Cr. anthurus

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Scatocephalus

Scatocephalus

Piranha
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2004
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Rio Negro
OK, after much cajoling and harassment I've decided to post some pics of the anthurus. All 4 ended up being females. They are currently in a 60 gallon tank loaded with driftwood, and oak leaves so the water is extremely dark. They are also incredibly skittish. I had a very difficult time getting any decent pics. Out of the 4 fish I have no idea how many pics are of the same fish or if I have one of each fish. I know there are at least two different fish pictured based on the dorsal fin patterns. Lastly, I had to feed them to get them to come out so they all have a mouthful of krill.

Oh, and by no stretch of the imagination is this a show tank. It is an old beat up acrylic tank with more scratches, dents and crazing than a car driven by an old man on acid. Without further delay...

Cranthurus-3_32408_edited.jpg


Cranthurus-1_32408_edited.jpg


This female is different than the above two. It is a horrid pic but shows the cool dorsal pattern.

Cranthurus-5_32408_edited.jpg


Anyone know where I can get a male??
 
Gorgeous 100% FINALLY! I love them man! They look AWESOME!! Can't wait till they are fully mature!! If you DO get a male, they are really going to POP! Cool beans!!

About the tanks, no biggy, thats the way ALL my tanks are...:(. I don't have any NEW tanks...all used or hand-me-downs. Oh well, they still work! :D One day I'll get some brand new show tanks! :D
 
Peanut_Power;1644069; said:
Gorgeous 100% FINALLY! I love them man! They look AWESOME!! Can't wait till they are fully mature!! If you DO get a male, they are really going to POP! Cool beans!!

About the tanks, no biggy, thats the way ALL my tanks are...:(. I don't have any NEW tanks...all used or hand-me-downs. Oh well, they still work! :D One day I'll get some brand new show tanks! :D
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Believe it or not, the top fish has quite the pink belly. They all have sky blue edging around the edge of their caudal fin as well. They are really colorful fish. The blackwater masks a lot of this. Without a male I;'ve decdied there's no reason to keep them in blackwater so I think I'll filter the tanins out. Maybe I'll take some pics once everything cleared up to see if I can't capture some of their spectacular colors.
 
How the mess do you filter out the tannins? I've got so much driftwood in my tanks they are always brownish, but can't ever really filter it out. Water changes help, but thats about it. Any tips? I guess carbon would eh? BOO on carbon!!

BTW...found some Sycamore wood, pretty cool stuff. Think it would be safe for the tank? Here are some pictures of it. Its huge, so just took a few select shots.
 
Peanut_Power;1644606; said:
How the mess do you filter out the tannins? I've got so much driftwood in my tanks they are always brownish, but can't ever really filter it out. Water changes help, but thats about it. Any tips? I guess carbon would eh? BOO on carbon!!

BTW...found some Sycamore wood, pretty cool stuff. Think it would be safe for the tank? Here are some pictures of it. Its huge, so just took a few select shots.
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As long as it is completely dry and free of sap and moisture it should be OK. I've used sycamore leaves in my tanks before with no ill effects.

As far as removing tanins goes, add some high grade carbon to your filter. It will suck the tanins right out of your water. The down side is that the carbon can only remove so much and as long as there is a source of tanins in your tank, the water will turn brown again. Until the woody materials in your tank are depleted of tanins it will be an ongoing issue.

Once you have the tanins out it is easier to stay on top of them with carbon as it will remove the tanins as they accumulate. I would probably do a large scale water change, add some carbon, let it run for a couple weeks and then put a new charge of carbon in.

It'll take a lot of carbon for a 300 gallon tank and to buy that much from a pet store or even on-line will cost you an arm and a leg. I can get you an EXCELLENT deal on very high quality carbon if you're interested. PM me if you want to try it. What type of filter do you have? Will it hold a couple pounds of carbon?

Seriously, you will be amazed at what the carbon does. Place it in your filter just before heading to bed. When you wake up in the morning you will be blown away at the clarity of your water. It almost looks like the tank has no water in it.
 
I've got an FX5 on there and two AquaClear 110's. I'm fixing to remove one of the AC 110's and replace it with another FX5 though...:D

It doesn't bother me tooooo horribly much the water being brownish red. Kinda cool actually because it does bring out their colors, just need better lights. Its nowhere near being done releasing the tannins though...lol. The driftwood has been in there for almost a year now, and its still releasing...oy!

How long would I have to let that wood dry before I put it in the tank? It snapped pretty easy (about knocked myself out breaking it off the main trunk), but there is still a little green in some of the branches/'bark'.
 
Peanut_Power;1644684; said:
I've got an FX5 on there and two AquaClear 110's. I'm fixing to remove one of the AC 110's and replace it with another FX5 though...:D

It doesn't bother me tooooo horribly much the water being brownish red. Kinda cool actually because it does bring out their colors, just need better lights. Its nowhere near being done releasing the tannins though...lol. The driftwood has been in there for almost a year now, and its still releasing...oy!

How long would I have to let that wood dry before I put it in the tank? It snapped pretty easy (about knocked myself out breaking it off the main trunk), but there is still a little green in some of the branches/'bark'.
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I'd be a little leary of putting it in the tank if it is still even a little green. That's when they completely slime over with fungus like growth and make a huge mess. Plus, if there were any sort of toxins, it would be in the sap or tree mositure that remains.

I'd probably let it sit all summer out in the sun. In Mississippi it may take longer due to humidity. It should be brown completely through and snap easily and actually splinter when broken. If there is any flexibility in the branch that means it is still green.
 
Scatocephalus;1644853; said:
I'd be a little leary of putting it in the tank if it is still even a little green. That's when they completely slime over with fungus like growth and make a huge mess. Plus, if there were any sort of toxins, it would be in the sap or tree mositure that remains.

I'd probably let it sit all summer out in the sun. In Mississippi it may take longer due to humidity. It should be brown completely through and snap easily and actually splinter when broken. If there is any flexibility in the branch that means it is still green.
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Bugger....I guess I'll have it sitting around for a while then. Don't suppose I could slow roast it over a fire eh? That will chase the sap out!! LoL Aight, thanks sir! Appreciate it!

Get more pics of the anthurus please! Especially after the tannins are out!
 
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