Tropical Fish Keeping banner

65 gallon planted tank - setup journal

27K views 121 replies 13 participants last post by  magpie 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi there,

I'm going to show the progress of my tank setup, and would LOVE any feedback from anyone. It's a 65 gallon, 3-ft long by 24 high. Substrate is Flourite mixed with what my LFS calls "mesh" which is a slightly larger grain sand as far as I can tell. I have an Eheim 2217 external canister filter.

I set up some rocks and a couple pieces of small wood yesterday, and here's what I started with.















Sorry - phone photos. The SLR will make an appearance later on. ;) The water's a bit cloudy as I was stirring things up, and there's obviously some aeration going on with the spraybar. The water level is low because I am scheduled to get 20 plants delivered today and it's easier in a tall tank to plan in lower water.

I think I might need to move or remove a few rocks as I'm not sure how the plants will all work out. I may need to do a major redesign. I'm not sure where to put the planted driftwood yet, right now it's just there because I'm not sure where it needs to go to help balance after I get more things in the tank.

I have a larger branchy piece of driftwood coming via mail also, which I plan on having spread lengthwise but also reach up into the higher levels of the tank - we'll see how it works out when it's here.

The one lighter speckled round rock in the right pile is temporary and is just holding down the small forked piece of driftwood until it wants to hang out there on it's own, probably tipped upwards a bit more.

PLEASE throw your suggestions at me - it's been a long time and I very open! Where future plants should go, if I should move things around, etc. etc.

I'm very excited!
 
See less See more
5
#87 · (Edited)
OK, an update - I was out of town for a bit, and then sick so there have been some changes.

- The airline suction rings worked perfectly - I snipped a small slit in the ring and threaded some stems through them, then had other plants draped over to make the floating 'mat.' So now there are floating plants on both ends of the tank, with some open area in the middle. (THANK YOU KANGY!)
- I put the mesh screen on the underside of the light and it worked great! Now that he floating plants are more settled in I might clip a bit of the screen back in areas, but it worked well to take the bright edge off and I think my male goby is less ornery with the female because of it.

I have new inhabitants:
- 10 marbled hatchetfish. I've never had them before and I love them! They seem very happy - they of course hang out at the top of the tank, but also at the mid-level. They tend to face in the same direction, which is interesting (east-west) and I'm wondering if they prefer facing downstream as my current goes in that direction. They are pigs and gobble down food like nobody's business. They eat anything I put in the tank but seem to especially love the micro pellets. Funny enough, there is one lone wolf hatchet who likes to show his independent side sometimes... we frequently count them and get to 9 and then there's the rebel off swimming around in the plants. :cool:
- 8 Kuhli loaches. Have always loved them and this time's no different. They are just adorable. They of course hang out under rocks, in caves, and under wood some, but like my prior loaches are definitely out and about even in the daytime. I have read about them sometimes never being seen but I just have not had that experience with these guys. They are also very good eaters. They LOVE live brine shrimp. I was initially worried that the male goby would chase them, but he doesn't seem to care about them at all. Yesterday there was one pretty much spooning with him and he didn't bat an eye. His territorialism/chasing only seems to be conspecific but he and the lady goby are doing great overall.
- 5 Purple pencilfish (Nannostomus rubrocaudatus). They are gorgeous and I love them! (I just realized that I've said that I love all my fish, but I truly do...) It's wonderful to have a splash of red in the tank. I'd like at least 5 more, but the store only had 5 to begin with so this is what I got. They were shy the first day or two, then they've been out and about, particularly 3 of them, who seem the boldest. They have been the shyest of my fish, but they don't hide, and they do come to the side of the tank when they see me coming and staring at them, wondering if they'll be fed soon. They loosely hang out together most of the time but are definitely not schoolers. They surprised me as they are also good eaters - eat anything I put in there - micro pellets, flakes, frozen, live. They even go to the bottom to nibble on the veggie wafers, which surprised me! They really love the floating plant cover and spending time amongst the roots. They sleep there, too. But for the most part they are mid-to-upper level swimmers. They do spend some time with the rice fish on occasion. I think they'll like a bigger grouping when I can make it happen.

