jvision

That's just what Crypts do. When their water parameters change, the leaves melt. As long as the rhyzome is healthy, you'll get new leaves right away. Kind of a pain, I know... but, it's just what they do.

I agree with Algae Farmer. I kept plants unplanted for well over a month when I moved, got married, honeymooned, moved again. One of my Ozelot Swords even flowered!

If they do need softer, more acidic water, boiled peat does it the best-for-less-$, IME. It will tan your water, so if it's a planted tank w. light-hungry plants, you may not want to add too much. Just put some dry peat in a nylon, toss it in a pot and boil it for a while, rinse it under cool water, and add to your tank. It's that easy.

:drool: Looks sooooo good!

I just use tap water for mine. I do have some nice stands of Val, which will use CO3 from the water.... but, I doubt it's affecting anything. For a while, I was using Seachem's Acid buffer, as I had a discuss in the tank as well. I'm not using it anymore, which could be another reason they stopped breeding all the time....

I've got a few mbuna that I'd like to part with. Was supposed to have 'em picked up a couple of weeks ago, but I guess it fell thru. Pair of Ps. elongatus "ornatus" Couple Red Top "Ice Blue" Zebras Healthy fish, around the 4" mark. Fed well on NLS. $5 ea if you want 'em.

I feed mine (Bolivians) NLS 2-3 x per day, and substitute white worms for 1 feeding about 3 x per week. They were spawning every week for a while. Maybe they got tired of the BNP harassing them all the time. They're getting their own tank soon.

If you already have the NLS, you may want to just crush what you have for now. But, look into getting the smaller size, and/or the Grow formula for the future. Whiteworms are a good food for conditioning, but probably won't be a good staple for long periods of time.

Those whiteworms worked fast!!! If this is their first time spawning, it could take a few times before they get the parenting thing - kind of like angels, I guess. If you are more interested in rearing fry, you may want to try artificially hatching them if the parents don't get it after 3 or 4 tries.

I'm not sure who donated them to the ACE. They're only about 2" right now, so would likely be a nice snack for Fronts. Now they're looking like "Gold"s... maybe "Pearl White" means they're a Gold x White?

The rumors I've heard about this plant is that they like cooler water. 75F is at the max of their range. Otherwise, like most other Apons. Feed the roots, give it some light, and it should get pretty big. Of course, these are just rumors!! :P

Crabs molt out of the bottom of their shells - it's like a little trap door.

Ver nice!

I agree with Milan. I use the filter, PLUS 2 powerheads for CO2 disolution/distribution.

If it's an heavily planted tank with low stocking levels, this could work. However, even on my HEAVILY planted 55 gal, I run a filter on it rated for a 60 gal. Biological filtration is still important IMO. For the most part, Val and Crypt aren't huge photosynthesizers (don't even know if that's a word!), so your O2 will likely not saturate. If you are going to remove all 'filtration', I'd definitely add some fast-growing stem plants. They feed much more from the water column than do Val and Crypt. Or, go with some floating plants - the smallest of which I'd recommend is Lima major (giant duckweed). Frogbit or Silvania would be better IMO.

I think there are a couple ppl breeding 'em locally, so I don't think I'll be looking at them. I NEVER buy from the big chain stores, and am even thinking of swearing off any store that uses centralized filtration. Hobbyists, or Mom & Pops!

I was looking at Mongabay yesterday. It's actually what got me thinking about the "other" Tangs. From that site, the only small Syno that is found near the Lake is S. petricola, and they say it's more of a riverine species. I'll probably go with it, anyway, as it's close. I like S. multipunctatus, but 10" is going to be a bit big.

Direct quote from Gina's fish: "Oh! She's got the camera! Nobody move!!" :P

I'm looking at setting up a biotope - or close to - for Lake Tanganikan Cichlids. I'd love to have other fish besides just cichlids, but am not too sure where to look to find other Tanganikan fish. I'm not going for anything huge - prefer fish in the >6" range. Is there a site that has a good list of 'other' Tang. fish, their habits and sizes? How 'bout a good book? Thanks!

Sounds like a good crowd for a 55gal, or so.

Most Apistos you find in the stores these days are aquarium bred and rased, so they're pretty adaptable. The trick with some of the larger Apistos, like Cackatoos, is to provide caves that the male can't fit into - he can get a little to boisterous when he's ready to mate. I've used small, 2" tera cota pots with excellent success. Just punch out a hole in the bottom that's big enough for the female, but not so big as the male can get in. Lots of hiding places and plants will make them happy, IME. Some people are having some excellent success with a few layers of oak leaves over a thin layer of sand, which matches their natural habitat quite well. Feeding - everyone knows NLS is the way to go!! You may also want to feed live foods as well to condition them. Whiteworms, Grindal worms, Red wrigglers, and Daphnia are some of the easiest live foods to come by. Apistos are great parents! In a 10 gal, however, you may have to move a male Cackatoo out. 15 gal may be better. Apisto. borelli stays smaller, and would be a great option. A. borelli also comes from cooler locations, so 75-78 would be great. Otherwise 78-81 is what I've found to work well. One note: offspring sexes are determined by temperature. Other lit and sites I recommend are the Apisto List (archived at The Krib), and I believe there is a site called Apistogramma.com that is quite helpful. FYI, I used to keep and breed Apistos several years ago. I don't have any right now, but I do have a planted 10g that's begging for a pair of A. borelli!! :drool:

My wife just sprung on me that she wants to move to a downtown apartment - downsize from the townhouse we live in now!! I'm thinking, where am I going to put my fish?? Then, I made a bargain. We live in the apartment for a few years, then I get to build THIS!!!! :w00t:

You don't have to worry about the old tank. All the mulm that has accumulated has excellent CEC. Older tanks usually grow plants quite well - even without additional ferts. Of course, when you start adding CO2, I'd recommend dosing the water column b/c the plants' needs will increase.

Hi! :welcome:

Really? It stays where you inject it? I have to give this a try. If you have Flourite, or peat, or something else in your substrate that has a high CEC, then your ferts will be 'absorbed' by the substrate, and then be taken up by the plants as needed.