C. furcifer compatability questions

[phagus]

i'm getting 8 juvenile Karalani Copper Furcifer and was wanting to mix them with some Callochromis Melanostigma (3).
i would also like to have a species of shell or preferably rock dweller, was thinking some Julidochromis Transcriptus "Gombe".
would this work in my 48x18x18 keeping in mind all these fish are juvies and will be growing up together and when they do will go into a bigger tank.
thanks
adam

[aharris]

C. furcifer do best in a tank with at least a 6' length. If you had them in a four foot tank, they would be best as your only residents.

The Gombe julis are little psychoes in temperment. I woudl go with another small variant like the dickfeldi or the ornatus or any of the transcriptus that aren't from Gombe.

Your Callochromis may still compete with your furcifer for space even in a larger tank if both are sand dwellers.

[acenomics]

i have a tank with furcifers and i have mine with a group of 11 cyps. this combo works out very nicely. i dont know if you are set on what you said you are putting with the furcifers but maybe it is something to consider

[aharris]

My furcifer are also in with Cyprichromis, and they both get along wonderfully.

[phagus]

yeah left out the "utinta" cyprichromis and i think i'll go with a shelly .
so it will be cyps, furcifer and probably occelatus.
if anyone has any other suggestions, i'd like to hear em.
i wont get any other sand dwellers to compete with the furcifer.
cheers
adam

[aharris]

Again, the tank space is really too small for two species to take up bottom space. The ocellatus will be rabid about defending their shells from the furcifer who will quite possibly be intimidated into not wanting to breed (for all their great size, they're big pussycats). If you want to see the color of the furcifer, you want them to at least display. That means assuming that the entire bottom of your 4' tank will be given over to them. Hence why we suggest you get the cyprichromis. Cyps do not utilize the bottom of the tank at all and will not molest your furcifer. I did add shellies to my 135g, but I had to be extremely careful about how I did it. If you must have shellies, wait until you have a 6' tank so you have some bottom space to work with.

[phagus]

aharris,
i might just go with the cyps and furcifer then.
the now 7 furcifer, (smallest one died, it's so hot in Brisbane , Australia at the moment and my tank has been reaching 32 degrees celcius).
keeping in mind that the furcifer range from 1-2inch in size, how many cyps could i grow up with em in this size tank.
adam

[aharris]

A school of 8-10 is the best way to go. I don't know how soon you'll be putting them in a larger tank, but you should be fine if it's within a year. Depending on how large that tank is, you can then think about adding some shellies.

[phagus]

got some shellies today, (3, N. Ocellatus, Blue) and i also scored 20 escargo shells, i have heard varying opinions on mixing these fish, but taking into account the size of the furcifer it will be a while before they even think about starting to breed and wanting a real territory.
if it is a problem however i have another tank set up and ready to go for the shellies.
here are a few pics.
http://community.webshots.com/album/115167877SKKIQu?679