Tonight I'll get 12 Gertrudae Rainbowfish - they're on hold for me. They don't come through as often as the forktail blue-eyed rainbows so I had to grab them when I saw them. Right now they are tiny! If you didn't know what they looked like at maturity it would be really easy to pass them by in the store as they're not much to look at.

Next to add are the dwarves. I'm still interested in Bolivian Rams, but have also been entertaining the thought of Laetacara dorsigera (red-breasted acara) as the smiling acaras are adorable and also seem interactive in the LFS. They are growing on me, but I would only get one pair for my 65 gallon. Right now the store has curviceps but no dorsigera. Time to research more.

The only other fish I'd consider adding would be a farlowella (or two? not sure if they prefer pairs or are OK singly). They carry the 'regular' kind and the royals frequently. Again, time for more research on them as well.

Photos will come later! I have to keep hacking plants back so that's a good sign.

Overall, the tank seems really balanced and happy, and that makes me happy. :-D
 
#88 ·
A P.S. - I did my water change this past Tuesday evening, and on Thursday morning I realized that I hadn't plugged my heater back in! The tank was 67 degrees. :-(

On Wednesday night I had thought it was a little odd that I hadn't seen all 5 of the pencilfish out going crazy at feeding time, and I'm sure it's because of the temperature. So now I know that my pencilfish will be the ones to tell me that something is off. (I also know that the rice fish won't act any differently at all if something is off. ;) )

I feel like such an idiot. So far everyone is OK, and I know that fish in the wild undergo temperature fluctuations, but with new-ish fish I worry. I'm sure it will all be fine. That is one mistake I won't make twice.
*slaps forehead*
 
#92 · (Edited)
I'll post some photos later on tonight but not yet of the gertrudae because they will be settling in.

Current stock is not much more than I already listed:

- 6 Daisy's rice fish (Oryzias Woworae) - the curious guy in my avatar is a rice fish.
- 5 Purple pencilfish (Nannostomus Rubrocaudatus)
- 10 Marbled hatchetfish
- 12 Spotted blue-eye rainbowfish (Pseudomugil Gertrudae)
- 8 Kuhli loaches
- 2 Stiphodon Elegans Gobies (my LFS had them listed as "elegant algae eating goby" but they're hard to find lots of info on).

The only other additions at this point might be:
1, maybe 2 Farlowellas
2-4 dwarf cichlids depending on species.


On the Farlowella; make sure it is the true Farlowella, not the "Royal" which are most likely Sturisoma. They would cause some issues in a tank of small fish. Farlowella vittata is in our profiles, it is the most commonly seen true Farlowella but you may encounter one or two other species, the profile gives data on telling them apart and has a diagram too. This species is fine solo, or a group of 3 or more. A pair would work if you could be sure of a pair. I bought three back in 2008 and it turns out I have one male and two females. They have spawned several times, always in late August through October, and I have 3 fry now almost full size that I managed to raise. A male with spawn with several females if they are ready, and he guards the eggs of all together.

On the hatchetfish; as with most fish they will face upstream if there is a current. It is often written that this fish likes a current, but in my experience over many years with this species this is inaccurate. My group of around 20 are now in the 115g 5-foot tank, and they remain at the right-hand end where there is no surface movement at all. Down at the left end there is some, and they very rarely venture down there. I have other characins lower down that behave the same. In their habitat they prefer quiet waters such as lagoons in the stream, or flooded forest. Make sure they have minimal surface water movement and they will be less stressed.

Byron.
Thanks! I just saw the Royal Farlowella in passing (did not read the latin name) and had not done any research, so I guess it is the other that I would go with. They have it listed as a Farlowella Acus. I did a quick search on the differences between the Acus and Vittata and it seems they're not a ton different behavior-wise (and often mistaken for each other). But if you have any further information in that regard feel free to throw it my way.

