Opthalmotilapia ventralis

[catfishLegacy]

Are O. ventralis a good candidate for a "peaceful" Tanganyikan display tank? Are they peaceful? Do they need to be kept in a large group? Do they need a specific tank layout?

The tank is 4'x18"x18", heavily filtered, fine sand substrate, white rock.

The other fish are:

Cyprichromis leptosoma

Neolamprologus leleupi

Synodontis petricola

And maybe some Altolamprologus sp. soon.

Also are these species peaceful/good tankmates?: Neolamprologus tetracanthus, Neolamprologus sexfasciatus, Neolamprologus tretocephalus.

I'm pretty new to tangs and have limited tankspace, I want a tank that is just a good mix of peaceful fish from different parts of the habitat eg. rock dwellers, sand dweller, open water etc.

Thanks

[anchar]

Hi CL,

Neolamprologus tetracanthus, Neolamprologus sexfasciatus, Neolamprologus tretocephalus.

I would rule these thres out straight away. All three are aggressive and not suitable tankmates for your situation (aggression, size and personality wise).

O. ventralis may be suitable for a short time, but eventually will need a larger tank to do them justice. The group you have (including a couple of Altos) will be more than enough IMO.

merjo

[Chester]

white rock

If you are planning on having featherfins such as Opthalmotilapia ventralis then it would be best to have no rocks in the tank.

If the fish gets frightened they can easily damage their eyes on the sharp edges of the rocks and may end up dieing if the injury is bad enough. I learnt this the hard way.