# 30 New Fish at once?! Are you kidding me?!? (lots of pics!)



## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

So I took the plunge. I had planned the setup for months, spent countless hours reading and researching, and many hundreds of dollars getting my equipment setup just right. I finally felt the time was right, and placed a pretty large order from one of the sponsors here (not sure if I can mention names....if interested, drop me a PM).

My aquarium setup is as follows:

-All Glass 55 g (48"x13"x22") 
-All Glass black pine stand
-All Glass black pine canopy: door removed, solid top added
-DIY 132 Watt Lighting solution:
-Home Depot (2) x cold start T8 light fixtures modified for single plug
-(3) 6500K Philips Daylight Deluxe T8 tubes, (1) 3000K Philips Soft White T8 tube
-Eheim 2217 Canister with Eheim "Installation Kit 1" upgraded intake
-DIY cPVC 3' spraybar
-Hydor ETH 300 watt heater
-Hydor Koralia 1 powerhead
-30 Gallon DIY water change setup - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=193201
-Pool Filter Sand
-Fully planted:
-Java Ferns (Wide, Narrow, & Windelov leaf varieties) 
-Java Moss
-Cryptocoryne Wendtii (bronze, green, and red varieties)
-Vallisneria spiralis (although I think this may be something different entirely)

The tank has been stable for about 10 months with negligible amounts of NH3, nitrate, and nitrite. The tank was stocked with (2) Clown Loaches (for Ramshorn snail control) and a breeding pair of Brown Bristlenose Ancistrus. There were about 80 bristlenose fry from about 5 different clutches, but most of these have disappeared as they seem to do.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

In preparation for the arrival of my fish, I removed the Clown Loaches using the 2-liter pop bottle trap. Additionally, for 1 week prior to last night, I started to overfeed slightly to help increase ammonia buildup to prepare the canister for the increased bioload on the tank.

My initial order was as follows:

(12) Cyprichromis Leptosoma Kerenge Island
(6) Altolamprologus Calvus White Chaitika
(4) Julidochromis Transcriptus Bemba
(4) Julidochromis Ornatus
(2) Lamprologus ocellatus gold

What I ended up getting was:

(12) Cyprichromis Leptosoma Kerenge Island
(7) Altolamprologus Calvus White Chaitika
(5) Julidochromis Transcriptus Bemba
(6) Julidochromis Ornatus
(2) Lamprologus ocellatus gold

Sweet!


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

I received a call from Northwest Airlines that my package had arrived 4 hours early! Luckily I was laid off last Friday, and wasn't really doing much of anything but sitting and waiting anyways :lol:

Here is the box, fresh from the cargo plane!


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Inside was a Styrofoam box.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Heat packs to keep the little guys nice and toasty, which is good because it was about 43 degrees outside.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Each species in a separate bag. The inside of the Styrofoam container was lined with plastic, although none of the bags were leaking.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

This poor little occie was trapped up in one of the folds of the bag. I figured he was dead, but as soon as I opened the bag he dropped into the water and acted like nothing had ever happened. I don't really know how long he was up there, but I imagine that it happened when the box was tipped during unloading (which was at least 1-2 before I opened the box.)


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Floating the bags.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Drip acclimating each bag, one by one.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

All the fish seemed to take pretty well, although I noticed 1 cyp separated from the rest of the group just kinda chillin by himself. As I feared, I found him this morning sucked up against my powerhead. He received a proper porcelain funeral service.

RIP little buddy


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Some of the cyps (they are really hard to photograph...they get really scared when I'm within site of the tank and dart around like torpedoes on speed)


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Some of the J. Ornatus.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

The only pic of the J. Transcriptus Bemba I could get, as they are still scurred and hiding out in the rocks. There is also a White Calvus in the pic as well.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

One of the older occies I had to remove from my 5.5 Shelldweller tank because he is a miserable rotten little ****. He chases every fish in the 55 from nearly one end to the other, and even likes to hang out mid water. He bites my hand, attacks the glass, and beat up every other occie I had in the other tank.

I'm kinda hoping that the Julies bully him back a bit.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

I'll get some better pictures once they all settle down a bit. At this point they are still adjusting and definitely not used to my presence.


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## alfalex (Jan 6, 2007)

Ornatus and transcriptus will interbreed giving hybrid, you should choose one of this species!


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

alfalex said:


> Ornatus and transcriptus will interbreed giving hybrid, you should choose one of this species!