My tank has the spraybar pointing at a short wall, facing slightly downwards. So there is a little current but it's not strong (like it was when I had it spraying across the tank) and it's mostly just below the spray bar. There's no movement at the surface. Maybe the hatchets are facing the other way because the water kind of circulates along the bottom toward the intake, then maybe back up? So it might feel upstream to them because of the way the bar is facing toward the bottom of the tank... Anyway, they seem very happy. Good color, eat like pigs, swim in different levels of the tank, and aren't skittish - there has been zero signs of jumping, even when I clean the tank. They're not that concerned about me now, though they were wary of the movement of us walking by the first week or so that I got them. Now they associate me with food. I think the advice here was right on in that they really like the security of floating plants, but also like the open area near the plants.

Actually, I think all of my fish like, benefit from, and feel more secure due to the floating plants and I think more people should use them. The only ones who don't seem to care are the Rice fish. They are so easy going - seem like an ideal starter fish from what I can tell. Too bad they're not more common, as I know they also breed fairly readily when the effort is put into it.

I remember reading that your Farlowella have spawned - how wonderful! They are unique little guys.
 
#91 ·
On the Farlowella; make sure it is the true Farlowella, not the "Royal" which are most likely Sturisoma. They would cause some issues in a tank of small fish. Farlowella vittata is in our profiles, it is the most commonly seen true Farlowella but you may encounter one or two other species, the profile gives data on telling them apart and has a diagram too. This species is fine solo, or a group of 3 or more. A pair would work if you could be sure of a pair. I bought three back in 2008 and it turns out I have one male and two females. They have spawned several times, always in late August through October, and I have 3 fry now almost full size that I managed to raise. A male with spawn with several females if they are ready, and he guards the eggs of all together.

On the hatchetfish; as with most fish they will face upstream if there is a current. It is often written that this fish likes a current, but in my experience over many years with this species this is inaccurate. My group of around 20 are now in the 115g 5-foot tank, and they remain at the right-hand end where there is no surface movement at all. Down at the left end there is some, and they very rarely venture down there. I have other characins lower down that behave the same. In their habitat they prefer quiet waters such as lagoons in the stream, or flooded forest. Make sure they have minimal surface water movement and they will be less stressed.

Byron.
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
#94 · (Edited)
OK, here are some photos.

First, a shot of the tank semi-recently. It's an iphone shot, so the floating plants are blown out a little.
The driftwood is still being held down by rocks, so its position will shift slightly once it is waterlogged, but probably not by much. (Haven't checked it lately, it may be ready)
I also have another small chunk of branch that is like this one (was a part of it, actually) and originally was going to add it, upright, in the right of the tank, but am not sure if I'm taking up too much swimming space. There seems to be a good amount of it right now, and the front of the tank is mostly open.

Should I trim the swords more? Or the other plants? How do you assure there is balance between plants and fish? Any suggestions for me in the scaping here?




When I first got the Pencilfish they kept checking out the female goby. I think with her striping they were wondering if she was some kind of relative. ;-)



Hatchetfish. They are actually surprisingly beautiful... under the light they have these gold flecks that look like mica.



The lady goby is pretty well camouflaged. Rice fish in the background, Pencilfish in the foreground.
(at feeding time, and everyone has gone to the floor to search for veggie wafers to pick at).



Last night when I added the gertrudae into the dark tank (I always do it with lights off and usually leave them off for the rest of the day), the hatchetfish and ricefish were checking them out too much - they are really tiny right now and I think they were wondering if they were food. So I turned on some close lamps and fed everyone to distract them.

The gertrudae were looking for food, so I take that as a good sign, but I didn't want to take many photos. Actually used the flash here. Still working out the settings that are best to shoot the fish. (Veggie wafer in the right corner attracting everyone).


Will have to update on the gertrudae later on.
 
#95 ·
That is a very lovely natural aquascape. Well done indeed.:welldone: And very good photos too.

