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Recent content by tjd

  1. T

    Spawning A. Agassizi

    If the goal is purely breeding and getting the largest spawns I like to keep things simple. A bare bottom tank with just a sponge filter. For decorations I'll use mainly rocks, upside down flower pots with holes cut in the side, and sometimes fake or real driftwood. I typically do not...
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    3 issues

    I prefer to use dual 6,700K/10,000K bulbs. The bulbs provide a fuller spectrum and my plants grow quite well. Also, cardinals tend to hide especially under bright lights. Even if you did run an actnic light (not recommended) it would have little effect on illuminating the cardinals. Moon...
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    Swapping borelli fry

    I have no experience with introducing fry to a female already protecting her own (aside from the swapping), but I have gotten a female that had not spawned recently to act as a surrogate. I stumbled upon this when I floated some 1 week old fry in a clear container in a grow out tank. At...
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    A. macmasteri wild vs. aq. hybrid ID and care

    Thanks Mike for the clarification. So, some of the other pictures that I have found showing A. macmasteri without nearly as much red are more representative of the wild A. macmasteri. Also, am I correct in understanding that there are both domestic strains that may be pure A. macmasteri...
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    A. macmasteri wild vs. aq. hybrid ID and care

    What are some of the traits that would be used to differentiate a wild type A. macmasteri from the aquarium hybrids? To my untrained eye I cannot see the differences between the pictures being posted and IDed on the forum as the hybrid and those depicted in Cichlid Atlas I as A. macmasteri...
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    Periodic pure spirulina feedings for fry?

    Part of why I am checking on this is because I have gotten conflicting information on this locally and was not convincecd one way of another. Someone at a LFS told me that spirulina can be toxic in higher quantities and recommended feeding no more than 20%. However, he could not say if this...
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    Periodic pure spirulina feedings for fry?

    I have some pure spirulina powder. Are there issues with adding it straight to my fry tank? For the first month or so I feed the fry straight BBS. I slowly add flake, daphnia, and eventually bloodworms as they get larger. I was thinking about adding the spirulina once every 2-3 days while...
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    I think Bloodworms are the culprit

    Frozen Bloodworms I have been using frozen bloodworms for a couple years now and have made several observations: 1) Many fish really love the frozen bloodworms and will continue eating them long after being "full." Caution needs to be used not to overfeed. Most of my fish will slow down...
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    Hello

    Welcome!!! Given your experience with Rift lake fish, Apistogrammas in general require rather soft, acidic water -- opposite end of the spectrum. There are some that can be kept in harder, slightly alkaline water such as A. cacatuoides and A. borellii (two good beginner fish I saw you are...
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    Can some one tell about shipping from US to Canda

    A local fish club had someone from US Fish and Wildlife (responsible for inspection and enforcement of wildlife import/export for the US) talk at our last meeting. While the discussion primarily focused on importation (most were concerned about how to properly bring back fish from a collection...
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    girl of boy??

    Some chasing is normal between a pair until they start to breed. With the cardinals there is little chance of the fry surviving though. Are you sure the other ram is not the same sex as well? For sexing rams I usually look at the stomach area. Only females will fill up with eggs and get...
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    Rainbow slate calcareous?

    The rainbow slate (like a sand stone) from Feller Stone is fine for soft water tanks. I use it in several of my setups. Tom
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    Apistos for 10gal?

    dready, where in california are you? AdamT, I mostly use air driven sponge filters for my 10 gallon tanks but in a few instances use a small powerhead on a sponge filter. Noise is a concern with these tanks and the powerhead is much quieter. The powerhead setup works fine and I have raised...
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    What's your recipie for R/O reconstitution?

    The local tap water has tested as high as 40 ppm for Nitrates and the GH will vary from 110ppm to 380ppm, so I opt to use artifical salts to reconsitute RO/DI water. For most tanks I have a different combination largely dependent upon the tank's uses and species present. Breeding tanks usually...
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    breeding water

    mooman, I noticed that you try to time your simulated rainly season with a low pressure system. Many of my fish show increased spawning activity around rain/low pressure systems even if I have not made any recent water changes. Tom
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