Confused by LFS!

[Matt W]

OK...so I have a 20gallon cycling right now and have been planning on what fish I am going to have in there. I already have a community 55g, so I thought I would go with cichlids.

So, after tons of research and the very helpful cichlid recipe (http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cichlidrecipe/index.htm), I thought I had it all planned out. Here is what I was thinking:

3 - (1male/2female) Aulonocara nyassae (http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=2173&genusname=Aulonocara&speciesname=nyassae)

6 - Julidochromis transcriptus (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=8611&genusname=Julidochromis&speciesname=transcriptus)

6 - Harlequin Rasboras (thanks for the photos Molino!)

1 - dwarf bristlenose pl*co


So, the problem comes in when I go to my LFS, actually two different LFS's.

The first one tells me that I shouldn't put just 3 nygassae's in the tank...I should put 12-15 of them in there and let them battle it out and end up with only 8-9 left. Of course, I left this place in a hurry. This, btw, was a LFS that specialized in cichlids! :eek:

The second LFS told me that the transcriptus and the nygassae would never get along and I was crazy for thinking they would do well in there. He instead told me I should put 8-9 nyassae's and a single clown loach in there. I mentioned that cloan loach's enjoy company and he said it didn't matter.

So, now I ask AC. What do YOU think of the fish I propose? Will it work?

thanks in advance!

[Matt W]

I forgot to mention that I have the tank set up with tons of rocks with caves and clay pots to provide a lot of hiding spaces....

[dave76]

I think you MIGHT be ok with the peacocks, but they get to be about 6 inches apeice. I have no real experience with africans but I have been told that mixing lakes is not good. I would go all malawi or all tanganyika not both. thats just my .02 but its prolly worth about .01

[ChilDawg]

Mixing lakes mixes behavior patterns, but can be done with the more peaceful species...maybe...

Rasboras won't go too well in a rift lake setting, as they are acidophilic fish.

I would not mix Julies with anything that might like their same niche...they are known to be aggressive.

[Matt W]

OK...any suggestions for what I could put in here?

[dbcb314]

when the lfs dude said to put 12 in and let them battle it out, this is probably so you could find the dominant male so it would be easier to breed. it probably would help the breeding, but it is a big waste of money and there is probably a better way to do this.

i dont know about putting peacocks in a 20 gal. seems a bit small for them.

i wouold go with tangs, they are generally smaller and that would be better suited for a 20 gal.

is it a long or high?

[Matt W]

It is a 20 high...

I am not familiar with tangs at all. Can you point me to a information source for them or provide a scientific name? I seem to find a lot of info about marine tangs...

[dave76]

I think he was referring to fish from lake tanganyika

[Reiner]

I'm glad you followed the # 1 rule in fish keeping "Do not trust any fish store employee". Unfortunately a 20 gallon high is going to be a challenge for keeping most cichlids since they like the floor space and don't care to much about height. Like other people have said I have to agree that your tank is to small for any Peacock's but there are some Tang's you could try. Maybe a Neolamprologous Brichardi pair. The pair will have fry and the fry help raising and protecting the next batch of fry when they hatch and so on. Get a Bristlenose for clean up (algea and left over foods). If you go that route buy from a store that will take fish back from you and buy about six let them pair up and remove the rest once a pair has formed. Or the pair will remove them for you.
Also try a site called www.cichlid-forum.com there are also lots of experienced people on there board. Good luck

[Matt W]

OK...let's say I wanted to leave in the 6 Gombis (Julidochromis transcriptus) and the dwarf bristlenose....any other fish you would recommend in the tank?

[Reiner]

Again, your Julies will form a pair and remove the rest of the Julies for you in time.

[Harry Tolen]

A 20 high is a very small tank, especially in terms of footprint, which is what is most important for territorial fish such as cichlids.

You will probably be OK with just the Julidochromis transcriptus (although I'd only get four, not six), some bottom fish, and some midwater schooling fish. In a slightly larger tank, I would suggest that you get some Cyprichromis leptosoma, a schooling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika, but in this case I'd suggest about (5) Celebes rainbows. Unlike rasboras, which (as ChilDawg noted) like soft, acidic water (the exact opposite of Lake Tanganyika), these fish can tolerate Rift Lake conditions relatively well.

And then I'd add (3) Synodontis petricola. They don't get too large, and will add activity to the bottom of the tank. They can also take care of themselves.

I'd also leave out the bristlenose pleco. Julies like to graze on the algae that grows on the rocks and glass, and the pleco won't leave any for them.

Just as a side note, I'm surprised that no one in your LFS's mentioned the incompatibility of the fish mix that you had selected, or that the A. nyassae were far too large for your tank. You might want to take everything else they tell you with a large grain of salt.

Finally, I'd recommend that you invest in one or more of Ad Konings books about Lake Tanganyika. They contain a lot of useful information about species' behavior and habitats.

[Matt W]

So is the cichlid recipe site something that I should not be paying attention to at all? It seemed like a nice resource and I have seen it recommended several places, but the information I get out of the cichlid recipe is not received favorably by anyone.