Those are certainly Nannostomus rubrocaudatus, not that there was any doubt.;-) And the hatchets are the Guyana/Suriname/Colombia variant of Carnegiella strigata; they used to be a distinct species, Carnegiella strigata strigata, but Weitzman and Palmer in 2003 decided that this variant and the one named C. strigata fasciata were actually the same species with geographically diverse markings. If the fish are imported from Brazil or Peru, they are most likely the other variant. Photos in our profile illustrate the difference. I've managed to get some of both. This is one of my favourite fish, I've had a shoal of this species for as long as I've been keeping fish. They do jump though; make sure you never leave the cover open during the night, or there will be one or more of them on the floor in the morning. I speak from sad experience.

Byron.
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
#96 · (Edited)
Thanks for the hatchet info- I love this kind of information! And I have totally fallen in love with them. Phillip had a dog walker come in when I was out of town for one night, and Phillip had her feed the fish. When he came home she had left the lid open and he could only count 9 hatchets and told me on the phone that one was gone. :-( I got home and counted 10 - they were safe! He either missed our random rogue hatchet or missed one that was maybe facing him instead of side-on. Phew! We are careful about leaving the tops down. And I'll never have someone feed the fish again unless we're gone for more than 5 days, I think.

Here are 2 shots of each side of the tank. Can you please critique and let me know what needs to be trimmed or moved? Do you think there's enough swimming space and/or do you think some plants should be moved or removed or added? Now that everything's established and the tank equilibrium seems balanced, I'll need to keep up on it. The swords are taller than in the above front-view photo. When do you trim/thin them? In the past I've never had enough light/fertilization to really have to deal with that.

I really would like any input that anyone has. Want the fish to be as happy as I can make them, and this is the largest and lushest tank I've had.

The top rock fell off the driftwood, so tomorrow I may see if it's waterlogged, and then shift it a bit, and the sword leaves won't be bunched behind it so much.




The plants (not sure what) that were here on this side in the middle (you can see in the prior front tank view photo) got spindly and pieces rotted. I think I ruined the roots of most of them (kind of smashed them into the substrate) and I should have been trimming them. Just pulled the remaining few. I'll fill the space if needed, but right now it seems OK.
 
#97 ·
I leave sword plants alone except for bad leaves. I find that as the plant grows, older leaves tend to look "old," usually by getting spots or holes or yellowing, or sometimes algae (brush algae especially) will appear on the leaf margins, a sure sign that the leaf is dying. I remove them as I see them, so the plant is directing its resources at the newer developing leaves.

The swords will likely over-run this tank in time. Growth and behaviour depends significantly on light and nutrients. Plus they go through growth stages and rest periods, like most plants; being "Tropical" they do not die down for the "winter" but they still need a period of vegetative rest, and that is seen as a period of no new leaves. Usually following this, the inflorescence will appear, along with new leaf growth or not; sometimes just new leaves. This genus of plants is quite variable. The same species will appear quite different in different aquaria due to any number of factors, and sometimes even within the same tank due to light variations.

Byron.
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
#99 ·
OK, perfect, thanks. If they start to go overwhelm things then I'll trim them back. I probably could have used one less of them (to plan for growth and maturity), but I wanted to heavily plant so that the balance would be better.

Do you think everything looks OK overall then, or should I add/remove stuff? I am happy with the way it looks visually overall, but am not really sure what the fish prefer, and you have far far more experience in that arena.


And thanks Boredomb!
 
#100 ·
To late to edit... Byron, do your Farlowella eat blanched veggies? Veggie wafers? I read that you have to be sure they're getting enough food.

Also... with my stocking and size, would you personally get one or two of them? I've never had a "solo" fish before. If they'd be OK, maybe one would be fine, but I always lean towards at least one buddy for my fish. But... I also know my tank, once I get whatever dwarves, will be pretty close to full capacity, most likely (?). The filtration is good, and they have plenty of plants to hang out on... but I want to be sure I'm doing what's best for the tank and not just what I want (which would be a pair).
 
#104 ·
Thanks everyone.... :)
 
#105 ·
Ok, updates....

