# ?? Tanganyika cichlids from papyrus swamp habitats



## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Hi!

I am working on a 50G setup that includes some riparium plants and already houses a group of _Synodontis lucipinnis_ catfish. I have a journal for this tank right here... http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=253669

With the intention of creating a loos Tanganyika biotope I was planning to add one or two small cichlid species. I have had Julidichromis, goby cichlids and calvus in mind as potential choices. But just recently I learned about this fish.. https://www.google.com/search?q=Apl...g&biw=1101&bih=593&sei=wsL9UMb3G4fKqQGN-YC4DQ

_Aplocheilichthys pumilus_ apparently occurs in weedy bays of the lake and the the quiet mouths of streams where lots of Cyperus and other marginal vegetation grows. This has gotten me thinking about making this tank more of a true representation of this kind of habitat. Are there any cichlids that live in these areas? I would appreciate any ideas that you might be able to offer. Thanks!


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

Haplochromis bartoni is around the creeks and rivers flowing in the lake.

http://www.borstein.com/sam/?Species_Pr ... ia_burtoni


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

dmiller328 said:


> Haplochromis bartoni is around the creeks and rivers flowing in the lake.
> 
> http://www.borstein.com/sam/?Species_Pr ... ia_burtoni


Hey thanks for that tip! That's a handsome fish. Unfortunately, I don't think that fish will be compatible with that killi that I would also like to include. Are there any other species that use this habitat that might be of more mellow disposition?


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

Yeah they are a little too fiesty with the killis. I would recommend Enantiopus but they would jump right out of the tank with having an open top.Best go with a few Julidochromis ornatus or J.dickfeldi or a small shell dweller like L.similis even though these are not exactly from the reed zone habitat.Your tank would be a small scale cross section of the lake starting at the reed zone going out to the rocky zone which I think is pretty cool.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

dmiller328 said:


> Yeah they are a little too fiesty with the killis. I would recommend Enantiopus but they would jump right out of the tank with having an open top.Best go with a few Julidochromis ornatus or J.dickfeldi or a small shell dweller like L.similis even though these are not exactly from the reed zone habitat.Your tank would be a small scale cross section of the lake starting at the reed zone going out to the rocky zone which I think is pretty cool.


Thanks for these continued thoughts.

That _Enantiopus_ sure is a cool fish.

Yeah a julie or maybe a calvus seem like good ideas. I would still consider a goby cichlid, but I would want to set them up with another strong powerhead, and I'm guessing that the _Aplocheilichthys_ would not like that much flow. That killi seems like a really cool idea and I want to plan everything else around them.

Can you think of any other maybe less common smallish or less aggressive cichlid that would use the rocks like julies would? I see _Julidochromis_ every time that I go to the pet store and I'd kinda like to try something more unusual.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Quick placeholder... http://forums.tfhmagazine.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=23710


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I found another species from "shallow bays". Unfortunately this very attractive fish is "aggressive".

_Ctenochromis horei_
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1957


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Another fish to look at...Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor multicolor (the egyptian mouthbrooder) and Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae. Readings indicate that they are tolerant of a large range of water conditions and also do well with plants. They inhabit the rivers around Lake Albert and Lake Victoria as well as the *upper Nile River*. Being a dwarf cichlid they can live in a smaller tank also..the forum profile indicates 20G would be enough.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2582


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Gnathochromis and Reganochromis come to mind... they get pretty big though.

I wonder how paracyps would react to killis? As long as there was sufficient oxygenation, I think they'd love the vegetated water column. I understand that paracyps are found more typically near rock ledges in the Lake, but they do fit the "smallish or less aggressive cichlid" that you're looking for. And, you actually have a chance of finding a breeder or importer. :wink:


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

triscuit said:


> Gnathochromis and Reganochromis come to mind... they get pretty big though.
> 
> I wonder how paracyps would react to killis? As long as there was sufficient oxygenation, I think they'd love the vegetated water column. I understand that paracyps are found more typically near rock ledges in the Lake, but they do fit the "smallish or less aggressive cichlid" that you're looking for. And, you actually have a chance of finding a breeder or importer. :wink:


Yes I wondered about paracyps too. A group of those could create a neat kind of panoramic symmetry hanging around the edges of the rocks with the _Synodontis_ on the bottom of the tank and the lampeyes up near the water's surface.



cichlid-gal said:


> Another fish to look at...Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor multicolor (the egyptian mouthbrooder) and Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae. Readings indicate that they are tolerant of a large range of water conditions and also do well with plants. They inhabit the rivers around Lake Albert and Lake Victoria as well as the *upper Nile River*. Being a dwarf cichlid they can live in a smaller tank also..the forum profile indicates 20G would be enough.
> 
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2582


Hey that's a great tip. Thanks! I like the idea of that fish. Do you know of any sources? This would be straying from the Tanganyika theme, but that would be OK. If I want to make something more or less representative for a certain location there are probably other _Aplocheilichthys_ that I could consider in addition to that _A. pumilus_.

