Basic setup for borellii, any tips.?

[Memeboi]

So, I have returned my Cf. Aggazizzii to my LFS, but I'm not giving up on Dwarf Cichlids. I have a basic setup for a pair of borellii I want to get. I do have a few concerns and questions though.

• So firstly is about the substrate, I'm using play sand, but I am concerned about activated carbon, I tried removing some old filter media from my 37 in here, thing was that it was a rite size cartridge, and god activated carbon everywhere. is this bad?
• Another substrate concern i have is about old food, I thawed out a bit to much brine shrimp, and decided to spray the rest in the ten gal to help get the substrate mature, well now its merged with bits of decaying leaves and is stringy and kinda everywhere, is this bad? ( I buried it with more sand)
• Any root plants you know to be able to live with sand, any plants at all?
• Is an unheated tank with an ambient temperature of 74 (currently) good, is there a chance they could breed at this temp?

 

[MacZ]

So firstly is about the substrate, I'm using play sand, but I am concerned about activated carbon, I tried removing some old filter media from my 37 in here, thing was that it was a rite size cartridge, and god activated carbon everywhere. is this bad?

Can you specify how much carbon? This is really unfortunate.

Another substrate concern i have is about old food, I thawed out a bit to much brine shrimp, and decided to spray the rest in the ten gal to help get the substrate mature, well now its merged with bits of decaying leaves and is stringy and kinda everywhere, is this bad? ( I buried it with more sand)

It all amalgamates to mulm, which by itself is good. BUT don't add any more food to the tank and don't bury it. The decaying leaves are cycling your tank right now. This article will help you to get into maintaining a tank with leaves and botanicals.

Any root plants you know to be able to live with sand, any plants at all?

Easy stuff: Elodea, Ceratophyllum, Hydrocotyle, Nymphea, Limnobium. Except the Nymphea all of them do not require being planted in the substrate. And that one also works in sand.

Is an unheated tank with an ambient temperature of 74 (currently) good, is there a chance they could breed at this temp?

For A. borelli the tank doesn't have to be heated and temperatures between 18 and 25°C are ok.

 

[Memeboi]

Can you specify how much carbon? This is really unfortunate.


It all amalgamates to mulm, which by itself is good. BUT don't add any more food to the tank and don't bury it. The decaying leaves are cycling your tank right now. This article will help you to get into maintaining a tank with leaves and botanicals.


Easy stuff: Elodea, Ceratophyllum, Hydrocotyle, Nymphea, Limnobium. Except the Nymphea all of them do not require being planted in the substrate. And that one also works in sand.


For A. borelli the tank doesn't have to be heated and temperatures between 18 and 25°C are ok.

So I would say a small palm full, Like a handful if you were in 1st grade

 

[MacZ]

Try to remove the sand with the carbon from that area with a spoon, then shift sand from surrounding areas there. That should suffice. You can only patch this up somehow, not make it completely undone. You can also take it out with a hose.

It's not directly dangerous, but it might have accumulated some bad stuff when it still absorbed and might release that in a few months. When there is just a little left, that's fine, though. You don't have to pick out every little bit.

 

[Memeboi]

Try to remove the sand with the carbon from that area with a spoon, then shift sand from surrounding areas there. That should suffice. You can only patch this up somehow, not make it completely undone. You can also take it out with a hose.

It's not directly dangerous, but it might have accumulated some bad stuff when it still absorbed and might release that in a few months. When there is just a little left, that's fine, though. You don't have to pick out every little bit.

What toxins does activated carbon usually pick up?
Is there anything thats notably dangerous?

 

[MacZ]

Anything that was in your tank when the carbon was not yet depleted. Carbon absorbs anything undiscriminately. Just remove it. We're not talking of a big danger here, just something to get done now, so it doesn't bite you back later.

 

[Memeboi]

Anyone know any small tankmates for borellii, Just wondering, I know Im late to the disscusion (last post over 10 days ago)

 

[MacZ]

Any tetra up to 4cm that's not a blackwater species from the Hyphessobrycon or Hemigrammus genera or Nannostomus.

 

[anewbie]

Anyone know any small tankmates for borellii, Just wondering, I know Im late to the disscusion (last post over 10 days ago)

ember work; you don't want something too aggressive like cardinals as they will go after the frys. pencil fishes are an option. My apisto has been successful herding the ember away from her kids but they still poke their nose by her (she herds her kids around the tank finding infusia to feed the frys).

 

[Memeboi]

One last thing, breaking lines of sight, I'm not experienced in it, any tips, Im thinking of using lots of hornwort.

 

[MacZ]

One last thing, breaking lines of sight, I'm not experienced in it, any tips, Im thinking of using lots of hornwort.

Go down to the fishes usual swimming level with your eyes, usually the lowest 10-15cm, while building the scape. Focus on barriers crosswise to the long sides. Fish tend to orient along the long panels front and back, so anything that breaks that lineis of help. Means: A big open front area is often not very helpful.

Plants usually don't work as well as solid barriers, as the fish seem to be able to detect others through soft plants (via the lateral line organ), in contrast to solid wood or rock. But they help as actual barriers if placed right and still work for sight from a distance.