Cyprichromis leptosoma

[twiztid1980]

Just got 3 of these at my LFS. i got the youngest ones so their colors have not came out yet but the adult they had was very colorful. They school together and are never far apart except when feeding. Great fish for any tank as they are not aggressive at all.

If anyone has any info on them let me know bc i couldnt find a whole lot on them.

[Fishguy2727]

What is the pH of the tank? Do you use a cichlid lake salt? What are you feeding?

[twiztid1980]

Ph is 8.4 I don't use salt and am feeding flake food and cichlid pellets but the pellets are too big for them atm and thats the smallest size i could find. They were bred locally so the Ph is what they are used too and id use the salt but a ? i have about that is will it be ok for Danios Guoramis and tetras? If not I dont think ill use it.

[Chrona]

Ph is 8.4 I don't use salt and am feeding flake food and cichlid pellets but the pellets are too big for them atm and thats the smallest size i could find. They were bred locally so the Ph is what they are used too and id use the salt but a ? i have about that is will it be ok for Danios Guoramis and tetras? If not I dont think ill use it.

Tetras and gouramis should not go in a pH 8.4 tank in any case. All fish can adapt to some degree but that's really pushing it. Not sure on the salts.

[twiztid1980]

See this is what I always hear and I know there is no truth too that to some degree like fish that live in acidic water. All fish I buy are usually locally bred and I know of a few people who have guoramis in a high Ph tank with no issues. The owner of my LFS even said if any fish can be bred in high Ph the young fry will mature with a higher tolerance for the water they are in.

[Chrona]

Well then you would have to stick to locally bred tetras and gouramis, which will limit your selection. Many fish like the cardinal tetra are solely imported from the wild (some have been bred, but it's very hard to find these, and they were all bred overseas, under conditions that mirror their natural environment) Furthermore, many varieties of tetras simply won't breed in high pH hard water conditions.

And note I said "should not", not "cannot" be kept in those conditions. Sure the locally bred fish may have a higher tolerance for high pH, hard water, but it still doesn't change the fact that it doesn't suit them. Tolerance doesn't equate to preference.

[twiztid1980]

I know what you mean and will choose wisely. Im not looking for specifics when it come to other fish. Just something to bring some mid level activity to the tank as it is 25 inches tall and all the cichlids are at the bottom and the danios at the top. I also have 3 Chalinochromis brichardis as well as 2 Kribs which ive had and bred for 2 years now only this last time they didnt eat all the fry. So my cichlid selection is done.

[Fishguy2727]

They should only be with other Lake Tanganyikan fish. Even if they do alright in it, they would do even better in the proper conditions, I believe Lake Tanganyika is 9.0 with certain salts/minerals that should be copied in your tank's chemistry. The goal should always be to get your fish to thrive, not just do good enough. Even if these fish have been bred in captivity, that doesn't undo hundreds of thousands to millions of years of evolution that adapted them to specific water conditions. Even if the fish can't swallow them yet, pellets is a better diet (especially/mainly New Life Spectrum) and they will usually grab a pellet and run around with it while it soaks and softens at which point they will bite off smaller pieces.

[twiztid1980]

I know what you mean but another thing is adaptation isnt evolution and adaptation happens much faster from generation to generation in most cases(talking about the danios and guoramis) especially danios can adapt to many water conditions. Now with the cichlid lake salt what amount would I need to use and will the directions be with the pack. I have never used anything of the sort and know of no major problems without using it. All i heard is that it can only do good but is ok not too. Only problem is I have the other fish in the tank and no where to put them so Im kinda stuck with them. So I think salt may be a bad idea. Out of the few I know that keep cichlids none use salt and have thriving fish with great colors. I dont know much and would like some insight so I can do the best within my limits.

Sorry for the long post but it seems i made a mistake with the other fish my g/f wanted the guorami and I figured danios can survive almost anything and go with most fish. Let me know if these fish can handle the salt or not and ill go from there.

[Fishguy2727]

They may survive, but just surviving is no life. You may survive through prison, but that doesn't mean it is the best you should be in. Do all your fish a favor and get them the conditions they need. The lake fish should be in the proper conditions including the salt, dosing is on the bottle. The others should not be in the same tank. So you need to either give them to someone who can properly care for them, or get another tank. If your tap isn't right for them just use a buffer like Proper pH in a separate tank. You can't undo evolution in a couple of generations, they may be more tolerant of the wrong conditions, but they are still the wrong conditions.

[twiztid1980]

Ok adaptability is why things survive, evolution makes a new animal so get it right. So adaptability is stronger in so many ways an amimal has to adapt to be able to evolve. Anyhow the salt factor in the lake is probably so low that it doesnt make a huge difference if its used or not.

[twiztid1980]

Looks like the salt is only used to raise the GH of the water and mine is at 300 already so my water is properly buffered for tang fish and thats why salt is not a neccessity in most cases.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_chemistry.php

[Fishguy2727]

Adaptation is a change in an individual, evolution is a change in the gene pool. The salt adds the minerals in the right concentration and proportions that these fish have evolved to over hundreds of thousands of years, without it they are not in the environment they need. These individuals may have adapted to be more tolerant of lower pH and salt levels, but there is no way they have evolved to that water chemistry. They will do better in the best environment reasonably possible. It is perfectly reasonable for you to get them the salt they need. The gouramis, danios, and such should not be with them, they need a lower pH. The lake cichlids need a higher pH and the salt. It is not just to harden the water (calcium and magnesium) or raise the alkalinity/carbonate hardness, there are many other minerals vital for proper physiological function in these fish. If you look on the Cichlid Lake Salt by Seachem they list all the ingredients and even have a graph comparing the mineral levels of the salt with that of Lake Tanganyika, they are effectively exactly the same. To properly care for these fish you need to do all the research you can and meet their needs as best you can. 'Good enough' shouldn't be good enough, if you can do better to help them thrive better you should. They can't do it. They can't tell you what you need to change. They didn't choose to live in your tank. That is why it is vital that you give them the conditions they need.

[flipingout]

Cyprichromis leptosoma
put the pellets in a pepper grinder, tricky fish to breed. I am keeping these guys ATM

http://usera.imagecave.com/Flipingout/Fish099.jpg