I got three Farlowella. They seem to be happy - eating a bunch, coming down to eat the prepared food and pellets and zucchini, grazing on plants and glass. There was some initial hiding and shyness but that didn't last long - maybe 3 days. I can tell each of them apart, and one of them (Slim) was the last for me to see eat prepared food, and once I saw him on an algae wafer, I felt better. ;) I have read that they'll be outcompeted at feeding time but they get right in there now with the Gobies and the Kuhlis no problem.

The Gertrudae Rainbows are growing fairly quickly... they are now starting to display more to each other and they're already beautiful doing it... now for them to grow just a bit more to fully appreciate it.

The Rainbows actually seem to like the increase in temperature that I've raised it to recently because there's been a bout of ich. (Ugh) Currently treating it right now, and anytime there's an issue I worry. Hopefully everyone will come out of it OK. I worry about the Farlowella and the Kuhlis with the Coppersafe treatment. The Ricefish are hit the worst with it, which is interesting because they've always seemed the most boisterous and bomb-proof in the tank.

Also, yesterday, even amidst this ich treatment - I saw a tiny little fry!!! :fish:
It had blue eyes so it was either a Ricefish or a Rainbowfish. I would assume Ricefish because the Rainbows are still so small yet, but the Ricefish are sick and not very active, so who knows. Either way -so exciting! I should read up on what to do with fry and how to raise them - that might be fun to try if I could find them and separate soon enough. I suppose I'd need a little tank with heater and filter and all... or can I get some kind of contained area to keep them in the main tank to grow out? I only saw one, but it was up in the floating plants so it's hard to see if there are more. I'm sure they've become or will become dinner right now. I have frozen baby brine shrimp and tried to put some near it, just in case. ;-)

OK, a whole bunch of photos.







They fed them cucumber and zucchini at the LFS so there was no break-in period there. The kuhlis like zucchini, too.



The Kuhlis and a Twig seeing what's left of the zucchini the next morning. They even nibbled at the skin until it was mostly gone.



Rainbow checking to see if there'll be any edible flotsam kicked up. They hover around the bottom feeders when they're eating algae/veggie/shrimp pellets and they snatch up small crumbs behind them. Pretty clever if you ask me.



Sharing with the female goby.



I'm camoflauged



Ricefish, Rainbows, both gobies, and a twiggy



Ricefish with ich. :-(



Not a great shot, but there are 5 species in it: Goby, Ricefish, Rainbowfish, Pencilfish, Farlowella. (Dinnertime)



Some of the adorable Kuhlis.



Can't forget about the guys up top!



 
#107 ·
Love your pictures, what do you use to take them?

I have a DSLR and am still experimenting trying to figure out how to take good clear photos. I'm a novice at it so mostly trial and error ;) I have a tripod with a shutter release remote to keep it perfectly still, I do this because I don't want to use the flash as it really changes the colors of the tank (and the fish hate it). But... of course that means a slower shutter speed and as we all know fish don't sit still for pictures =)
 
#109 ·
I use a Nikon D7000 and a 28-200 lens. This camera performs better in lower light than my prior D50. I'm still experimenting with which settings to use myself.... I haven't used a tripod, but that's a great idea. I shoot in aperture priority, auto ISO, and see what I can get away with depending on where in the tank I'm shooting. I try to use a large aperture so that the shutter speed can be faster, but of course sometimes that really makes a very small depth of field/focus. I've tried to shoot totally manually and also with shutter priority but I keep coming back to aperture priority with auto ISO. Still need to keep messing with it, though. I've found that it's tough to shoot through too much water or you get some distortion. Also, it can be hard for the camera to focus - sometimes it wants to choose the front glass or one of the many plants, so I've tried both manual and auto focus.

I also agree re: the flash, which makes it harder. I'm wondering if it would work to use a flash but diffuse it with some tissue paper or something so it's not so harsh or that it doesn't scare the fish? Although the few times I tried the flash, they didn't seem overly bothered by it, actually.

As you can see, my sharpest shots so far are those of the more still fish. ;-) Hatchets, twigs, gobies are much easier to shoot than the little fast rainbows.

