Need help getting Xanto to yellow up
- Thread starter theunytedone
- Start date
well water is different in hawaii, bud.
with the amount of peat and filtration i run it does fine IMHO.
slow fill allows for good mixing.
with the amount of peat and filtration i run it does fine IMHO.
slow fill allows for good mixing.
I've never seen (in the flesh) let alone kept a Parancistrus aurantiacus, so all I can do is relay what I've read about this fish.
The thing that crops up time and time again is water quality. I don't think they're fussy with regards to water chemistry but slightly acidic, soft water with a low TDS and relatively warm water. Keeping nitrogenous waste and other substances at a minimum would be the aim. Other than that, nobody has knowingly found a 'trigger' for the yellow colouration.
I think it's important to note that not all fish will change to yellow. But I think it's reasonable to assume that if the fish already has yellow on it, then it's more likely to develop it again. I've seen suggestions that the yellow colouration could be due to sexual maturity (male presumably) or a reaction to light and pressure changes from capture. These reactions would seem to fit because the majority of imported fish are yellow and turn grey over time. Other fish like Panaque bathyphilus and Hemiancistrus pankimpuju also exhibit this.
And this is just a bugbear of mine. The L-number L056 is wrong, it was wrongly awarded in 1995 and is actually a Guyanancistrus. It's proper name, Parancistrus aurantiacus, has been valid since 1855. I don't know where the name 'Xanto' came from, but that should suffice for a common name instead of L056.
The thing that crops up time and time again is water quality. I don't think they're fussy with regards to water chemistry but slightly acidic, soft water with a low TDS and relatively warm water. Keeping nitrogenous waste and other substances at a minimum would be the aim. Other than that, nobody has knowingly found a 'trigger' for the yellow colouration.
I think it's important to note that not all fish will change to yellow. But I think it's reasonable to assume that if the fish already has yellow on it, then it's more likely to develop it again. I've seen suggestions that the yellow colouration could be due to sexual maturity (male presumably) or a reaction to light and pressure changes from capture. These reactions would seem to fit because the majority of imported fish are yellow and turn grey over time. Other fish like Panaque bathyphilus and Hemiancistrus pankimpuju also exhibit this.
And this is just a bugbear of mine. The L-number L056 is wrong, it was wrongly awarded in 1995 and is actually a Guyanancistrus. It's proper name, Parancistrus aurantiacus, has been valid since 1855. I don't know where the name 'Xanto' came from, but that should suffice for a common name instead of L056.
Thanks for the quick reply to the thread, Matt!
What is TDS? I don't think i've ever come across that acronym before.
It's pretty sobering to know that all the fish won't turn pure yellow...
Having it become half yellow would be wonderful also
I think today i'll have time after work to get the water test kit
also might mess around with his decorations. I plant to remove the giant PVC section in there and replace it with a suction cup fake plant to provide cover from the light. maybe that'll help a bit.
Also will try to have pics. Bugger does NOT want to show face.
Thank you!
What is TDS? I don't think i've ever come across that acronym before.
It's pretty sobering to know that all the fish won't turn pure yellow...
Having it become half yellow would be wonderful also
I think today i'll have time after work to get the water test kit
also might mess around with his decorations. I plant to remove the giant PVC section in there and replace it with a suction cup fake plant to provide cover from the light. maybe that'll help a bit.
Also will try to have pics. Bugger does NOT want to show face.
Thank you!
theunytedone;4617535; said:
TDS = Total Dissolved Solids
TDS are materials that affect the osmotic pressure of the water through a semi-permeable membrane. This is generally measured by a device that actually measure the conductivity of the water and either reports the conductivity in micro-seimans or has an internal converter that displays TDS directly. While most of the tropical riverine fish (South American / West African) come from waters generally low in dissolved solids, many of the fish from other sources require higher mineral content; fish which evolved in high mineral content water need these minerals - especially the Calcium and Magnesium, to properly develop. Fish from low TDS water (like pleco) sometimes have a problem with the excess minerals causing the egg membrane to harden so the fry don't hatch.
