# Algae eaaters for Tanganyikan cookie-cutter tank?



## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

If I go with the first small Tanganyikan cookie-cutter design for my 20-long tank, I'll have 3 cichlid species but no algae eaters. Should I add an Ancistrus sp.? Snails? Also, do I add all fish at the same time, or add them one species at a time?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I have had a bushynose Pleco in with shellies with no problems but sometimes they interfere with the shellies breeding. Nerite snails are also a good choice since they don't reproduce in fresh water though they still lay eggs that some people find irritating.

If the fish are all the same size, I would add them together, assuming they are juveniles. I am however unsure which 3 species you are considering so that may be helpful to know.


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

Thanks for the response. I have also been a bit leery about the Ancistrus and anything in a shell. I have caught the pleco in my community aquarium lunching on the soft end of assassin snails. Nerite snails are a favorite of mine and they should do even better in a high pH/KH tank than in my SA tanks. The three species recommended in the cookie-cutter article are Julidochromis regani, Neolamprologous leleupi, and Lamprologous ocellatus. If I start with juveniles, how do I make sure I have pairs?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am moving this topic to the Tang forum for better stocking advice. I think the cookie cutter setup for that particular stock recommendation is a bit over ambitious with the leleupi.

The usual suggestion for getting pairs is to buy 6 individuals, wait for them to mature and remove what you don't want.


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

Well, leaving out the leleupi might cause a marital problem. ;-) My wife is very interested in yellow fish, and she loves the pics of the leleupi. Any chance I could leave out the Juli pair instead of the leleupi?


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Zebra nerrite snails - no better algae (or diatom) eater... period :wink:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd go with a 48" tank to keep leleupi and know that they tend to kill the shellies.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Yeah- we have annual debates around those cookie cutter recommendations. I also wouldn't put regani in with shell dwellers.

DJ- do you think that leleupi- only species tank needs to be a 4-footer?


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

If what you all are saying is true--and I'm not questioning it--why offer cookie-cutter designs that won't even come close to working? It seems like I'm left with just shellies for my 20-long, and I could house those in a 10-gallon. Or of course, I could go back to SA fish.


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## Tetlee (Aug 6, 2003)

Deeda said:


> I have had a bushynose Pleco in with shellies with no problems but sometimes they interfere with the shellies breeding. Nerite snails are also a good choice since they don't reproduce in fresh water though they still lay eggs that some people find irritating.
> 
> If the fish are all the same size, I would add them together, assuming they are juveniles. I am however unsure which 3 species you are considering so that may be helpful to know.


Mmm, interesting. Our Multi F's were breeding like crazy, but then a few weeks ago added a Bristlenose to sort out the algae(which he does an incredible job with!), but we noticed our Multi's have stopped breeding and now I think about it, would be around the time he got added.

Is there any particular reason for this that is known? Ours is a 110G but I do notice he sometimes clumsily knocks sand down into their shell craters which they in turn get pretty annoyed about.

Hadn't thought he might be the cause of the stopping of breeding until now, just assumed they were having a break.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Tomagorn said:


> If what you all are saying is true--and I'm not questioning it--why offer cookie-cutter designs that won't even come close to working? It seems like I'm left with just shellies for my 20-long, and I could house those in a 10-gallon. Or of course, I could go back to SA fish.


It has worked- for some people. And of course everyone has a different experience with their fish. Perhaps it's time to start that argument again in the moderator section.

And as for shellies in a 10 gallon- there's only 2 species I'd recommend that for, and it's not ocellatus. There are good combinations for Tangs in a 20g, I just don't like the ones that are listed in the cookie cutters. A few examples that I've found to work:

6 J. transcriptus or ornatus (not marlieri or regani)
6 shell dwellers (pick from occies, stappersi, brevis, multies, eg)
1 Ancistrus spp.

OR 
6 leleupi or J. regani or J. marlieri, or any of the N. brichardi complex, 
1 Ancistrus

OR
6 L. caudopunctatus 
6 shell dwellers OR 6 Julidochromis


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

triscuit said:


> Tomagorn said:
> 
> 
> > If what you all are saying is true--and I'm not questioning it--why offer cookie-cutter designs that won't even come close to working? It seems like I'm left with just shellies for my 20-long, and I could house those in a 10-gallon. Or of course, I could go back to SA fish.
> ...


Always the altolamp fan  You could add Sumbu dwarf comps into one of those above options :wink: With or as a substitute for the shellies.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

triscuit said:


> DJ- do you think that leleupi- only species tank needs to be a 4-footer?


I never tried them as a species. But I too was lulled by the CF Library articles and in spite of advice given here  I tried them with brevis and caudopunctatus (and others) in a 72" tank. Then I tried them with haps and peacocks in a 75G. Then I sold them.


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

Thanks for the responses. I'm leaning toward the recommendation of 6 leleupi with a pleco. Will let you know how it turns out.

BTW, I currently have two 3-inch goldfish (orange) in the 20-long keeping it cycled while I raise the pH and KH. I'm intrigued by the possible color match of goldfish and leleupi. Any chance the goldfish would survive? Or should I move them to my son's goldfish pond as I had originally planned?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Razzo said:


> Zebra nerrite snails - no better algae (or diatom) eater... period :wink:


Plus one. I'd do these rather than the pleco especially because it's a 30" tank and you are already stocking 6 leleupi.

Goldfish need a much larger tank, even for one individual and they are a cold water fish whereas you want to keep the leleupi regulated at 78 degrees.


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

Well, I already have one zebra nerite in the tank. Will probably add a couple more when I add the leleupi. Also, the odds of having at least one pair in four fish are pretty good, so I think I will go with 4 fish.

I will probably move the goldfish to my son's pond when I actually get the cichlids. In the meantime, they're living large in my little 30" tank at 76 degrees. DJR, you and I need to have a discussion about goldfish in a different venue. Let me just say that they get my vote for hardiest and most versatile fish on the planet. ;-)


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Leleupi sometimes prefer a group to a pair. Good to have enough choices for them...not every male will bond with every female.


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## Ptyochromis (Mar 23, 2012)

triscuit said:


> Tomagorn said:
> 
> 
> > If what you all are saying is true--and I'm not questioning it--why offer cookie-cutter designs that won't even come close to working? It seems like I'm left with just shellies for my 20-long, and I could house those in a 10-gallon. Or of course, I could go back to SA fish.
> ...


I dissagree, a pair of _Julidochromis sp._ will become much too territorial for a 20g; the same goes for a colony of multis or a pair of _L. ornatipinnis_ (I can only speak for the fish I have actual experience keeping).

Your best bet in a small tank like a 20 is to keep it to one species. Keep in mind many of these fish that you are advised to get 6 of (Julidochromis, some species of shell dwellers, etc); 2 of them will pair (if you are lucky) and you will end up removing 4, hopefully before they are killed.

As far as algae eaters go, Julidohromis will eat algae, but they wont keep your tank clean.
By far the best algae control method is light management, and proper tank maintenance.


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