Syno community?

a7oneal · Post by **a7oneal** » 06 Jul 2005, 21:09

Hey all, first post here although a reasonably experienced aquarist.... I always have trouble with what an appropriate tank size would be.

If I wanted to have a tank with a mix of Synodontis species and keep an angelicus, a group of multipunctatus, and maybe 1 or 2 more about the size of the angelicus... how big would this tank have to conceivably be? I'm guessing maybe a 220 or something... I'd probably throw in a group of some kind of Mbuna.

Would this even be possible to do, or would they fight like cats and dogs?

Post by **Silurus** » 06 Jul 2005, 21:12

The optimal water conditions required for an angelicus are somewhat different from those of multipunctatus. You might be able to keep an angelicus with the harder water fish, but I doubt that it will do very well in the long run.

Post by **corybreed** » 06 Jul 2005, 22:00

A 220 would be a nice size tank for mbuna and synos. As HH has said S. angelicus is from the Zaire Basin and the water parameters are very different from Lake Tanganyika, Victoria or Malawi. Angelicus are tough and would adjust to the high pH and hardness but it would be easier to keep any of the following: multipunctatus, petricola, polli, njassae, victoriae, nigromaculatus and if you can afford one, granulosus. This is a nice group to choose from for a syno community tank with mbuna. Best of luck.

Mark

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 06 Jul 2005, 23:33

I wouldn't try Victoriae.....

even IF they're available, they're highly threathened in the wild with extinction due to the Nile Perch disaster, and Lake Victoria has waterparameters quite different from Tanganyika/Malawi.

the water is very soft, although the pH varies widely.

if that species ever makes it in the trade, it's best to collect all the fish in a group and start some serious breeding effort; before it goes the way of the Dodo.
it would be a big waste to buy victoriae's as singles or so for a cichlid-tank......

a7oneal · Post by **a7oneal** » 07 Jul 2005, 01:36

You know what, I'm stupid... I knew about the water parameter issues, and yet completely forgot about that.

So, I liked the group listed for hard water (and I agree with sidguppy on any threatened species... if they're going to be kept at all, it should be strictly for the purposes of breeding them).

Let's say I removed the requirement for hard water by removing those fish (namely, the c******s

), and decided to focus on the softer water with lower pH types as the centerpieces... thus bringing angelicus back into the fold. Which others would work with it?

It would be pretty cool to see a decent sized school of nigriventris swimming around!

Thanks for the info all of you (and your patience)! I can't believe I forgot about that stuff!

Post by **corybreed** » 07 Jul 2005, 02:05

IF you removed the cichlids and go with the softer water/lower pH you can combine the angelicus with any of a number of species. My suggestion would be any of the following: schoutedeni, flavitaeniatus, decorus, nigriventris,and brichardi which requires a lot of current and oxygen. There are others less commonly available. You can check the Cate-log for more information. In my experience I find angelicus to be the most territorial of all the fish mentioned.

Mark

a7oneal · Post by **a7oneal** » 07 Jul 2005, 02:09

Excellent, and thanks for pointing me towards the Cate-log.

It'll take me awhile to find everything on this site!

stallion81 · Post by **stallion81** » 07 Jul 2005, 15:19

First I will ask you what PH and hardness is your water out of your tap. I find it harder to adjust your H2O peramiteres, than it is to get a catfish adjusted. Especially if your running big/alot of tanks. Thats alot of water. I have owned 3 Angelicus, 1 Brichardi,3 Decorus which "prefer" softer water than the rift lakes. All have/are doing very well. Find them young and at LFS or breeder with similar water as yours. My PH is 8.1 and HARD. I currently keep Multis,Angelicus,Brichardi,Granulosus in the same tank. They all schoal together minus the Angelicus(as they are more seclusive). But by all means, if you feel that is wrong, as stated above there are many to choose from in either water range.

Post by **Birger** » 08 Jul 2005, 05:20

I also keep a tank with 5 angelicus, a dozen nigriventris and four ocellifer, the angelicus are not big enough to wreak havoc yet and/or the ocellifer are keeping them in check(so far), the ocellifer love to dig, they have every rock they can get under dug out(sand substrate). The angelicus hang out in the stone overhangs and caves above as well as the nigriventris.I will be adding more nigriventris as for some reason these are my favs. With the addition of sand as well it has brought out sifting behavior in the angelicus, taking mouthfulls of sand and releasing out through their gill covers as they search for food.
I keep them in a ph of 7.8
I also keep multi's and petricola but I wouldn't mix them with the westies for the reasons stated above and also because the behavior is quite different, they seem to annoy the other more sedentary(during the day) fish as they continuously motor around the tank, I just can't have my angelicus getting grouchy.

Birger