I actually considered that and had the source send me some J. Transcriptus that were a bit larger than the J. Ornatus. As hoped, the J. Transcriptus have claimed the left side of the tank, and have shown considerable aggression towards the J. Ornatus already. The J. Ornatus are moving to the other side of the tank to a completely separate rock pile.

I am really only looking to get a pair of each; the others will either be transferred to another split 40 gallon I have in the basement for breeding purposes or sold to several of the LFS in the area. I will be taking special precautions to ensure that no hybrids are produced. Furthermore, I have examined all of the Julies, and the differences between the races are very noticeable. There won't be any danger of confusing the races.

Depending on how they pair off, I may only end up keeping one race in the tank anyways. We'll see what happens.


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## Drowned (Mar 16, 2009)

Great presentation!

I was sure that the occie was dead when I first saw the picture! So good it's alive

I've got the same size tank but slighty different stocked, however I was considering something similar!

Will you reduce after some time the number of fish? Seems a little overstocked at the moment.

Good luck!


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Drowned said:


> Great presentation!
> Will you reduce after some time the number of fish? Seems a little overstocked at the moment.
> 
> Good luck!


Yes, it is definitely overstocked and I am definitely planning on thinning out the population. Right now though, all the fish are juvies and shouldn't cause more bioload than the 2217 can handle. I have an Emperor 400 waiting if the bad levels start increasing and I need to increase filtration.

I never intended the occies to go into the 55 gallon at all; much to my chagrin the occie pairs I purchased from a local dealer un-paired when they went into my 5.5 shelly tank. The two additional fish I purchased were meant to recreate 1-2 pairs of occies for the 5.5 gallon, but that's not looking good either. A friend is currently setting up a shelldweller tank of his own, and will be taking the extras off my hands in the near future.

I would like to see this setup within the next 6 months to a year:

9-11 Cyps (depending on the number of males and aggression)
2-4 Calvuses (a pair or a heirum)
1 pair of J. Trans Bemba
1 pair of J. Ornatus
plus my pair of bristlenose (which I absolutely love to watch. The male is a complete riot when he is doing his mating dance)

But as the saying goes, "well laid plans of mice and men"


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

great write up, I enjoyed reading it. I agree the Julies will hybridize but it sounds like you have a plan for thinning them out. You might get more responses if you post this in the Pics and video section, the Tang forumers dont usually reply.


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## Drowned (Mar 16, 2009)

I'm really curious about the further results.

I've also got a fresh 55G with juvies (6x Brevis, 4x Transcriptus, 4 x Occies). I'm planning to leave just a pair of each and then I will consider adding a Alto pair or a group of Paracyps.

Keep updating


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## Viktor (Apr 21, 2009)

luv the tank it is so freakign nice i would luv to have something like that right now i just have 55 gallon with 2 calvus dont know if they are male or female but i luv's them to death i was wondering about J. Trans Bemba u had are those aggressive fish to have with calvus? 
would luv to get me soem of those.... and the little fish that died what type was he they look like nice...

Thanks
Vic =D> for your tank


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## Agnag (Dec 1, 2008)

Looks like you will need another tank in the future.. You can't just stop at one..... I remeber my first tang tank, then my second, and know I have a room full of tanks... "I can't stop! Is there a AA meeting for an aquarium addiction?... ANYONE? Help!" :lol: :lol:


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Viktor said:


> ... i was wondering about J. Trans Bemba u had are those aggressive fish to have with calvus?
> would luv to get me soem of those.... and the little fish that died what type was he they look like nice...


Vic- Thanks for the comments. Concerning the J. Trans Bemba, they are only showing aggression towards other julies, both other Bembas and the Ornatus. They completely ignore the Calvus, the Cyps, and the Occies (although the alpha occie gets all pissed at them lol) at this point.

I am very pleased with the Bembas....they have a great pattern with pretty blue eyes 

The fish that died was one of the Cyp. Lep. Kerenge Island. I think it was a male as he had a blue iridescent hue. Of all the fish, those are DEF. not the ones I want to die. They are the most expensive and hardest for me to find.

And agnag...I already have a 5.5 gallon shelly tank that I don't know where to put, as well as an empty 40 gallon in the basement. The way things are looking, I am going to have to set up that other tank pretty soon. I already have the bug...I've made plans to setup several tanks when I buy my new house (200 gallon + Dovii /Jaguar tank, 200 gallon + Arrowana tank, and a REALLY big Tang tank (fronts, peacocks, giant schools of cyps....probably about as many different species as I can find).


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## Viktor (Apr 21, 2009)

rofl nice now where did u buy the J. Trans Bemba if i can ask cause i just freaking fell in love with them! man they are nice and do they sell by pair? or just you get what you get ?

