# Converted hi-tech planted setup - 60 Gallon



## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

Hi everyone, first post here...

We have just converted a very high tech planted tank to an african cichlid. A couple questions to follow the setup info below:

Tank: Cade 3ft x 2ft x 2ft - CB900
Substrate: Seachem Grey Coast
Decorations: Seiryu rock from the planted setup
Lighting: Ecotech Radion XR15FW
Filtration: Eheim 350Pro

Pics to follow

The lighting is probably overkill but will keep them running in case needed in future. My questions are:
1 - has anyone used Gray Coast before? Feedback? Seems full of rock dust and just wondering if that settles or if i need to vacuum the settled dust out now that its all set up?
2 - Lighting is probably overkill so have set it through the app to run low, are there ay specific lighting requirements recommended as the lights are fully adaptable?
3 - The filter is very mature and running with standard eheim filter media, should we be doing anything else for african cichlids in terms of media?

The LFS sold us 4 young Lamprologus Brichardi to keep the tank cycled until we decides what else to put in, but in doing more reasearch this morning we ave found they are called the "Death Squad" - if we want to run a Lake Tanganyika type tank (we know the setup isn't a biotope), should we swap them out for something less....well..... deathly? Or are we ok to get another 4 of them and other fish?

any help appreciated.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You could let them fill the tank and keep them as a single species tank.  Or you could remove them and replace with Tangs appropriate to a 36" tank. Maybe something like this:
Six Lamprologus multifasciatus
Six Paracyprichromis nigripinnis
Julidochromis marlieri Gombe or Altolamprologus calvus (buy six and end up with a pair).


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

thanks for that! We ended up in one of our better LFS and the owner/long time african cichlid keeper gave us loads of advice and yes, we will have to eventually return the L. Brichardi. He has talked us into a mix of Tanganyika and Malawi cichlids for variety and colour... will update with what we get. have put your suggestions on a list. am in love with the Paracyprichromis nigripinnis after searching it, however it seems they are near on impossible to get in Australia. Always the way... 

As a sidenote, he has suggested a pair of Hongi, a few electric yellows and neolamprologus leleupi to start with.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

greenmonkey said:


> As a sidenote, he has suggested a pair of Hongi, a few electric yellows and neolamprologus leleupi to start with.


Mixing substrate spawners (leleupi) and all but the most passive mouthbrooders (hongi and electric yellow), is rarely a good long-term recipe. If you are going with with Tangs, stick with Tangs. You aren't going to get the colour of the Malawians, but the behaviour is far more interesting.

If you want to go Malawi.. maybe electric yellows and demasoni, if you can get them. Hongi are going to be hit and miss in a 3ft tank... with enough stocking it could work. Some will make points about two types of Labidochromis together, making it a greater risk for hybridization, but chances are with enough you would be fine. I'd start with eight to ten of each, weed it down to the nicest male and whatever females.

Also note, no Malawian mouthbrooders are pairing fish, so the advice to keep a "pair" of hongi, suggests this isn't the place to get advice. Malawian mouthbrooders are harem breeders, you want multiple females to spread the aggression best.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Fogelhund said:


> greenmonkey said:
> 
> 
> > As a sidenote, he has suggested a pair of Hongi, a few electric yellows and neolamprologus leleupi to start with.
> ...


Plus one. Or for Malawi a species tank with Pseudotropheus saulosi would be nice.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> Mixing substrate spawners (leleupi) and all but the most passive mouthbrooders (hongi and electric yellow), is rarely a good long-term recipe. If you are going with with Tangs, stick with Tangs. You aren't going to get the colour of the Malawians, but the behaviour is far more interesting.
> 
> If you want to go Malawi.. maybe electric yellows and demasoni, if you can get them. Hongi are going to be hit and miss in a 3ft tank... with enough stocking it could work. Some will make points about two types of Labidochromis together, making it a greater risk for hybridization, but chances are with enough you would be fine. I'd start with eight to ten of each, weed it down to the nicest male and whatever females.
> 
> Also note, no Malawian mouthbrooders are pairing fish, so the advice to keep a "pair" of hongi, suggests this isn't the place to get advice. Malawian mouthbrooders are harem breeders, you want multiple females to spread the aggression best.


ok, we went with eight of the electric yellows and will need to go back for more hongi. Have a brilliant male and one female, so more females might be the go with that.

Also noted for the leleupi and mixing with the mouthbrooders. We did walk away with them so they are in there now and seem to be doing ok.

The guy giving us advice is a 30 year african cichlid keeper, so the advice is trusted from that aspect. However, he does own a businesss that accepts returns at 1/3 the purchase price.....so as a cynic, that needs to be taken into account as well. He was a wealth of info however and has said we need at least double the fish count to be able to house his suggestions successfully.

So potentially, more hongi females and then one other species.... or should we stop while we're ahead and return the hongis? they're GORGEOUS though!! Also

DJRansome - love the suggestion.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you are locked the tank and the leleupi and the labs I would not add fish. This is a 36" tank. I'd return the hongi.

For 3 species of Malawi you would want a 48" tank (depending on the species).

How does the business owner explain recommending a pair of fish when the species is a harem breeder?

The people advising you (not me but others) have that much experience and more...and are not selling you anything.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

ok noted, the sad thing is the Hongi are the favourites.  But if they are not compatible then return them, we should. We'll leave them a few more days and then revisit the stock next week in the new year. Npte that the tank itself is only 3 ft long but it is 2 ft wide. Does that make up for the fact its not a 4 ft?