Oh and here's a recent picture of the tank...


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey that's a great tip. Thanks! I like the idea of that fish. Do you know of any sources?


Sorry hydrophyte I don't know of any sources but if you ask around you might just find some of them out there. Good luck


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Kind of wondering why no one has mentioned Callochromis species yet? pleurospilus or stapersii might be good? Dunno about the Papyrus Swamp habitat but sure from "The shallow sediment-rich habitat".

All the best James


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

24Tropheus said:


> Kind of wondering why no one has mentioned Callochromis species yet? pleurospilus or stapersii might be good? Dunno about the Papyrus Swamp habitat but sure from "The shallow sediment-rich habitat".
> 
> All the best James


Those are really handsome fish and I did run into C. stapersii while looking around. Would this 36" wide tank be too small for a small group of either of these two species?


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

Callochromsi pleurospilus is a very pretty fish that will chase each other but not other species.They are jumpers but not as much as the Enantiopus.You would want to change the substrate to fine sand though for them to sift through it and build their pits.

Paracyps would really look awesome with the shadows of the plants.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

It seems to me like this tank is probably just too small for _Paracyprichromis_ or _Callochromis_. I want to give the fish enough room.

That _Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor_ is the most appealing idea right now. I hope that I can find them somewhere.

If alternatively I maintain this as a Tanganyika theme then I'll just plan on julies and/or calvus to live in the rock area, unless somebody can suggest some other a bit more unusual smallish and relatively peaceful rock dweller for this newbie.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I started a Classifieds "Wanted" ad for the _Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor_ and/or _Haplochromis bartoni_. I hope that I can find them somewhere. I have one lead on the P. multicolor.

And it looks like I have a real good lead on a group of the _Aplocheilichthys_ lampeyes!

I might need to change the substratein this tank. Those cichlids might be more happy with a sand substrate and everything might look better against a darker color. They don't really represent a swamp environment so well, but I like the limestone slabs and I think I will leave them in there.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

The _Asclepias _Mexican milkweed is blooming! This plant flowers readily in the riparium if you give it light.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> The _Asclepias _Mexican milkweed is blooming!


Beautiful and that's great on the fish leads...good luck and keep us informed  I'd love to see more of those fish


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

cichlid-gal said:


> hydrophyte said:
> 
> 
> > The _Asclepias _Mexican milkweed is blooming!
> ...


Thanks so much. I'll post again about the fish when I have more leads.

Here are a couple more shots of the _Asclepias._


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Well my plans for this setup might have been thwarted. I recently found out about potential availability of these two species...

_Etroplus canarensis_ Canara chromide pearlspot
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/etroplus-canarensis/

_Mesonoemacheilus triangularis_ batik loach
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/mesonoemacheilus-triangularis

...both from the same source. I have had it in my head to put together a Western Ghats setup and these are such cool fish. I could probably put one or two of the chromides and a little group of the loaches in this setup. There are proabably a number of smaller Indian barbs that I could also use for a more or less representative combination.

I wish that I had space for a 75 around here somewhere, but I sure don't.

I found an album with biotope pictures for the _E. canarensis_... http://s878.beta.photobucket.com/user/joyban70/media/ec_netravati7.jpg.html


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

There are so many interesting and beautiful fish out there you have to do what makes you happy with your tanks. I would love to see Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor in a tank...if not yours then probably one of mine at some time :wink:


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I love that idea!


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

cichlid-gal said:


> There are so many interesting and beautiful fish out there you have to do what makes you happy with your tanks. I would love to see Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor in a tank...if not yours then probably one of mine at some time :wink:


Yeah I have a lot of fun researching the different possibilities.

Even if I can get the _E. canarensis_ I'll keep following the lead for the _P. multicolor_. I don't have a proper fish room with very much space, but I can shuffle stuff around and make room. The _P. multicolor _sounds like such an interesting species.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

No new fish yet, but the plants are growing.

Here's the tank with the gold _Asclepias_ grown up quite tall.










Here's a specimen shot of the _Asclepias_. I like the look of this plant, but I'm going to cut it back to reduce the shade and give the shorter riparium plants a chance to grow up.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Another view of those _Asclepias_ blooms...


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Well via a closed AquaBid auction I found a source for _H. burtoni_...


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I finally made up my mind about a cichlid for this setup. This is what I'm going to use...

_Julidochromis transcriptus_ 'Pemba' 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2149

I can get these pretty soon from a local seller. It would have been fun to track down one of those more unusual species, but I think julies might be one of the most sensible options. The 'Pemba' type locality is especially attractive. I hope that they will be OK with the lampeye killis if I add the killis in a good-sized (~12 individuals) group.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

will the high PH and KH needs of the J. transcriptus be a problem for the plants (pH: 8.6 ?9.1, Water Hardness: Very Hard)?


