ive only ever used escargot as they are the right shape and size for the shellies that i have. They need to have an opening for both male and female to fit into and be light enough for them to move too. Ive seen others use turbo snail shells. Neothauma shells are used by the fish in the wild but ive never seen them available where i am.

no reason why you couldnt try the other shells provided they are big enough but the fish may not accept them so may be best to have escargot shells on standby.

 

When I had shellies they were happy with shells I collected at the beach. Like carsonsgjs said, the size and shape is whats important.

There are so many cool Tanganyikan fish...

I have found Julies and Cyps breed all the time. They also live forever. If you keep Julies be sure to scape with plenty of rock piles with crevasses for them to slither in and out of.

Calvus are simply awesome (IMO). Compressiceps too. They also keep the fry population in check.

In the end, I was not successful with the shellies. I have a 20 long shellie tank somewhere in my future

FWIW my tap water is pH 7.5, KH and GH 4ish. I add baking soda and epsom salts to adjust the parameters to about pH 8, KH &GH about 12.

 

I add baking soda and epsom salts to adjust the parameters to about pH 8, KH &GH about 12.

Crushed coral and limestone are the easier way. And more stable. When you have to add something regularly it gives room for mistakes.

 

I got 3 bags of crushed coral. I'll mix some in with play sand for the substrate and then put some in the filter as well.

My only question with that would be, when doing a WC, the pH will be off, so should I try and up the water to the 8.2 pH as well before I add it to the tank, or will the crushed coral in the substrate and filter be enough to level it out quick enough so there won't be any pH shocks, etc.

 

My only question with that would be, when doing a WC, the pH will be off, so should I try and up the water to the 8.2 pH as well before I add it to the tank, or will the crushed coral in the substrate and filter be enough to level it out quick enough so there won't be any pH shocks, etc.

Erm... no, the pH will not really be off. The minerals from the coral leach until the water is saturated. At that point the levels are so high, pH stays stable even through a waterchange. Well... as long as it's 50% or less and the KH of your tap is not too much lower than your tank's KH. E.g. a 50% waterchange with 10°KH tapwater in a 15°KH tank is no problem.

 

Here’s my set up. I washed the crushed coral a lot, but when I put it in it’s still making the water cloudy. Ugh.

Or is it better with the bigger rock too?




I don’t like they’re all facing the same way but I tried to move them and it became all cloudy again.

Cichlid Cookie Cutter on cichlids.com says you can do a shellie and a juli in a 20 long.
Do you guys agree with that or no?

I thought I might do a juli instead of a shellie after all, so I set the tank up for either because I won't know which one i want until I got to the LFS.

 

View attachment 797686

Here’s my set up. I washed the crushed coral a lot, but when I put it in it’s still making the water cloudy. Ugh.

Or is it better with the bigger rock too?

View attachment 797702

I don’t like they’re all facing the same way but I tried to move them and it became all cloudy again.

Cichlid Cookie Cutter on cichlids.com says you can do a shellie and a juli in a 20 long.
Do you guys agree with that or no?

I thought I might do a juli instead of a shellie after all, so I set the tank up for either because I won't know which one i want until I got to the LFS.

It might be possible to keep a single julie and shellies together in that size tank, but personally i wouldnt. I often considered doing the same with my tank but to be honest, i didnt want to rock the boat once i saw how settled the shellies had become. The julie will go after their fry and i think you would get more interesting behaviour from the shellies without the presence of a predator.

wondering whether you could do a m/f pair of julidochromis transcriptus in there instead of the shellies though? May have to add more rocks instead of the shells in that case.

set up looks good though. The cloudiness should go soon.

 

I don’t like they’re all facing the same way but I tried to move them and it became all cloudy again.

I like your tank better with the big rock added. You also could try splitting the rocks so there is a pile at each end with the open shell area in the middle.

 

The tank is still cloudy, 2 days later ugh lol.

I see so many videos online where people just use Sand and not crushed coral, so I wonder if by doing a crushed coral only substrate, would it be a detriment to the shellies? It's more course and not so fine like the sand is.

 

The tank is still cloudy, 2 days later ugh lol.

I see so many videos online where people just use Sand and not crushed coral, so I wonder if by doing a crushed coral only substrate, would it be a detriment to the shellies? It's more course and not so fine like the sand is.

Shellies love to dig and bury their shells so just using crushed coral would be too rough for them. I use a fairly fine aragonite substrate by caribsea for mine.

I remember mine being fairly cloudy too not long after setup. Do you have a spare filter that you can stuff with polywool and run for a few days? That helped mine a lot.

 

Shellies love to dig and bury their shells so just using crushed coral would be too rough for them. I use a fairly fine aragonite substrate by caribsea for mine.

I remember mine being fairly cloudy too not long after setup. Do you have a spare filter that you can stuff with polywool and run for a few days? That helped mine a lot.

I have a ton of filters but I don’t think I have any poly wool.

This is a caribsea substrate that I have.
This one from PetCo

I should probably get some sand and mix it. It might look stupid but I don’t want the fish to get hurt from the substrate being too abrasive.

 

I have a ton of filters but I don’t think I have any poly wool.

