Did you ever look into floating plants? I think some sort of floating vegetation and even some dried leaves would really add to the biotope look...
Peruvian biotope
- Thread starter GrantA94
- Start date
Hey, always happy to help
It is for their own good. I hate seperating pairs - especially because I know they are generally monogamous.
Judging from Andy's behaviour at the minute I'm looking at a 1 : 3/4/5 male to female ratio. He is flirting with all of the smaller ones, bar from possibly one. I will try capture this on video.
Ideally I would like a peaceful 1:2, as the last thing I want is to get rid of all the others and then have the female killed. So fingers crossed
The tank is looking great man, can't reach the algae on the right side huh?
Imagine if the ratio was 1:3+, Andy would be the one to stay small and the females bigger, hahaha.
Good luck with the trio!
Thanks, I have a few more ideas up my sleeve in store...
I did look for some but none of the stores have any atm, I am thinking I may tie something to the wood instead of floaters, because there is a lot of surface aggitation.
Turkey oak leaves are something I'm looking into, do they stain your water? Because I'm not too big on that.
The tank is looking great man, can't reach the algae on the right side huh?
Imagine if the ratio was 1:3+, Andy would be the one to stay small and the females bigger, hahaha.
Good luck with the trio!
I can reach it but I prefer not to. I often see the fish eating it so it sorta acts as a food source.
I thought this too, although I'm sure he'd lose his patience before they outgrew him. You can tell when he gets angry now! He just swims around with all his fins extended biting everything. So I can't imagine hi at 6"+.
I am having a little think at the moment and I would like your opinion?
I am considering removing the SDs, they just eat everything! Especially my plants! They are also not considerable active, they sit around with their fat bellies. And they don't even shoal! At the moment I think i'm:
SD's < Plants.
That being said, 10-15 BHTs sound attractive
.What are your thoughts?
I believe the leaves would release some tannins but nothing substantial unless you used a ton...
SD's are defintely known to be hard on plants, what are BHTs? I have a shoal of 9 Buenos Aires Tetras that are very active, however they don't do well with live plants either.
SD's are defintely known to be hard on plants, what are BHTs? I have a shoal of 9 Buenos Aires Tetras that are very active, however they don't do well with live plants either.
Would carbon remove any of the slight tanins that are released?
Bleeding Heart Tetras. They are large enough to not be eaten and can take a hit. But they school better than SDs and aren't as harsh on plants.
Ah ok, I just didn't know what BHT stood for. You may want to look into Colombian Tetras as well...
Carbon would probably remove tannins but Purigen would work better. I honestly don't foresee a few leaves leaching out that much tannins though so I wouldn't be concerned; however I personally haven't used them before.
Thanks, I have a few more ideas up my sleeve in store...
I did look for some but none of the stores have any atm, I am thinking I may tie something to the wood instead of floaters, because there is a lot of surface aggitation.
Turkey oak leaves are something I'm looking into, do they stain your water? Because I'm not too big on that.
I can reach it but I prefer not to. I often see the fish eating it so it sorta acts as a food source.
I thought this too, although I'm sure he'd lose his patience before they outgrew him. You can tell when he gets angry now! He just swims around with all his fins extended biting everything. So I can't imagine hi at 6"+.
I am having a little think at the moment and I would like your opinion?
I am considering removing the SDs, they just eat everything! Especially my plants! They are also not considerable active, they sit around with their fat bellies. And they don't even shoal! At the moment I think i'm:
SD's < Plants.
That being said, 10-15 BHTs sound attractive
What are your thoughts?
Hmmm... more tricks huh? I like the idea of having some plants on your driftwood, that would make the tank pop out more and it would bring more life to your biotope.
I use turkey oak leaves and you shouldn't worry about it tannin your water. I wouldn't recommend using carbon to get rid of it since 1)you have plants and 2)the nutrients released from the turkey oak leaves is really beneficial to your fish(you could say it's a trigger for breeding as well). I'm sure you've researched it but here's a link http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/leaves-for-aquaria-full-article.htm
So Andy throws tantrums now huh? I guess he's still a kid
I can agree with you removing the SDs from your setup because I noticed from the last two pictures that the plants are not doing so well compared to before. I appreciate you trying them out and I guess it did work temporarily but I'm sure they will shut down your future plans of having more plants in there. I definitely approve of having a big school of BHTs. Do be careful though, these guys have a big appetite as well but don't have the size of the SDs. What I mean is they will go after pellets bigger than their face and succeed on holding on to it! Other than that I can't say much else since I don't really have a school atm...
