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Elijah:
Nice pictures! What are you water parameters, lighting?
How does your P. pulcher get along with the C. cacatuiodes?
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but you may have your amazon sword planted too deeply with some of the gravel between the leaves. If so, the plant will...
FWIW, I built a CO2 reactor using an old calcium reactor designed for marine reef tanks. I exchanged the aragonite with bioballs to aid in the diffusion of the gas as in recirculates in the chamber. The CO2 is controlled by a Pinpoint pH controller that controls the microvalve on the main CO2...
If I remember correctly, the 1-3us equals .5-1.5ppm. Isn't that just distilled water that someone breathed into <G>? My TTS meter does read to that level, but my machine needs an overhall as it is only getting tap water at 200ppm to about 70ppm. I'm working on getting new membranes now...
Ed:
I misspoke...it's a scarlet maple, but your suggestion is a good idea. I even have some daphnia I could use to test the water. Those creatures are used for testing water for contamination.
I'll stay away from the azaleas and such.
I'm thinking of using a 40 gallon tank because of...
Ed:
Now that you mention it, I do have a silver maple in the back yard. I'll start saving the leaves.
The soil in my area is alkaline, but I have some acid-loving plants like gardenias and azaleas. Might those work?
Mike
Ed:
There are no beech trees around here, and the only oak is a live oak with very small leaves (the tree is evergreen). Would Liquidamber (a type of maple) or birch leaves work? Perhaps magnolia? I'm mostly concerned about toxicity; the sizes would work.
Mike
I actually already have the pH controller, so it doesn't scare me too much <G>. I have the Linke and Staeck book, but didn't realize that the pH was that critical. I had had the D. filamentosa but at a pH of 6.5 because I also had some rams in the tank.
The only oak species in this area...
Thanks for the information! I've tried the fish before, but I didn't realize that the pH needed to be so low. I guess now I'll have to give a try again <G>.
Do you know of any subsitutes for the oak or beech leaves? We don't have any of those trees around here. Is the size or the tannin...
Jay:
"...an excuse to set up a new tank?" Gee, what a horrible thought. Sorry if I caused you any distress <G>.
When the angels get full-sized, the cardinals might still be lunch, though the variety of angel might affect this. Been there, done that. There are variables, of course, such...
You might want to be careful about putting the barbs with the angels...the barbs can be fin-nippers. And the angels can eat the cardinals if the angels get big enough.
My two cents...
Mike
My two pair have been swapping females (or males, depending on your point of view) as well. This behavior is why I like having larger tanks for smaller fish...you get to see more varied behavior patterns than with single pairs and such.
Mike
Welp, there are no fry. I'm not surprised, though disappointed, of course.
I've never kept two pair of Pelvicachromis in the same tank, usually just a male with two females. The two females I have now are easy to tell apart because one has two spots on the caudal fin, and she is the one I...