# 125 gallon Tanganyika tankmates with Xenos, brevis and cyps



## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hi all, I have a 125 gallon tanganyika tank currently with 6 Xenotilapia Ochrogenys 'Ndole', 6 N. brevis, and 6 Cyprochromis leptosoma tricolors. I have quite a bit of rock, and have divided the tank basically in half with the rock for territory for the Xenos and brevis. I definitely want a group of juvi white calvus to grow out until I get a pair possibly. I also like synodontis multipunctatus and julidochromis species. Would all of those work, or are there other suggestions? Any bad groupings in those I like? Thanks!


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Sounds like you've got a great start to a well balanced tank.

I think the calvus would work in nicely, but the Synos would disrupt the xenos and shellies too much. Instead of the julies, I suggest getting another 6-14 cyps. As it is, the cyps will need a piece of your tank's footprint and you'll already have the xenos, brevis and calvus there. The cyps will bring your other fish out into the open and provide more action in the water column. Adding another territorial substrate spawner like julies could cause unnecessary stress and conflict. If you want some more lower level entertainment, I suggest a group (start with at least 6) of gobies (E. cyanostictus or T. irsacae)- they are not territorial but quite active and clownish.


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

Add more cyps and xenos of the same kind if possible.One species of rock dweller would be fine such as calvus.Paracyprchromis would do well also if you give them some big caves in the middle of the tank and they don't hybridize with cyps.I have even kept Cyathopharynx with Xenotilapia ochrogenys with zero issues even though they both breed on the sand bottom.Also a pair of Eretmodus goby cichlids do well.So you have quite a few species to choose from to go with them.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hey, thanks for those replies. This is my first foray into Tanganyika cichlids, so they are all new to me. I've kept Mbuna cichlids before, but my main experience has been with Central and South American cichlids. The gobies sound interesting, I've never researched them before, so I'll check those out. I like the idea of having a bigger school of cyps, and adding more Xenos is something I would be interested in. The Xenos have a lot of personality and are not shy in the least and I like that. I don't know about the availability of Xenos around here. I got the 4 I have from someone selling them out of his tank. I am going to the Raleigh Aquarium Society Workshop and Auction (http://www.raleighaquariumsociety.org/w ... index.html) on Feb. 16, so maybe there will be some available there.

Ok, so I'll look to add more cyps and xenos. How many xenos are a good number? I'll also add a group of calvus and look into gobies.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Not to be negative here but, If this is a standard six foot tank, and you have equally divided the bottom in half for the xenos and brevis, you are basically giving the xenos three ft. of floor space. IMO, that's not nearly enough even if you only had one male. I would think twice about trying to add more to the group. I absolutely agree with adding more cyps.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

It's not being negative, I'm inexperienced with these and am trying to find the best suggestions for the tank. I picked the Xenos up with little information about them. I can always rearrange the tank a little to give them more space if need be. I've read that Brevis cichlids require less floor space than most shellies.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Correct, and a group of six is just fine for your community tank. I don't think adding more a good idea unless you give up the calvus. Cyps need a larger school to do well, a group of at least 12 cyps is the minimum I'd recommend to keep the peace. Your xenos will happily venture into brevis territory as they see fit, so I wouldn't worry about changing your aquascaping quite yet.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Yeah, the Xenos kind of go where they want. I'll definitely get more cyps. I'll try for 6-10 more. About the gobies, it seems those are pretty hard to come by. Is that the case? Also, from what I read, the water parameters for them are pretty specific and they need highly oxygenated water. Is that true as well? Just trying to clarify.


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## Cooder (Jul 19, 2011)

Perfect example of why going a bigger tank is funner for Tangs, so many more options!!

Post some pics up when your ready? im keen to see this one...


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Sure thing, I can post some initial pics soon. The cyps aren't too colored up at the moment, but I can get some. I wish I had a better camera to get good shots.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Gobies are pretty easy to get... check the site sponsors, and your local club. And they do need more oxygen than some fish, but that just means having sufficient surface agitation. I think the bigger issue with gobies is providing an herbivore friendly diet. A high quality pellet like NLS will accommodate all the species we're talking about.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Ok, thanks for the information everyone. I'm really excited about tangs. I haven't been this excited about learning about fish since I first started keeping cichlids! They are fascinating, and these Xenos in my tank are a complete joy to watch. They are hilarious to watch chase down the food from everything else in the tank.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

So do most agree about not adding Xenos?


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

My experience with X.ochrogenys was from purchasing 10 wild fish that was suppose to be in pairs but turned out to be 8 Males and 2 females.I put them all together in a 6 foot tank with a big rock in the middle and I had 2 males fully colored and sometimes 3 and the extra males spread the aggression away from the 2 females.

With that said it all depends on the aggression of the males of your group, the ratio and how much sand space you are willing to let them have.It is probably best to let the Xenos grow and see what ratio you have from the 6 but certainly get more cyps.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

I just have 4, not 6.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Here are some pictures of the tank. I've lost 2 Xenos since my last post. Honestly don't know why, params are good. I have also added 5 Julidochromis transcriptus Zaire blacks.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Your xenos look very skinny to me. I'm guessing they may have internal parasites... which would take them out slowly and limit their ability to handle other stresses.

Perhaps a stiff round of metronidazole or praziquantel is in order. Of course it gets a bit pricey with this volume, but all the fish would need to be treated for it to do any good. When I start seeing skinny fish and an occasional loss, I reach for the metro. Let me know if you decide to medicate, and I'll post my recipe that has worked very well on my delicate Tangs.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Honestly, they look about the size of every Xeno I've seen pictures of online. Maybe they look that way because I'm using a point and shoot camera and they were moving during every picture. They eat well and are very active.


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

Xeno ochrogenys have very high metabolisms especially while they are growing.My grow outs seem to do better if I feed them twice a day with NLS Grow pellets and enough for them to sift the sand.I have seen some Xenos that get stressed and refused to eat and at that point it is very difficult to get them to pull them out of it.Also with the top and mid water fish you need to make sure that enough pellets sink to the bottom.

Your xenos don't look too skinny to be alarmed though.When xenos get skinny you will see them get a dip right behind the eyes that makes their heads disproportionate to their body.It is a sad sight.


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## daharmon1 (Jan 21, 2013)

These Xenos swim to the top and eat the pellets/flakes. They do not wait at the bottom!


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## dmiller328 (Nov 17, 2008)

That means they are hungry,they have big appetites and metabolism for their size.

If given the choice they would rather eat off the bottom.

I feed NLS grow pellets to xenos from 3/4in to 3 inches with 50% protein.I toss some to one side of the tank for the Cyprichromis and then submerge pellets for the xenos on the other side of the tank so it will sink quickly to the sand bottom.


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