My new altum angels!
- Thread starter Pomatomus
- Start date
I share your addiction. I'm growing out a group of 6 Rio Atabapo Altums. I just posted some updated pics in my thread. Good luck with them that is a fantastic deal you got. What are your water parameters? Are you going to acclimate to your local tap water or try to breed them? Mine are acclimated to tap filtered through peat about 6.6 ph. I can't go down to the 5,s.
Very nice! I just checked out your thread and yours are coming along nicely. Mine also have the reddish tint, mostly in the dorsal fin. Do you know if all altums have that or is it specific to a collection site?
In terms of water parameters, I don't pamper them quite as much as you do. I do my water changes with tap water, which comes in at a pH of about 7.3. Between water changes my pH drops quite a bit. If I'm not careful it will go into the 5's, but I typically keep it between 6 and 7 by adding baking soda if needed (every couple of months). They are in a densely-planted 125g and, although there is no evidence to support or refute this, I believe it's the large amount of java fern that drops my pH. I know some plants can utilize carbonate instead of CO2, but there has been no research done on java fern regarding this. My temp is around 84 degrees F, which is mostly because of the discus. I should note that when I worked for an aquarium service company, we had a client with 5 adult altums, so this isn't my first rodeo. Our company logo was actually an altum. I agree with the previous statement that they do seem pretty tough once you get them through quarantine.
I'd LOVE to breed mine. I really hope they are actually a pair. They certainly hang out a lot with zero aggression. If they breed I'll need to move out some of the other tank inhabitants (namely the breeding pair of chocolate cichlids at 4" each, my electric blue acara progeny, and possibly the plecos). I have plenty of space for growing the fry though. However, since they just came out of quarantine 2 weeks ago and I don't want to count my eggs before they hatch, I haven't researched it yet.