I want to keep it specific to peru and I think columbian tetras are from columbia. Thanks for the suggestion though!
I will get on and order some leaves then and see how they look. I will be usre to post pictures when they're in.
Hmmm... more tricks huh? I like the idea of having some plants on your driftwood, that would make the tank pop out more and it would bring more life to your biotope.
I use turkey oak leaves and you shouldn't worry about it tannin your water. I wouldn't recommend using carbon to get rid of it since 1)you have plants and 2)the nutrients released from the turkey oak leaves is really beneficial to your fish(you could say it's a trigger for breeding as well). I'm sure you've researched it but here's a link http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/leaves-for-aquaria-full-article.htm
So Andy throws tantrums now huh? I guess he's still a kid
I can agree with you removing the SDs from your setup because I noticed from the last two pictures that the plants are not doing so well compared to before. I appreciate you trying them out and I guess it did work temporarily but I'm sure they will shut down your future plans of having more plants in there. I definitely approve of having a big school of BHTs. Do be careful though, these guys have a big appetite as well but don't have the size of the SDs. What I mean is they will go after pellets bigger than their face and succeed on holding on to it! Other than that I can't say much else since I don't really have a school atm...
I am still unsure because I like the SDs a lot, I just have the urge to heavily plant. I can't set up another tank, so it has to be this one... I think I'll add the BHTs and see if they get along alright. If so the SDs may be going...
I think Andy is a hormonal teen! Either that or he is the school bully! For the time being he is more interested in displaying for females than eating them.
I will have to give leaves a go. I really like the look they give, I'm just not big on tannins. I suppose I can give it a try and go from there.
Thanks for the input
I want to keep it specific to peru and I think columbian tetras are from columbia. Thanks for the suggestion though!
I will get on and order some leaves then and see how they look. I will be usre to post pictures when they're in.
I am still unsure because I like the SDs a lot, I just have the urge to heavily plant. I can't set up another tank, so it has to be this one... I think I'll add the BHTs and see if they get along alright. If so the SDs may be going...
I think Andy is a hormonal teen! Either that or he is the school bully! For the time being he is more interested in displaying for females than eating them.
I will have to give leaves a go. I really like the look they give, I'm just not big on tannins. I suppose I can give it a try and go from there.
Thanks for the input
Anytime Grant, I'm always happy to help. It seems you have a dilemma but you did say SD's < Plants.
You won't regret having the leaves though I'm not sure how it would look considering you have plants that are alive and green while the leaves will be dead and dry. Either way it will add another layer to your biotope and make it more complex.
Your setup is still undergoing a lot of changes so this gives me a lot to look forward to and possibly learn from.
Check out the video I just posted, you'll see how the leaves look inside the tank
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?484927-Green-terrors-amp-fry-VIDEO
Anytime Grant, I'm always happy to help. It seems you have a dilemma but you did say SD's < Plants.
You won't regret having the leaves though I'm not sure how it would look considering you have plants that are alive and green while the leaves will be dead and dry. Either way it will add another layer to your biotope and make it more complex.
Your setup is still undergoing a lot of changes so this gives me a lot to look forward to and possibly learn from.
Check out the video I just posted, you'll see how the leaves look inside the tank
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?484927-Green-terrors-amp-fry-VIDEO
I don't want to remove the SDs and find out the BHTs aren't big enough to stay. Then I'd be without any shoaling fish. So I will see about the BHTs asap.
Leaves are on my list, so is collecting some more wood. I haven't managed to get out. But Im after a thicker piece to tie the plants to.
Do you have any alder cones? If so what are your experiences?
I do change my mind an awful lot I know! But I am still to reach the point where I am truely happy with the outcome.
I appreciate your input though. Its nice to have someones opinion who is in a similar circumstance. Plus, you like to think outsside the tank (box)!
