How do I set up a Tanganyikan community?
I'm a huge fan of African cichlids. I know Tanganyikans are less aggressive than most Malawis and I wondered about setting up a Tanganyikan community-type tank. If it’s do-able, which 'peaceful' fish would you recommend for a 120x45x45cm set-up? I presume I don't need to overcrowd them or add them all at once as is often recommended for Malawis, but do I need to introduce these cichlids in any particular order?
I'd welcome any advice please, as despite having kept cichlids for nearly five years, I do find the African species a bit of a minefield.
ROB FLETCHER
JEREMY SAYS:
I love cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, and the way that the whole lake behaves like a freshwater sea, the cichlids evolving and adapting to all the different habitats from wavy shorelines to the deepest depths.
A 120x45cm tank is a good place to start, and if you want peaceful species, you’ll be pleased to hear that some of the most peaceful cichlids on the planet—the Cyprichromis genus of sardine cichlids—come from Lake Tanganyika. You could start with six sardine cichlids: two males and four females. Unlike other cichlids they swim in the upper water layers and don’t take over any rocky territories, and they should breed too, with the females mouthbrooding just a few very large fry.
If you make a large sandy area, you could also add some sand-dwelling Tanganyikans, like Xenotilapia or
Enantiopus, again very peaceful by cichlid standards, and exquisitely beautiful close-up.
And then there are the featherfins,
Cyathopharynx and Ophthalmotilapia.
Keep one male to three females and the males will dazzle with their displays and adult colours as they mature.
Keep an assortment of cichlids from those genera and that’s about as peaceful a Tanganyika tank as you’re ever going to get. They don’t need to be added in any order and overcrowding to reduce territoriality is not required. Good water quality is essential at all times, however.