Of course, I also take about 5782 photos to get 10 that are sharp, especially when shooting the movers. :-D

On the fry: when you see one or two or three fry appear in a community tank, I would just leave them. By the time they are to the size that they are out and about and visible, they will almost certainly survive. My Coral Red pencilfish, Nannostomus mortenthaleri, spawn regularly, and a couple weeks ago I spotted a fry and then a few days later saw two together. The adults ignore them (they are currently busy spawning again) and the fry don't seem nervous in their out-and-about searching for food. There is a lot of natural food in a planted and established tank, and the fry that survive predation during the egg stage or immediately post-hatching will be fine.

Sometimes narrowing down what they are can be difficult. The two fry I have do not yet look in the least like the pencil adults, aside from being linear, but there is nothing else in this tank that they resemble either--pygmy hatchetfish, dwarf banded loach, dwarf loach, pygmy Cory--so I've concluded they must be pencils.

If you want to raise larger number of them, observing the parents to ascertain possible "pairs" and moving them to a separate spawning tank is usually the best method.

Byron.
Thanks! I saw a fry last night, still. I still can't believe it's happening with the Coppersafe in there. I guess that shows you that it's not insanely toxic, or I don't think the fry would be alive. It's hard to find them in the floating plants... but that's probably why they / it is still alive, I guess. It makes me most happy because to me a fish wouldn't spawn unless it was comfortable. (right?)

I'll keep you updated!



I'm no longer seeing the ich spots on any of the fish. It has been exactly one week since I dosed the tank with Coppersafe, but it was only about 82-83 for the first few days. Should I give it another few days before dropping the heat down, and then changing the water, or should I drop the heat down now/tomorrow and go with the original plan?

My fish definitely aren't as happy with the temps up that high, with the exception being the Rainbowfish, who seem to love it. Everyone else is a bit less active. No one seems super stressed, but for example the Pencilfish are hanging out in the plants more, with lots less time out in the open. The Hatchets are a bit lighter in their markings. They're not pale, but they're not as happy. The kuhlis are hiding more during the day. Those types of things. I'm ready to drop the temps again, but I don't want to do it prematurely....
 
#108 ·
Looking good magpie, and lovely photos too.:welldone:

On the fry: when you see one or two or three fry appear in a community tank, I would just leave them. By the time they are to the size that they are out and about and visible, they will almost certainly survive. My Coral Red pencilfish, Nannostomus mortenthaleri, spawn regularly, and a couple weeks ago I spotted a fry and then a few days later saw two together. The adults ignore them (they are currently busy spawning again) and the fry don't seem nervous in their out-and-about searching for food. There is a lot of natural food in a planted and established tank, and the fry that survive predation during the egg stage or immediately post-hatching will be fine.

Sometimes narrowing down what they are can be difficult. The two fry I have do not yet look in the least like the pencil adults, aside from being linear, but there is nothing else in this tank that they resemble either--pygmy hatchetfish, dwarf banded loach, dwarf loach, pygmy Cory--so I've concluded they must be pencils.

If you want to raise larger number of them, observing the parents to ascertain possible "pairs" and moving them to a separate spawning tank is usually the best method.

Byron.
 
#110 ·
I am so jealous of all the lovely choices of fish you have. Your tank is beautiful and so peaceful looking. I wish I could swim in there. :)
 
#111 ·
Thank you!
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#112 ·
I'm no longer seeing the ich spots on any of the fish. It has been exactly one week since I dosed the tank with Coppersafe, but it was only about 82-83 for the first few days. Should I give it another few days before dropping the heat down, and then changing the water, or should I drop the heat down now/tomorrow and go with the original plan?

My fish definitely aren't as happy with the temps up that high, with the exception being the Rainbowfish, who seem to love it. Everyone else is a bit less active. No one seems super stressed, but for example the Pencilfish are hanging out in the plants more, with lots less time out in the open. The Hatchets are a bit lighter in their markings. They're not pale, but they're not as happy. The kuhlis are hiding more during the day. Those types of things. I'm ready to drop the temps again, but I don't want to do it prematurely....
I usually lower the temp back to normal after a week. The CS remains active for a month, though any water changes will obviously reduce its strength which is why I do the major wc just before the first treatment so I can let it go a few more days even after the temp is back to normal.

