55 gallon Tang Tank

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beebass22

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Aug 14, 2012
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Could I get away with
Open Water:
12 Cyprichromis leptosoma

Rocks & Caves:
2 Julidochromis or more if I cut the chalinochromis
2 Chalinochromis brichardi <-- Could live without these

Shells:
6-8 Neolamprologus Multifaciatus

So this is what i have so far.
I'm really excited about three of these species. Is there anything else I should/could add or would this be a good start?

I was thinking of having a shell pile on one side. with the middle be open and a rock tower on the right side. This scares me though because it seems like it would look pretty unnatural! Any advice on aqua scaping?
 

Wyomingite

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Oct 16, 2008
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LOL, just replied to a very, very similar post from a user with a very, very similar name at another forum... ;)

Think I'd choose either the julies or the Chalinochromis, cut to 9 or 10 cyps stickin' to the smaller varieties (as jpappy pointed out), and go with 8-10 multies.

WYite
 

beebass22

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Aug 14, 2012
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LOL, just replied to a very, very similar post from a user with a very, very similar name at another forum... ;)

Think I'd choose either the julies or the Chalinochromis, cut to 9 or 10 cyps stickin' to the smaller varieties (as jpappy pointed out), and go with 8-10 multies.

WYite
That same post, and same name would be me. New to the forums, so testing the waters to see which ones are best. I'm going to go with the Julies, havent decided what type does anyone have advice on that. There are so many different kinds.

Like i said on the others i read multiple places that 12 was the min on the cyps. I know the multis will breed, but would the julies and the cyps breed as well??
 

Wyomingite

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Oct 16, 2008
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Ivan
I guessed it was you. Welcome to the world of the internet.

Over the years I've found having X individuals of a certain fish in a group is less important than maintaining a functional group. Having exactly four, six, nine, twelve, fifteen or thirty individuals, ensuring I have groups in multiples of three or five, or keeping odd-numbered/even-numbered schools IME is irrelevant. I spent years trying to keep fish at the "perfect" numbers and found the fish really don't care. The important thing is ensuring the fish are in a school, pair, harem, etc. situation appropriate to their natural behavior. I know numerous people who've whittled their cyps to a harem with good results. But I'm not going to get into an argument over popular dogma.

I always have better luck with lighter stocking rates in most of my tanks (mbuna excepted), and ya run out of volume in a 55 gallon tank pretty quick. Having the julies and multies in the same tank will dampen the cyps skittishness. All three species should breed, but I wouldn't expect tons of fry growing to adulthood unless you intervene.

WYite
 

jpappy789

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Feb 18, 2007
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I'm sure you could get away with only 8-10 Cyps. The more, the merrier obviously but I definitely think less is better than trying to cram them into your tank...

Both the multis and Julis should breed, at least that was my experience. They will learn pretty quickly which side of the tank they should be on and there was definitely a line that wasn't to be crossed. It was pretty comical at times, seeing the alpha male Multi stare down the male Juli. There isn't a whole lot of floor space, but you'll get a good colony of the multis going. As for the Julis, you'll see quickly that they are NOT very good parents once the fry reach an age where they start competing for territory. My parents pretty much pushed the juveniles out towards the shell pit which then caused issues once the alpha male multi got defensive. I removed all of them I could find and brought them to my nearest LFS for credit since they were light on any Tangs. Definitely keep an eye out on things!
 

Pittbull

ALL BOW DOWN TO THE FIN GODS
Apr 14, 2007
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All sounds good with the above info but in my opinion the C. Brichardi are more passive than Julidochromis and have a nice mask on their face, i have kept all together but in a larger setup..
 
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