Suggestions for a small Tang community.

[catfishLegacy]

I'm looking for some ideas for a 75cmx42cmx42cm (roughly 130 Ltrs) Tang community. I want a display tank with 2-3 compatible species. I understand the tank is pretty small. The filtration is an Ehiem 2215 feeding into a top-trickle filter with a capacity of around 2.5 Ltrs of media. It has a decent turnover without a strong current in the tank. The Ehiem has ceramic and coral rubble media plus the standard sponges. There's also an airstone for extra aeration.

Tank is setup with a fine sand substrate and some pieces of broken flowerpot hidden under/behind some piles of white rock. There's some open areas at the front. I was thinking about getting some Synodontis petricola, but not sure on keeping them with smaller, peaceful Cichlids.

Thanks.

[killiguy]

Im not sure you will be able to achieve a Tang.community with a tank that size.Water parameters are more unstabe in a small tank and as you are aware Tangs dont tolerate metabolic wastes well and are best kept in tanks with low stocking density.A group of shell dwellers would do very well but it will be hard to find fish for the upper regions of the tank.Cyprichromis(which are fabulous fish)are a bit big for your tank.You could try a few shellies but mayhem may be the result as they squabble for territory.I keep all my Tangs in 4ft or above tanks even the little shellies which are very fiesty for their size

[chorrylan]

Smaller julidochromis like the transcriptus gombe with a good rock pile should be ok; they'll follow a rockpile up which will get a little bit of activity up above the ground-floor.

I have an entire family of Julidochromis sp. "Kissi" in a tank this size (a 2' x 18" x 18")

http://www.planetchan.com/laurie/pets/fish...issi/index.html

they get on ok though there's lots of rocks and I expect I'll need to remove some youngsters as they get close to adult hood.

If you have a distinct split division in the tank with rocks up one end and some shells up the other you could probably get some shellies in there also without too much tension (I have brevis in similar circumstances)

Young alto comps or calvus will give you a little more activity further up in the water column but I'd get them out before adulthood

[rosco]

yeah what Laurie said .

I have my Julie transcriptus "Gombe" family in a 2x18x18. There is a pair and around 20+ fry of different sizes. I have found that with my Julies there a "saturation point" where they will stop step breeding. I am now at that point again. This is when you have to remove the older ones (at least before you can no longer distinguish them from the adults) so they will breed again.

Funny enough it is usually every 6 months with me this pretty much coincides with the major auctions so one or two lots will be heading up there in a few weeks. The little Kissi are very cute little guys and I will be changing to these guys I think.

Also I have found it is best NOT to remove all the fry leave a few somaller ones as it keeps them intersted in breeding.

IMO the tank is too small for Cyps with other fish.

[catfishLegacy]

Thanks for the replies. Julidochromis are a genus I was interested in, also Shelldwellers and I was wondering how Neolamprolugus caudopunctatus would go in a group? I will probably just go for one species now...and maybe mix them with some S. petricola. Are there any Tanganyikan Killies available for the upper levels?