which african lake is the least popular?

which lake is like the least popular? I am getting either a 75 gallon or a 90g tank around april

I want to base my tank on the least popular lake and go from their, which fish do you recommend that will take up the whole tank, since I have a community for my 55 gallon

I am looking for a solitary fish now that can fit into this tank...

I know basically nothing about african cichlids other than that they need a VERY high ph... my substrate is going to be marine sand + crushed corals, hope this would make my ph high enough

thanks!!! any advice would be appreciated

 

Of the three main rift lakes MalawI is the most popular so your choice would be between Tanganyika & Victoria. Despite the fact that more people have heard of Tanganyika than have Victoria, I would say the Victorian cichlids are more widespread in the hobby than Tangs are because many of the Hap species people keep originate from Victoria. So that would leave Tanganyika as the least popular place for rift lake cichlids to originate from. It's difficult to split the two lakes in popularity though so it's really up to you which way you want to go. The only thing clear is that MalawI is the most popular of the three main lakes. If you really want the least popular lake though you would be looking at lakes that not many people even know about like George or Nawampassa among a few others.

Here's a link to some pics of Victoria cichlids & a few from the lesser know lakes:


Here's a link to some pics of Tanganyika ichlids:


Some of the pics in the Tang link don't really do the fish justice.

Your best bet is to have a look around at the fish from the various lakes & then choose which lake you think contains the most fish that you would like to keep. Let me know the name of the lake that you choose & I can offer you more advice from there.

 

wow, I already fell in love with tanganyikan, I aint really looking for schooling fish, I would love to have a solitary fish since I have a community already ^_^

thanks nutter!!!!

I fell for Daffodil Neolamprlogus pulcher, they seem really really cool and beautiful

 

Tangs are great fish & there's some fantastic variety amonst them.

Neolamprologus Pulcher is a great fish but only keep one of them. They have a pack mentality when it comes to breeding & each generation of young will pitch in to look after the newest generation. They can take over a tank very quickly & will bully other fish simply by weight of numbers. The sexes are immpossible to tell apart without venting. There should be some pics of my old N. Pulcher in my profile gallery (as well as some other Tangs) if you want to have a look.

Assuming the smaller 75gal tank is what you would end up with, here's a potential stocking list for you:
1 x Neolamprologus Pulcher
1 x Julidochromis MarlierI (you could choose from J. Ornatus or DickfeldI if you prefered)
1 x Altolamprologus Calvus
1 x Neolamprologus Leleupi
1 x Chalinochromis Brichardi
1 x Neolamprologus Tretocephalus
8 x Cyprichromis Nigripinnis or 6 x Cyprichromis Leptosoma
3 x Synodontis Multipunctatus

There are of course many other options & that is just one possible list that could work. Unless you go with a very large predatory species like Cyphotilapia Frontosa, make sure you have shoal of the Cyprichromis species. They are a cichlid & as far as I am aware are the only true shoaling cichlids in the world so they are rather interesting. In the lake the Cyprichromis are a major source of food for the bigger predators like Frontosa. If the Cyrichromis are around the other fish no that they are pretty safe from big predators & will spend more time out in the open where you can see them.

DO NOT put any Tropheus species in your Tang tank. Tropheus are highly active & they are also very aggressive. They are in fact more active & more aggressive than any Mbuna species I have ever kept (that's alot). Tropheus belong only with other Tropheus.

Excellent filtration is mandatory as is maintaining very stable water conditions. It is best to have a water preparation tank so that you can preheat the water to the tank temp & to set the other parameters to be the same as the tank is. Lake Tanganyika is very stable right throughout & it is best to make sure the water in the tank stays as stable as possible, even through water changes. Rather than use marine sand & coral to raise the PH try using plenty of shells & limestone rocks in the decor or limestone chips in one of the filter compartments. I find Tangs particularly tend to scratch quite a bit when things from a marine environment are incorporated into their tanks. If the PH of your tap/well water stays over 7.8 after it has been aerated for 24hrs, you hsould have no need to make any adjustments to the PH. Don't get too caught up with the KH & GH so long as the PH stays over 7.8 you will be fine.

I hope that's helpful & if you have any questions about any specific fish or any other aspect of a Tang tank, I will do my best to give you a good answer.

 

awesome!!!! going to do lots of research now =] still got 2 months to go and lots of preparation ^_^