CS is not as strong as some treatments (hence it is safe for these delicate fish) so some of the ich may slip through. Keep an eye out for any flashing. Ich always first attacks the gills.
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
#113 ·
Thanks! I think my fish will be happy to have it back down.
 
#114 ·
I just took some tank shots and here is an updated shot. There have been a bunch of changes.

As far as the scaping goes, I need to thin the swords a bit, and I do have a small piece of driftwood that I may incorporate at some point, where the other driftwood (potentially toxic) was. Not quite positive about that yet, as right now I'm pretty happy with it and the fish seem happy too.



To keep it a journal for myself, here's a link to another major tank issue I had after the ich was resolved. I still am not sure if it was an introduced toxin or gill flukes. Either way I had many deaths, sadly. It was not a fun period of time in my tank's history at all. Stressful and sad. :(
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/sudden-tank-issues-long-94857/

Around that same time, before tragedy struck, I added a pair of wild Laetacara Araguaiae sp. "Bucklekopf" and a male Apistogramma Baenschi Inka. I just loved the curious nature of the Laetacara - they remind me a little bit of puffers. They were very owner-interactive and were fantastic snail hunters! I tried to get 2 males per a dwarf cichlid expert, to limit the chance of any breeding aggression. Well, in less than a month, the Laetacara had grown quite a bit, and apparently I had a pair, since they spawned twice in a month. Here's the thread for that, with photos of this pair, who displayed just gorgeous spawning colors. The science- and nature-dork in me LOVED watching their spawning behaviors. They were fantastic parents!
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/cichlids/laetacara-araguaiae-spawned-any-chance-community-96637/

After their second spawn, they became more territorial and were actively seeking out the Apisto, constantly chasing him. They also chased the other fish quite a bit when they approached the fry, and though they weren't hurting or damaging anyone, I felt like it wasn't fair to them to be undergoing the stress of the community fish always approaching their fry, and to the rest of the fish for continually being chased. I found out that they could potentially spawn every few weeks, so I decided to re-home them. This really saddened me (I just loved those guys), but I do see why you should generally choose a breeder or community setup for dwarves. Probably more important with wild-caught species. I think if I had chosen two males, they'd still be here. There was no aggression prior to the spawn - in fact, they deferred to the Apisto. Oh well. They're notoriously hard to sex as youngsters.

After a discussion here, I had some fish replacing to do following my major tragedy. I chose to add some Brown-tailed Pencilfish (Nannostomus Eques), Cardinal Tetras, and White-finned Rosy Tetras (Hyphessobrycon Rosaceus).

I am loving this mix! The White-finned tetras are gorgeous and active. The Brown-tailed pencils are a wonderful visual addition with their 45-degree angled swimming pattern. The Cardinals add a nice splash of color.

So, current stocking as of today:
- Marbled hatchetfish
- Brown-tailed pencilfish (Nannostomus eques)
- Cardinal tetras
- White-finned rosy tetras (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus)
- Kuhli loaches
- Stiphodon Elegans Gobies
- Farlowella acus
- Apistogramma Baenschi Inka

Once this all settles down I may consider adding another peaceful dwarf - Dicrossus maculatus. We shall see.
 
#115 · (Edited)
Here are some photos of the new inhabitants, however I need to try again as the pencilfish are hard to really give photographic justice to. They are a beautiful rich brown, with deep wine red on their tails, and in the right light, you can see blue on their pectoral fins. They remind me of seahorses for some reason. I just adore them.


Underexposed...





The white-finned rosy tetras, at feeding time, hoping to find some morsels on the ground. After they're done feeding in the column, they go peck at the wafers for the bottom feeders. They are pigs.


Not bullies, though. Just into food!



My guess re: sexing (without researching) is that this below is a female, and the males are the ones with the more diffuse black spot and longer dorsal fin - like the main guy in the above photo, furthest right and most in focus.



OK, that's all for now. :)
 
#116 ·
Beautiful fish, :nicefish: and photos.:thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top