Thanks
Vic


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Sent you a PM.


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## Drowned (Mar 16, 2009)

Vaypourus could you make a photo of those Bembas? I want to know if they differ much from my Gombe.


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## webgirl74 (Jan 30, 2009)

Very nice group of fish and I like your tank as well. Are those real or fake plants in your tanks? Look good either way.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

webgirl74 said:


> Very nice group of fish and I like your tank as well. Are those real or fake plants in your tanks? Look good either way.


Thanks for the compliments. They are all real plants; I'm kind of a snob when it comes to plants. The crypts do exceptionally well, and I may have to thin them out again as they are taking over the open sand.

When I tried to kill my snail population with copper sulfate, my Java Moss & Java Ferns took a real hard hit. They are coming back, but they haven't been the same since.


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## ed8t (Sep 22, 2007)

Very nice looking setup! Love it when you get a new box of fish...just like Christmas again.

What kind of rocks are those? From the first pic, they look rather porous.

Good luck in getting breeding pairs.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

ed8t said:


> What kind of rocks are those? From the first pic, they look rather porous.


The rocks are all from the Genesee River gorge, so they are mostly a combination of fossil limestone, sandstone, some kind of sedimentary slate, and/or granite. I'd kinda like to do piles of rounded stones, but I'm pretty limited with the width of the 55.

This pic kinda represents my ideal way of rocks, but I tried the rounded rocks and they were really hard to pile and keep stable.


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

With all those Julies do you have enough floor space in the tank? Especially once they start to pair off.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

exasperatus2002 said:


> With all those Julies do you have enough floor space in the tank?


No, def not. I'm waiting for them to pair off so I can get 2 pair, hopefully one for each separate rock pile. The rest will be pulled out and sold off.


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## kodyboy (Dec 9, 2007)

nice set-up, love those julies and shell-dwellers


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

*update*

All of the fish have readily taken to both NLS .5 mm Growth and the homemade European Shrimp & Pea mix from the food recipe library here. The tank becomes a feeding frenzy when I feed, and all but the Julies (still a little scurred at this point methinks) go right up to the surface to get the vittles. The julies are grabbing any food that gets past the mob, and I think they will ease up a little more over the next few days.

The occies are actually the first to get up to the surface...they are still ruling the tank at this point lol. All of the fish have relaxed quite a bit, and aren't darting around as much as they were.

I've noticed that the coloring has improved on the juvies as well; I've seen a noticeable change on all the fish except the Cyps. The calvus's white spots have gotten brighter, the J. Ornatus are taking on a lot more yellow, and the J. Trans Bemba have gained the most amazing blue at the tips of the fins. When they puff up, the blue really comes out, but I have thus far been unable to get a picture of them puffed up. This is about the best picture I have captured yet:


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## overleaf (Jan 18, 2009)

Thanks for the photo journal!

I enjoyed this thread.


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## mpmitche (Apr 28, 2005)

I really enjoyed the thread, i think it has inspired me to try a few live plants. Do you keep your pH high or do you try to comprimise to help the plants?


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

mpmitche said:


> Do you keep your pH high or do you try to compromise to help the plants?


I actually buffer the water with crushed coral, as well as the fossil limestone rocks in the tank, it actually increases the pH. The plants do okay, but I am sure they would really thrive with a lower pH. I do treat the tank with about 1/2 the recommended dose of SeaChem Flourish Excell. It has reduced most of the blue-green algae from growing on the sand and seems to help out the plants overall.

The crypts are really going nuts...they don't seem to mind the high pH at all. I may have to thin them out again, as they are taking over my sand in the center of the tank.

The juvies actually seem to enjoy the plants a bit. I have one J. Ornatus in particular who plays with some of the crypts. I have not had any problems with the fish digging or eating the plants yet.


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## bobberly1 (Dec 2, 2006)

Beautiful tank, I really love the species choice there.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

*update*

I have not yet lost another fish.

Daily water parameter checks have been very encouraging; I have not seen a spike in Ammonia, Nitrates, or Nitrates much less even a rise of any of the levels. The bio system in my tank seems to be handling the load quite well.

I am feeding twice daily, and all fish have been eating readily.

I have noticed that the cyps are developing 4-5 slightly darker vertical bands on the sides. I am not seeing any blue or yellow yet however I am told that this won't show until they are nearly 2 inches long.

