NEED HELP for new setup !

[RED PRINCES]

Hi,

I'm new here, but are following this forum for several weeks now, very interesting !!

I'm going to install a new aquarium 600 x 80 x 70 (waterheight 60)
It's going to be a Tanganyka setup. I would like to put in several Xeno species (Red Princess, Caudafasciata, papillo sunflower, fluo green), some Callochromis species (Melanostigma, Stappersi), also some Asprotilapia Leptura, and also alot of shell dwellers, like Neolamprologus Brevis, Multifasciatus, Lamprologus Ocellatus, ....
There will be also alot of other Tanganyka species. Can I keep these all togheter, with the space I have ?, I really love themall, and would like to try this.

But my main question is, what lighting should I use. I'm thinking about 150w Hqi with 2 x 24w T5 tubes per meter (so 6 times) and 2 x 58w T8 tubes per 2 meter (so 3 times)
For the tubes, I want to use dimmers to create sunrise and eveningfall .I would also want to include moonlight, but don't know what kind of light I should use (led, or ..)

About the Hqi light, should I use 150 or 250 watt, the aquarium is 70 in height with a waterstand of 60 .

What do you guys think ?, can you give me some advise about my setup ?

Thanks,
Patriek

[maddog10]

Why did you go with such a small tank?

My personal opinion is the HQI lights would be a waste. I like to keep my tanks darker than most people, it tends to bring out the colors in the fish a little bit more. I just use standard flourescent fixtures and T12 bulbs. You can get T12 bulbs in most temperature ranges. High intensity lights are great for marine reef tanks, a complete waste of money for anything else. Just my opinion.

In that size tank you could keep a lot of species that might not normally get along. A cool idea would be to get species all collected from the same area. You would then have a true representation of what goes on in the lake.

Please keep us posted, looks and sounds like it is going to be a great tank.

[sidguppy]

that is some tank....wow!

still: I wouldn't add Callochromis to the very rare and fragile Xeno's you plan to keep in there and I would also go very carefully with Shellies in there......if I were you.

better go with less species and large groups than a load of different species!
I cannot imagine for example Xenotilapia sp 'Red Princess' doing fine in a tank with 2 groups of Callochromis, Lamprologus ocellatus, L multifasciatus etc etc

let alone X papilio wich is notoriously tricky when it comes to getting stressed or X caudofasciata of wich I know virtually nothing.....

the tank is really long, true, but it's not particulary wide and not high at all.

if you're really bent on getting shellies in with the Xeno's; think about brevis, Sumbu, maybe a small Telmatochromis.

I wouldn't put in many cavedwellers and with only 2 feet of waterheight go for a more mellow freeswimming cichlid. Cyprichromis microlepidotus for example. or a Paracyp. Jumbo's would be way too nasty for the Red Princess.

Maddog's suggestion is a very good one: go for a "local area"!
it can be very rewarding collecting a series of fishes from 1 location.

I got another one: go for a certain biotope! like, for example, "deeper sand/mud biotope" in wich you could combine X sp "Red Princess", X caudofasciata, a few well-spread-out pairs of Neolamprologus kungweensis, a few pairs of Phyllonemus typus with some small caves for them and perhaps a huge shoal of Microdontochromis spp?

[Thomas Andersen]

What a tank!!

As Sid wrote above I would not combine any of the docile Xenotilapia species with Callochromis, no matter how big a tank. It will not be a pretty sight when a male Callochromis on warfare crashes into a "Red Princess"!!

The idea of keeping species from one biotope is great, I think it would be quite rewarding, whether it be a shallow or deepwater biotope. Keeps us updated on what you decide, and on the progress of setting up your tank!

All the best, Thomas

[RED PRINCES]

What a tank!!

As Sid wrote above I would not combine any of the docile Xenotilapia species with Callochromis, no matter how big a tank. It will not be a pretty sight when a male Callochromis on warfare crashes into a "Red Princess"!!

The idea of keeping species from one biotope is great, I think it would be quite rewarding, whether it be a shallow or deepwater biotope. Keeps us updated on what you decide, and on the progress of setting up your tank!

All the best, Thomas

Thanks for your reponses,

Can I keep alot of Xenotilapia species togheter ? at how many should a goup exist ?

But what about the lighting, ... (I love these Hqi lights)

On June 27, the tank will be delivered to me, it will come on te first floor ...

[Ammavita]

Hello Red Princess, wouldn't that be the workshops of Defish Aquarium at Bouge (Namur) on your picture

[RED PRINCES]

Hello Red Princess, wouldn't that be the workshops of Defish Aquarium at Bouge (Namur) on your picture

No, this is the workshop of Aquaria Veldhuizen , in Holland

[sidguppy]

Can I keep alot of Xenotilapia species togheter ?

I wouldn't do that, not even in a 6 meter tank, not even in a pool.

the reasons are several.

first off, you get competition for the same place in the tank i.e. the sandy floor.
next: you can be quite sure that the most agressive, most active and toughest species will win the space, the most food, the best breeding spots.

some will be able to cope with the agression, but some definitely will not.

then there's the issue of species wich are very very similar in breeding, shape and behaviour. if you combine these the males can and do diusplay to the "wrong" females. in the least, this leads to stress and agression issues. worse: hybridisation can happen.

last: in the lake this simply doesn't happen! there are no spots where you can find for example 5 or 7 Xeno's all mixed up.
some will live near rocks (X papilio), others in the intermediate habitat (X spilopterus, X flavipinnis etc). others live in shallow water ( Enantiopus) while some definitely like the deeps ( X ornatipinnis, X sp 'Red Princess', X bathyphilus......). in the wild all these fish will rarily if ever meet up!


say, you'd go for the more sandy biotope Xenotilapia's. there are several species in the trade here in the Netherlands. checked it out and I'm fairly impressed myself
Enantiopus melanogenys, E sp 'Kilesa', Xenotilapia sp "ochrogenys Ndole", X ochrogenys, X flanipinnis, X bathyphilus, X sima, X boulengeri, X ornatipinnis and X sp "Red Princess". of these some are even readily available in several different local varieties like the melanogenys and the flavipinnis.

in this impressive list already some combinations are too close:
-every combination of the same species from different locations. say E melanogenys 'Burundi' and E melanogenys 'Isanga'. or 2 flavipinnis varieties.
-Enantiopus sp Kilesa shouldn't be combined with E melanogenys. these 2 can and will crossbreed
-X sp 'Ndole' cannot be combined with X ochrogenys. similar reasons
-X ornatipinnis is very similar to X sp 'Red Princess'. I do not know if they can crossbreed, but the bodyshape and size is virtually the same....ask the experts on this one. but I wouldn't combine the Red Princess with anything that looks like it or any nasty sanddweller anyway.
-X sima is too similar to X boulengeri. also X flavipinnis looks a LOT like halfgrown fishes of these 2 species but has a LOT more character. Flavi's can kick "sima/boulengeri ass" so to speak.
-for the same reasons X flavipinnis cannot be combined with X ornatipinnis. been there, done that, doesn't work.
-X sp Ndole is another nasty. this one too kicks Xeno-butt from docile species, X bathyphilus, ditto, but a wee bit less nasty. still: stress will happen.

best go for just 1 or 2 species and get a very large group! much more rewarding IMO.

[Jesper]

WAOW what a tank Looking forward to see
the set up when you a finish with it.

God luck

Jesper

[tanganyikanhunt]

Wow! How thick is the glass? How many supports across the top are you planning? Is there a special type of top you are planning to support that span of glass?

Thanks!

[RED PRINCES]

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