This is a caribsea substrate that I have.
This one from PetCo

I should probably get some sand and mix it. It might look stupid but I don’t want the fish to get hurt from the substrate being too abrasive.

Very difficult to tell by looking at the bag but that looks a very similar grain size to what i use, so you should be ok. I had assumed you were going to use larger crushed coral pieces. Heres a pic of mine so you can see for reference.

 

Very difficult to tell by looking at the bag but that looks a very similar grain size to what i use, so you should be ok. I had assumed you were going to use larger crushed coral pieces. Heres a pic of mine so you can see for reference.

Yes that’s the stuff! Looks like clumping cat litter haha.

 

I got 2 yesterday! Idk how but they’re already my favorite fish. I can not wait to get more. Idk why I’ve ne er kept cichlids before. So many years wasted on basic community fish!

 

I got 2 yesterday! Idk how but they’re already my favorite fish. I can not wait to get more. Idk why I’ve ne er kept cichlids before. So many years wasted on basic community fish!

That's why I had Tanganyikans for so long.

 

That's why I had Tanganyikans for so long.

If they were cheaper / more readily available I probably would've switched over a long time ago. Malawi cichlids are boring, but Lake Tang fish are much more personable and have more interesting things IMO.

 

If they were cheaper / more readily available I probably would've switched over a long time ago. Malawi cichlids are boring, but Lake Tang fish are much more personable and have more interesting things IMO.

Ive just been having the same conversation in my lfs (whilst trying to flog them a load of my fry!)

everyone makes a beeline for the malawis as soon as they see the colours, but the beauty in tangs is their subtle colours and behaviour. Im planning another tank and ill be doing more tangs thats for sure.

are you hoping to pick up more multies? To be fair if you have a mated pair you wont need to buy any more!

 

Ive just been having the same conversation in my lfs (whilst trying to flog them a load of my fry!)

everyone makes a beeline for the malawis as soon as they see the colours, but the beauty in tangs is their subtle colours and behaviour. Im planning another tank and ill be doing more tangs thats for sure.

are you hoping to pick up more multies? To be fair if you have a mated pair you wont need to buy any more!

They were glued to each other at the store so I was hoping it was a pair. But I plan on getting some more next week. Either at the LFS or from a local person who’s selling juvies.

Next I need to get into Julis haha. But they’re like $35 each and that’s too much IMO. Brichardi are cheap, but I don’t want a tank of just them. Plus I don’t have a big enough tank either.

 

They were glued to each other at the store so I was hoping it was a pair. But I plan on getting some more next week. Either at the LFS or from a local person who’s selling juvies.

Next I need to get into Julis haha. But they’re like $35 each and that’s too much IMO. Brichardi are cheap, but I don’t want a tank of just them. Plus I don’t have a big enough tank either.

Tangs are expensive over here too. I paid £80 for my 6 brevis (around $110 dollars). Well worth it to get viciously attacked once a week when i change their water though.

glad you’re enjoying them.

 

You may want to wait and see if the pair you have will breed. If they do, they will populate the tank. It may be fun to watch the process of young fish occupying new territories.
How I miss the club auctions where you can grab a bag of Julie's for $5-$10 on a good day (for the buyer).

 

You may want to wait and see if the pair you have will breed. If they do, they will populate the tank. It may be fun to watch the process of young fish occupying new territories.
How I miss the club auctions where you can grab a bag of Julie's for $5-$10 on a good day (for the buyer).

That makes sense. Plus the local person always has them, unlike the LFS, so it's not going to be a big deal if they don't breed. Also, it makes me think maybe I should take out the rock sand get more shells so there is a bigger territory than 1/2 the tank. I was hoping to get a juli for the tank as well eventually, but I'm not 100% sure.

Tangs are expensive over here too. I paid £80 for my 6 brevis (around $110 dollars). Well worth it to get viciously attacked once a week when i change their water though.

glad you’re enjoying them.

Oh God. I couldn't do that! But then these two were $30, so if I had 6 they would be 90. nd I did buy some Celebese Rainbowfish, which in total cost around $80, and they sucked and randomly all died :? So I guess I probably could do it, just not all at once.


Oh, and so now that I have the Tanganyika fish in a 20 gallon, what am I going to do with this 40 breeder???? I still have no clue haha.

 

Brichardi are cheap, but I don’t want a tank of just them. Plus I don’t have a big enough tank either.

Good decision.

Oh, and so now that I have the Tanganyika fish in a 20 gallon, what am I going to do with this 40 breeder???? I still have no clue haha.

Make a list of 6 options and roll a dice.

 

So I got a 3rd shellie today and since they’re from the same batch I put it in the tank right away. Well they don’t like it and the new one is hiding at the top if the tank. What should I do to fix this? Do I need to rearrange the tank to disrupt the territories?

 

You can try rearranging. Mistake was to add only one fish. I would have taken at least 2-3, so they would have had several targets.

 

I had a similar issue, albeit with a different shellie species. Added a pair then 24 hours later added another 4 (2 pairs) from a different lfs - the new additions were not welcomed and i ended up having to return the original male i had, leaving me with the fish i have now.

even after only a day, the first fish into the tank thought the whole tank was theirs.

hope you manage to get it sorted.