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

cichlid-gal said:


> will the high PH and KH needs of the J. transcriptus be a problem for the plants (pH: 8.6 ?9.1, Water Hardness: Very Hard)?


We have very hard tap water and fresh conditioned tap is around 8.4. I haven't checked it in a while, but I hope that with the big cunks of limestone and aragonite sand this tank will have an even slightly higher pH. Most of these riparium plants are just weeds and highly adaptable with no trouble at all with hard water. This is another advantage of riparium plants: they are less particular about water chemistry than most fully aquatic, underwater plants.

This tank got a haircut. I mowed the two _Ruellia_ and the two _Asclepias_ back to the last couple of leaf nodes. They will resprout in no time. I hope that the _Asclepias_ will grow back a bit more compact. Now the _Cyperus_ will get some more light.










Here's that picture from a week ago for comparison. You can see especially with the colors of the rocks that my camera has pretty poor auto white balance.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Here's a quick shot of the Cryptoheros cutteri. I really like this fish; he has a lot of personality. He is coming out of this tank again when I add the new fish.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I wanted to post this picture quick to show how I pruned the _Asclepias_. These stems were more than 24" tall and I really chopped them off on top. So long as the stem is left with a few leaf nodes it will resprout and grow again. I like to prune _Ruellia_ and emersed _Hygrophila_ in the same manner.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

There were a few more shots of the_ Asclepias curassavica_ on the camera.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I haven't been back to this thread in a while. I got some new fish!

Last night I picked up a group of _J. transcriptus_ "Pembe". Here is one of the juvenile fish. They have such attractive markings. I really like the charcoal black color.










There is a bonded pair in there, too.

This is not a swamp fish, but I think it goes pretty well in the tank. I can just pretend that the riparium plants represent some shoreline vegetation pretty close to the _Julidochromis_ habitat.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Awesome- thanks for the update. When I get set back up, I'm going to have to talk to you about plants. :thumb:


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

triscuit said:


> Awesome- thanks for the update. When I get set back up, I'm going to have to talk to you about plants. :thumb:


Hey thanks triscuit. Just let me know any questions you might have.

I'm getting this tank into better shape and the plants are starting to grow in. The planting is still sort of thin for a very good FTS picture, but I got this quick photo to show some of the foliage. The red plant on the right is _Hibiscus acetosella_ African rose mallow. This plant is a true East Africa species, so it represents the flora of that area. The grassy plant is _Phalaris _'Strawberries & Cream' ribbon grass. I have this fast-growing grass planted in several planters to make a grassy background. The white-spotted leaves in the foreground are _Pilea_ aluminum plant, my favorite trellis raft plant.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Here's a quick FTS! Like I said, the riparium planting needs to grow in some more. These plants all grow pretty fast, so it should be looking pretty full in about six weeks.

I need to find some kind of shoaling fish to add. There's plenty of activity around the rocks, but the water column is totally bare.


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## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

I'm in love with your project =D>


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Kleovoulos said:


> I'm in love with your project =D>


Thank you!

Here are a couple more shots.

I really like the view of the water in through the top.










Like I mentioned before, the riparium planting needs to grow in some more, but it looks more full if you view it from the side.


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## Grill88 (Mar 4, 2013)

I think you could still add a group of Paracyp's in there with the transcriptus. They might occupy the void parts of the tank, and they will like your rocks too.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Grill88 said:


> I think you could still add a group of Paracyp's in there with the transcriptus. They might occupy the void parts of the tank, and they will like your rocks too.


Thanks. I had wondered about paracyps and I do like them. I think however that it would pretty crowded in there with the seven _Synodontis_ and the julies.

I think I can still add some kind of smaller schooling fish. I am trying to track down the _A. pumilus_ Tanganyika lampeye killis. If I can't find those I might instead make it a group of _Oryzias_ Indian rice fish. Those aren't Tanganyika-representative, but they apparently do well in hard water and they are only 1" long.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

And Paracyps are jumpers like Cyps. Not ideal for an open top. :wink:

I seem to be missing something.
Why tang cichlids?
Plants are not lake tang are they?


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

I first read this thread this morning, and found your tank inspiring.
I had just finished repairing a 100 gal yesterday, adding sand and water, but not quite sure where to go with it.








Your thread convinced me to go the semi-palludarium way, as I have been over wintering some papyrus on my porch.
The tank is still cloudy from adding sand, but here goes, at least as a work in progress.
















The fish are 4 Paratilapia "small spot", 1 sure male, and 1 sure female and /or 2 females or masquerading males.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

Little clearer today now that he the sand has settled over night.


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