Thanks Linus, for shedding light on that topic!
With that being said, should i go ahead and get testers for KH and GH as well?
also, what buffers etc are good to use?
i've no experience with this facet of fishkeeping.
currently i've been using water softener pillows...millions of SMALL SMALL amber colored BB's...10oz is what it weighs...also doesnt mention any guidelines of use (i.e. how long its good for, proper amounts vs tank size etc)...so i just use the whole thing
hopefully this is the missing link to GOLD status.
Thank you all
With that being said, should i go ahead and get testers for KH and GH as well?
also, what buffers etc are good to use?
i've no experience with this facet of fishkeeping.
currently i've been using water softener pillows...millions of SMALL SMALL amber colored BB's...10oz is what it weighs...also doesnt mention any guidelines of use (i.e. how long its good for, proper amounts vs tank size etc)...so i just use the whole thing
hopefully this is the missing link to GOLD status.
Thank you all
The following is the advice someone gave on another forum I'm on (the local fish club in Wash DC) on water softening. Might be better/more cost effective than the water softening pillows you use:
I buy the large square bale shaped, plastic warapped canadian peat moss at either Home Depot or Lowes (only because they are closeby). Do not use peat moss brands such as miracle grow as they add fertilizers and chemicals which are not aquarium friendly.
Because I have a number of tanks in which I need soft water, I have rubbermaid big brute trashcan (45 gallon) with the attachable wheel base to which I then take a zippered pillowliner and fill it with the peat. I put it in the bottom of the rubbermaid with some 12x12 slate tiles to weigh things down as peat is very lightweight and floats until saturated. I place an airline in the bottom to circulate the water and within about 12 hours I have a dark tea colored mixture from which I can mix with R.O. or tap water to get the softness and PH desired. As I use water from that trashcan I top it off and when the peat no longer lowers the softness and PH desired, I then use the peat in the garden as a soil additive or add it to mulch so nothing goes to waste.
Depending on how fresh the peat is, I have had batches that were used up in a week and had other batches that after 2 months were still softening water easily.
The same approach could be accomplished in a smal tote which is similar in size to the sump you are planning. One cautionary note is that peat can be very fine like dust so if you are putting it in a bag, the finer the mesh or fabric the better. If you do not want the water to be tea colored (personal preference) you can take the color out by running it through activated carbon. The water quality will be the same, just not colored.
I buy the large square bale shaped, plastic warapped canadian peat moss at either Home Depot or Lowes (only because they are closeby). Do not use peat moss brands such as miracle grow as they add fertilizers and chemicals which are not aquarium friendly.
Because I have a number of tanks in which I need soft water, I have rubbermaid big brute trashcan (45 gallon) with the attachable wheel base to which I then take a zippered pillowliner and fill it with the peat. I put it in the bottom of the rubbermaid with some 12x12 slate tiles to weigh things down as peat is very lightweight and floats until saturated. I place an airline in the bottom to circulate the water and within about 12 hours I have a dark tea colored mixture from which I can mix with R.O. or tap water to get the softness and PH desired. As I use water from that trashcan I top it off and when the peat no longer lowers the softness and PH desired, I then use the peat in the garden as a soil additive or add it to mulch so nothing goes to waste.
Depending on how fresh the peat is, I have had batches that were used up in a week and had other batches that after 2 months were still softening water easily.
The same approach could be accomplished in a smal tote which is similar in size to the sump you are planning. One cautionary note is that peat can be very fine like dust so if you are putting it in a bag, the finer the mesh or fabric the better. If you do not want the water to be tea colored (personal preference) you can take the color out by running it through activated carbon. The water quality will be the same, just not colored.
Yes it was a custom made tank. The height on it is only 12 inches though.theunytedone;4615882; said:
