# 50-gallon Riparium Setup with Synodontis lucipinnis



## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Hi all, I have a new setup in a 50-gallon tank that I am working on. I had explained it some already in a thread over in Tank Setups (http://cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=205654&start=0&sid=503faab82102de600a2656e606ad5eeb). My original idea for the display was a riparium setup featuring _Synodontis petricola_. I have the catfish in there along with a few other selections too. I also planted it. Here is a shot from a little while after planting and adding the latest fish.










The tank is an Aqueon 50-gallon with the top plastic rim removed. I have it filled to about 5" from the top. I think that with the empty space above the water and displacement by substrates and so on there is maybe 32 gallons or so of water in there.

This list summarizes the current stocking:

*7* _Synodontis petricola_

*8* _Poecilia chica_ mollies

*1* _Cryptoheros cutteri_

*2* _Cryptoheros_ "Honduran red point"
 This combination is not working out so well. I introduced the cichlids and mollies because the display really needed some more visual interest in the vertical space. The _lucipinnis_ are really fun to watch, but they hide and don't add much to the overall appearance of the tank. The problem now is that the red points spend a lot of time chasing the mollies, so the mollies are getting thin and beat up. I will get the mollies out of there soon. I also just don't especially like the look of the red points in there. Here is one of those fish.










The cutteri is more polite.

Obviously, I haven't really tried to make this into a biotope display. The plants are probably not very good representations of the flora that you would find along the shore of Lake Tanganyika, but I think that I did put together a pretty nice layout to start out with and I like the plants. However, it occurs to me that it might be interesting to consider some other Tanganyika species as potential fish options.

Does anybody have any suggestions? The _S. lucipinnis_ supposedly grow up to about 3.5" long. I imagine that this setup will still have some more room for a few additional small/medium-sized fish. I would really like to introduce specimens that would swim around in the middle and top area of the tank. I think that generally peaceful fish will look best in this setting. I have been reading some about _Cyprichromis_ and wonder about those as an option. Could I still have room for a group of five or so of those along with the catfish?


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## eric (Jan 1, 2002)

The DWARF petricola would work well. Cyps are also perfect for what you are looking for. I would increase the count to 8 and avoid getting any of the "jumbo" types.


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## Longstocking (Aug 26, 2003)

In this size of tank I think I would go with Australian rainbows. They can adjust to most water... and are very hardy. You can do cyps in 3 footers.... but I will warn you it can fail and not work in the long run, especially since you have never kept them. You will have 1 nice male and the rest will look brown.

Another option is Paracyprichromis.... a much better fit for your tank size. They will use the middle to upper portions of the tank. I personally like "primrose" as the females are the ones with color.

Btw... very nice tank =D>


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I have a lovely ruby green (Victorian cichlid) male with four lady friends in a 30 gallon with four lucippinis (Yeah, mine hide a lot, too). I'm very, very happy with the ruby greens. They are out all the time, very personable and they don't get too large (nor are they aggressive).


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## eric (Jan 1, 2002)

Longstocking said:


> You can do cyps in 3 footers.... but I will warn you it can fail and not work in the long run, especially since you have never kept them. You will have 1 nice male and the rest will look brown.


Here's a tank I had set up that is the about the same size as the one pictured below. None of the males were brown. That is the Utinta variant. It's a nice one!


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Hey thanks everybody for these suggestions. I am really intrigued by those _Cyprichromis_ and _Paracyprichromis_. However, I found another different solution and it was right under my nose, or right under my floor. I have had a colony of really nice _Ilyodon furcidens_ (Goodeidae) for some time and I never really think about them or my other livebearers as display fish, but they are perfect for this setup. Here is a shot of one from last night.










I have thought that rainbows would be really cool for a layout like this with a broad footprint and lots of room to swim about. Like rainbows, my _I. furcidens_ just swim around stupidly all day and look pretty. I really like them a lot. I had collected the parental fish during a trip down to Mexico a few years ago.

Here's a picture of a fat gravid wild female.










And here's the spot where I collected them, practically in somebody's backyard.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

How neat to have fish that you collected yourself. They are nice looking little guys.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Thanks scrubjay. Like I say I really enjoy these fish very much. At first glance they resemble just a plain gray minnow, but many of their scales are an opaque gold color and they also have unique and varied patterns on their fins. They're a lot of fun to watch too.


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