I've decided that I am going to remove the J. Ornatus from the tank completely; the J. Trans Bemba are just a really cool fish. They continue to impress me on a daily basis, and have now taken over both rock piles. I might try and keep the whole group of the Bembas in the tank, although I'm worried that they will compete with the calvus too much.


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## Viktor (Apr 21, 2009)

yea bembas r rally cool i cant wait to get mine


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## toontitan (Mar 30, 2009)

Beautiful tank, lovely fish - great effort and very rewarding. :thumb:

I'm trying something similar but on a smaller scale (see link below)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=192278


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

***update***

All of the fish are doing very well, and growing very quickly. I have not lost another fish.

I also learned that it is Julidochromis Transcriptus *PEMBA *and not bemba as they have been labeled.

The J. Ornatus have been removed from the tank completely and put into the 40 gallon I have setup downstairs. I am so impressed with the J. Trans. Pembas that I am going to go with them alone.

Furthermore, in an act of lunacy, I decided I did not like my setup and tore it down. More information can be found here:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=194624


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

***update***

I couldn't resist the opportunity to purchase a Neolamprologus sexfasciatus 'Gold' from my LFS. They were priced at $7.99, and I have seen these fish go for 4 times that price elsewhere.

I know how aggressive they can be in pairs when mating, so I am keeping only one. He is still a juvie but is already showing some gold on the body and blue on the fins. He has been very mild around the other fish even though he is slightly larger, and the other fish are very receptive to their new tankmate.

I haven't been able to photograph him yet, as he is still a bit scared of me.

My current stocking is as follows:

(1) Neolamprologus sexfasciatus 'Gold'
(11) Cyprichromis Leptosoma 'Kerenge Island'
(7) Altolamprologus Calvus 'White Chaitika'
(5) Julidochromis Transcriptus 'Bemba'
(2) BN 'Brown'

I am considering adding:

(1) Neolamprologus helianthus
(1) Neolamprologus leleupi

once the Julies and Calvus have grown and paired off. I love the looks of both, and really want a community setup. My ideal setup would be as follows:

(8-11) Cyprichromis Leptosoma 'Kerenge Island'
pair of Altolamprologus Calvus 'White Chaitika'
pair of Julidochromis Transcriptus 'Bemba'
(1) Neolamprologus sexfasciatus 'Gold'
(1) Neolamprologus helianthus
(1) Neolamprologus leleupi
maybe a Synodontis multipunctatus or two.

I know that is overstocked and there are some aggressive fish in that list, however I've seen some extremely aggressive fish in a smaller tank get along with some very docile fish without a problem. On the other end of the spectrum, I've seen some mildly aggressive fish beat the living !%#$ out of some larger fish (like my mean little occie lol). I think I'm going to try this setup eventually. If it doesn't work out, I have nets ready.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

***update***

(This is a long post, if you care to read it)

All fish are still alive and growing rapidly. I started supplementing the current diet (NLS Grow and the European Shrimp & Pea food) with some HBH 8-veggie Spirulina flake. It took about a week before most fish would eat it, however all have stopped spitting it and now greedily demolish it every morning. I feed the HBH Flake in the morning, NLS grow mid day, and either Grow again or the homemade Shrimp & Pea food in the evening.

I'm now doing 50% water changes 3 times a week. I am also using the Rift Lake Buffer mix to increase my KH and GH to more natural levels.

Additionally, I have changed the stocking again. The J. Trans. Pembas seem to be at sexual maturity, but did not pair up in the tank. They simply fought a lot and inhabited separate areas of the rock piles. The J. Ornatus however showed signs of two separate pairs forming (out of 6 fish) in the separate 40 gallon tank.

I have moved the (6) J. Ornatus to my main 55, and the (5) J. Trans. Pembas to the 40 gallon downstairs.

Unfortunately the J. Trans. Pembas did not acquire more black as they grew as I had hoped. The black is very spotty, and one fish in particular has very weak markings on one side. The J. Ornatus however, have very nice lines and nice yellow color. Unless I can locate some Kissi Pembas or Dickfeldi 'Midnight's I will probably end up sticking with a pair of the J. Ornatus in my main tank.

I have also removed the BNs and put them in their own tank. A local LFS has shown interest in fry, so I am hoping they get settled in and start breeding for me again.

In my 55, the current stocking is as follows:

(11) Cyprichromis Leptosoma Kerenge Island
(7) Altolamprologus Calvus White Chaitika (F1)
(6) Julidochromis Ornatus
(1) Neolamprologus sexfasciatus

I will soon be adding even more fish to the mix:

(5) Lamprologus Leleupi 
(3) Synodontis Lucipinnis (if I can find them)

I am hoping to get a pair with the Lelupis and will be removing the rest when I do.

