# 150g Community Tang Tank



## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Hello there. New here. Have kept Tropical FW and Reef Tanks. Really want to set up a 150 tang tank. I'd love some variety. Really like the Calvus so I'd like for that to be included. Open to most others. The shell dwellers are nice too. Cyps very cool as well. Like Julies too. Does anyone have good ideas for some good variety? I've read of folks doing Giant Danios and/or Red Rainbows at the top of their big tanks but not sure what the group thinks. Tank will have an FX6 canister filter and LEDs. 
Thanks in advance!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!!

What are the dimensions of the tank? I had a Tang community in a 72" tank.


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Hi and thank you. It's the six foot 150


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would skip the non cichlids...the cyps occupy the top. Go for 20 individuals in a 72" tank.

A colony of multifasciatus shellies. Buy six and they will multiply into a nice colony. OR Synodontis multipunctatus, group of five.

Calvus and julidochromis, buy six and end up with a pair of each (rehome any rejected fish before they are killed).


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## sir_keith (Oct 30, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> I would skip the non cichlids...the cyps occupy the top. Go for 20 individuals in a 72" tank.
> 
> A colony of multifasciatus shellies. Buy six and they will multiply into a nice colony. OR Synodontis multipunctatus, group of five.
> 
> Calvus and julidochromis, buy six and end up with a pair of each (rehome any rejected fish before they are killed).


I agree with all of the above, except that 20 Cyps is too many for a 6-foot tank even if the vast majority of them are females. I have a 6-foot 125 with _Xenotilapia sp. Kilesa_ occupying the lower half of the tank, and _Cyprichromis leptostoma_ in the upper reaches of the water column, and there's only enough space for 2 co-alpha Cyp males in that tank. Fortunately, I have several other Cyp colonies, so I can easily adjust the sex ratio, and in this tank two very flashy males and about 8 females seems about right. Have fun! :fish:


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Fantastic. This is very helpful. Thank you very much. The Calvus and Julies will always end up as pairs? Meaning two is the norm in any size tank? Thought maybe they'd settle in different territories in the tank. I also read about Leleupi and Spotfin Gobies? Any of those compatible?


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## sir_keith (Oct 30, 2018)

Arepas818 said:


> Fantastic. This is very helpful. Thank you very much. The Calvus and Julies will always end up as pairs? Meaning two is the norm in any size tank? Thought maybe they'd settle in different territories in the tank. I also read about Leleupi and Spotfin Gobies? Any of those compatible?


No, two is not the norm in any size tank. You can easily keep two pairs of the smaller Julies in even a 40L 4-foot tank provided there is enough bottom space available. It just depends on how you want to divide it up amongst the fishes that want a bottom territory. You can also divide the tank up into many smaller territories with rocks or plantings, because for these kinds of cichlids it's a line-of-sight kind of thing. _Xenotilapia_ will make 2-foot diameter territories in the wild, but I have a 6-foot tank with 5 stable breeding territories because the sight lines are broken up with large _Anubias_.

I'd stay away from _N. leleupi_ or _Tanganicodus_ for the time being unless you are willing to give up on some of the other fishes, because both of these can be quite aggressive.


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Great. Good to know. Thanks sir Keith.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can do a colony of calvus but you need at least 3 males and lots of females so if you are going for a colony devote more tank space to the calvus.

The cyps I had were non-jumbo and the large group made them comfortable. Stress-free cyps are healthy. sir_keith, did you have jumbos?


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## sir_keith (Oct 30, 2018)

DJRansome said:


> ...The cyps I had were non-jumbo and the large group made them comfortable. Stress-free cyps are healthy. sir_keith, did you have jumbos?


No, just the normal _C. leptosoma_ Chituta, 3+". But I agree with you: you can abate the aggression of almost any cichlid if you crowd them- that's how most people *keep* _Tropheus_- but under these conditions they rarely display their full complement of species-typical behaviors; they just don't have enough room.

This raises what I think is an interesting point, which is- what do we mean when we say- 'What's the best way to *keep* so-and-so?' It depends on what you mean by *keep*. For example, can you keep 20 _Cyprichromis_ in a 125g tank? Of course you can, if they feel sufficiently crowded they will coexist; you can even keep 20 Cyps in a 55 if you're on top of the water chemistry; that's how most of us raise our fishes from fry. Under these conditions, the Cyps are simply dithers, even for themselves. But if you want a tank in which you can see the full range of cichlid behaviors- which is what makes them so fascinating- you have to provide them with an appropriate environment, including enough space. I have 2 Cyp males in a 125, and each has a well-defined three-dimensional territory. There are constant skirmishes on the territory boundaries, but never the kind of lethal aggression that occurs when cichlids in captivity don't have enough space. You never run into that problem if there are so many fishes that no one can ever establish a territory in the first place.

Bottom line- for a display tank, a 125 with 20 (or even 30) Cyps and very little else would be pretty. But if you want a tank in which your Cyps can express their genetically programmed, species-typical behaviors, then you need to give them more space; 2-3 males, 8-10 females in a 6-foot tank to start, and they will sort it out. There isn't a right or a wrong way here; it's just a matter of personal choice.


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Makes sense. I'm thinking 12 Cyps will be the way to go. Thanks.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have 20 jumbo cyp mbita in my 6' 210g along with 12 paracyps (some albino) a pair of gobies and for one reason or another, a male and female C. Foai Moliro.
It's a pretty active tank.


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Had not looked into the paracyps. What's the specific name you have? Thanks for the reply


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Arepas818 said:


> Hello there. New here. Have kept Tropical FW and Reef Tanks. Really want to set up a 150 tang tank. I'd love some variety. Really like the Calvus so I'd like for that to be included. Open to most others. The shell dwellers are nice too. Cyps very cool as well. Like Julies too. Does anyone have good ideas for some good variety? I've read of folks doing Giant Danios and/or Red Rainbows at the top of their big tanks but not sure what the group thinks. Tank will have an FX6 canister filter and LEDs.
> Thanks in advance!!


Red Rainbows would be fine with your fish.... I've kept them with Tangs many times.


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## Arepas818 (Apr 11, 2020)

Thanks Fogelhund. I kept them years ago and really like them.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Arepas818 said:


> Had not looked into the paracyps. What's the specific name you have? Thanks for the reply


Paracyprichromis Nigripinnis Blue Neon. Turns out I have ten, not 12 : (


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