Tanganyika tankmates

[Flex26]

I have a 29 gal tank almost ready for stocking. I was wondering if I could mix 6 multies/ocetallus (2m and 4f) and a 4-6 (1-2 m and 3-4 f) Neo. brichardi. Or would they not make good tankmates based on the size of my tank. I have read that you can "layer" Lake Tang fish. You can get some shell dwellers for the bottom, some rock dwellers for the middle, and some other fish (I forget the names) for the top. I'll probably use zebra danios for the top part.

Just let me know what everyone thinks....

Thanks!!

 

[TaffyFish]

I have only a few days experience with shellies (ocellatus and multies) and brichardi, the brichardi have basically taken over the rockwork and now want the rest of the tank too!

The smaller brichardi will even venture into the ocellatus and unclaimed shells out of curiosity but both pairs of shellies will defend themselves from over-adventurous brichardi, the multies are better at defence.

For the top layer, I have had success in my 48x18x15 Tang. community tank with half a dozen cyprichromis leptosoma. a 29 gall might be too small though.

 

[wayne]

You might find that the brichardis get a bit spiky if they pair off ,and if you start with 4 -6 this is likely. How long is a 29? You might also benefit from creative rockwork to break up trritories , and create many separate ones.
Anything less than a metre long will be small for cyprichromis.

 

[Flex26]

My 29 is 30 inches long. Much less than a meter.

Hmm...it would seem a 29 gal is too small to house shellies and brichardis.
I wasn't too worried about the cyprichromis. I was planning on danios anyway. But I did do some research on them to be sure. It looks like they like to school. And 6 or more of those guys would be too big for a 29g.

Creative rock work? I was already thinking of putting some rock work at one end of the tank. I would leave the other end with just a few rocks. I would hope that the brichardis would hang out in the rocks and the shellies would hang out at the other end without the rocks. Would this work?

If my idea of the rock work doesn't work, does anyone have any ideas of some middle layer fish that would be suitable for my set up?