Two of the cyps are developing an ocelli on the dorsal fin and I have a feeling they will start to show color within the next couple of weeks. I also suspect that I will get a solid J. Ornatus pair within the next week or two and will then remove the rest.

My intended stocking will be:

8-11 Cyprichromis Leptosoma Kerenge Island
2-3 Altolamprologus Calvus White Chaitika (F1)
2 Julidochromis Ornatus -or- 2 Julidochromis Dickfeldi 'Midnight' 
2 Lamprologus Leleupi 
2-3 Synodontis Lucipinnis
and the Neolamprologus sexfasciatus (if he continues to play nice. If not, he's gone!)

On a side note, I am also picking up several Multies and 5-6 Cyp. Micro. Kililas this month. I may end up replacing the Kerenge Islands with the Kililas down the road, as they are an amazingly beautiful fish.

That's all for now!


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Very nice fish & tank - I have enjoyed the thread.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Razzo said:


> Very nice fish & tank - I have enjoyed the thread.


Thanks! It has been a lot of work, but is more and more rewarding each day! Watching the little guys grow out has been a lot of fun!


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

*Update*

The fish continue to grow and I have still not lost another fish. Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate levels are all virtually zero. I added another Eheim 2217 with a Coralife TurboTwist 3x (9w) UV sterilizer. The water is now absolutely crystal clear.

I purchased an AquaTerra background from the seller on Ebay. After five days I sent him an email asking where my background was and he replied with "whoops, I don't have it. my bad". I received a refund about a week later. At this point I am waiting for another retailer to get the AquaTerra backgrounds back in stock.

The cyps seem to have stalled coloring up...no advancement in coloration has been seen in weeks even though they have all grown quite a bit. The alpha male cyp is nearly as long as the N. sexfasciatus at this point.

I also bumped into the breeder by chance and found that my N. sexfasciatus is of the "Mpimbwe" variant. He has shown a lot more of the tan/gold coloring in the face as is typical with this variant. I am excited about this, as they seem to be the most colorful of the sexfasciatus.

Here is a new picture of the tank, as it looks as of two weeks ago.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

*update*

Lots has happened this week.

I finally lost another fish, this time another of the cyps. This fish showed the physical signs of wasting and within three days I had to cull him. In case it is parasitic, I have been treating the whole tank.

I have pulled out the white calvus and put them in a separate grow out tank. I fear that since they are now tiny in comparison to the other fish, they will get picked on by their tank mates. I am also trading three of the white calvus as part of a trade for a breeding pair of yellow calvus. The yellow calvus is my second favorite of the altolamps, and I may or may not add them to the community in place of my white calvus until the whites grow out a bit. I will most likely breed the yellow calvus for a while, as a good yellow calvus is a bit more uncommon right now (like the true firefin comps).

I also removed a single J. Ornatus from the tank, as he seems to have been exiled from the others. I haven't seen this behavior in a Juli in a community before, but I suppose anything can happen in a mixed community.

The pair of bristlenose have been moved back to my community tank. I needed some help with algae cleanup and also to try and coax them back into breeding again. They stopped breeding when they were moved to the other tank  They will be moved back to the 40 gallon breeder soon.

This makes the current stocking as such:

(10) Cyprichromis Leptosoma Kerenge Island
(5) Julidochromis Ornatus
(1) Neolamprologus sexfasciatus 
(2) Bristlenose Ancistrus (common brown)


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

I lost one of the yellow calvus during shipping due to a broken bag. I will be receiving new females soon, although these will not be added to the tank. I will also be getting my hands on a trio of congo inkfin calvus. I think they will be added in place of the white calvus.

The bristlenoses have been removed and placed back into the 40 gallon breeder. After adding the single yellow calvus to the 40 however, the J. Trans. Bemba pair have become super aggressive towards the BNs. I am waiting for my new 55 to finish cycling and will be adding the BNs to this tank. I think the tangs are just too aggressive for the BNs to feel comfortable, and as such they will not breed.

I'm still considering some Syno cats. I've found a retailer that has some nice specimens available. They are not cheap.

With luck, I'll be adding several gorgeous leleupi to this tank soon. It has been my plan to do this for a while, although the leleupi I had were of relatively poor quality (lots of brown in them with lots of the dark "tattooing" in the face) and I did not want to add them to the tank. I am pretty sure I will be removing the J. Ornatus from this tank as well, as I think three rock dweller species will just be too much.


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