Some pics of the fish including the cave the male Hongi has basically claimed. Seems to be happy to leave all alone. He is not aggressing the female too much and he is spreading the aggression among the electric yellow females as well. This was the advice of the LFS owner....he would spread his attention to the female electric yellows, but this comes back to the problem of hybridisation if he mates with one of them.


































Still alot more rocks to buy to build up the rock wall and add more caves.

Also, a shot of the tanks previous life and its german blues


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The depth helps but it does not make up for the length. Usually I would say one species but since you already have two and have the depth...

You likely want a lot more rock for the mbuna.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> The depth helps but it does not make up for the length. Usually I would say one species but since you already have two and have the depth...
> 
> You likely want a lot more rock for the mbuna.


well noted, rocks are on order and will build up to just over half the tank!! If the general consensus is to get rid of the hongi, then we will.... and find something esle with the blues to complement that is compatible


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You are fully stocked for a 36" tank. To add fish you would have to remove something.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> You are fully stocked for a 36" tank. To add fish you would have to remove something.[/quotassuming you're including the full size of the hongi in that statement. If removing the hongi and aiming for more compatible and smaller fish, looking at blues and blacks, what do you suggest?


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

Thoughts on replacing the hongi with a couple of Altolamprologus compressiceps?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Possibly if you remove the yellow labs. Two rock dwellers (leleupi and calvus) might be unhappy sharing a 36" tank.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

You could make a leleupi and comp work in a 36" tank... but the rockwork would need substantial reworking.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

Fogelhund said:


> You could make a leleupi and comp work in a 36" tank... but the rockwork would need substantial reworking.


Many thanks... will do, rehoming the Hongis and 3 of the 4 princesses on the weekend to a new LFS with a very knowledgeable specialised African Cichlid owner. Will replace with 1 compressiceps, 1 calvus and perhaps a few males of the variations of princess. still need to find a compatible blue to complete the list.

So final stock will be:
1 x Comp
1 x Calvus black
1 x Princess
1 x daffodil
1 x caudopunctatus
4 x Elec Yellow
2 x Leleupi

And much more rock....as per suggestions above

The LFS dude suggests maybe looking at:
cyprichromis leptosoma - love these, but at about $100 a fish here is Sydney.....not likely going to happen
neolamprologus savoryi - but a little dull looking
neolamprologus helianthus or splendens kiku - perhaps too many of the yellows
lamprologus ocellatus - some of the blue perhaps
neolamprologus caudopunctatus - like them as a brichardi replacement, but can multiple be included in the tank?

Appreciate any thoughts on whether we've gone wrong on the final stock list?!


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## awanderingmoose (Aug 11, 2016)

Not sure your stock list is going to work in a 3' tank. Leleupi are notoriously aggressive, and I suspect what happens is that a few of those other fish end up penned in a corner or worse. I don't see the caudo, which is a much more peaceful fish, having a good time in that mix.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

awanderingmoose said:


> Not sure your stock list is going to work in a 3' tank. Leleupi are notoriously aggressive, and I suspect what happens is that a few of those other fish end up penned in a corner or worse. I don't see the caudo, which is a much more peaceful fish, having a good time in that mix.


Yup... you were right. So after much observation of the tank as well as research, taking into account everyone's feedback here and advice from the new lfs... its had a rather major stock change.

The lfs gave us full credit on the returns and we lost. Final stock list for now:
1	Altolamprologus calvus Black
3	Labidochromis caeruleus
1	Julidochromis marlieri
1	julidochromis dickfeldi
1	Paracyprichromis nigripinnis
1	Neolamprologus caudopunctatus
1	Julidochromis marlieri "Gombe"
1	Julidochromis marlieri "Magara"
1	Julidochromis Regani "Sambia"
1	Julidochromis Ornatus


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

greenmonkey said:


> awanderingmoose said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure your stock list is going to work in a 3' tank. Leleupi are notoriously aggressive, and I suspect what happens is that a few of those other fish end up penned in a corner or worse. I don't see the caudo, which is a much more peaceful fish, having a good time in that mix.
> ...


I don't think you're getting the message. Your tank is too SMALL for the number of species and individuals you seek. The julidochromis will likely hybridize while the paracyprichromis will probably wither away. Malawis shouldn't be mixed with Tangs, but that's your choice. I suggest you rethink your stock list, again.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

Never waste a good opportunity for MORE tanks ... :lol:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I predict a year from now, there will be a pair of Julidochromis that will have killed the rest after pairing up... the nigripinnis will be gone as well. Likely end up with some Labs, a pair of Julis and their babies, and an Alto.


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## greenmonkey (Dec 28, 2016)

wryan said:


> Never waste a good opportunity for MORE tanks ... :lol:


there may be one cycling already! 



cdarminio said:


> I don't think you're getting the message. Your tank is too SMALL for the number of species and individuals you seek. The julidochromis will likely hybridize while the paracyprichromis will probably wither away. Malawis shouldn't be mixed with Tangs, but that's your choice. I suggest you rethink your stock list, again.


hmmm... ok, julidochromis are all males on purpose, so no chance of pairing off. In fact, all the fish in the tank are male except for the labs (1 male, 3 females).

The labs being malawi is annoying but the colour and temperament are hard to match bar the Lelupi, but they were aggressive. The paracyprichromis, ok noted... he seems very happy and usually keeps to the free swimming areas at the top of the tank. Waiting on a few more to come available but as they are quite rare, its going to take some time.


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