Meta River (Rio Meta) Biotope

[luisramos126]

Here I am sharing my new Meta River, Colombia biotope.

Thank you so much @MacZ, @Mazan, @puertoayacucho1, @rasmusW, @anewbie, and @Tom C. for all the guidance and suggestions on this project.

Here are some photos from the process.

Tank measurements:
36" L x 24" W x 18" H = 91cm

Light:
30W Flood light, 3,800 lm

Filtration:
3-Stage canister

• Floss pads (1)
• Sponge filter (1 medium, 1 coarse)
• Lava rock
• Bio ceramic rings
• Active carbon

Next steps:

• Fish
  • Apistogramma macmasteri
  • Nannostomus eques
  • Otocinclus sp.
• Plants:
  • Add more Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum)
  • Add one more Amazon sword (Echinodorus grisebachii)
  • Micro swords (Helanthium tenellum and H. bolivianum 'Quadricostatus’
  • Add few more Althernanthera reineckii
    

​

 

[MacZ]

Just one question: Why the coconut?

 

[luisramos126]

Just one question: Why the coconut?

Just to give the A. macmasteri hidden and breeding place.

 

[MacZ]

I don't see the point. There are hiding spots without end. They don't have coconut-huts in the wild either. It seems like a foreign body.

 

[luisramos126]

I don't see the point. There are hiding spots without end. They don't have coconut-huts in the wild either. It seems like a foreign body.

I can remove it.

 

[MacZ]

I'd remove it.

Besides, if you want a brooding cave that caters to the fish, take a half coconut, break a pies out of the rim and then press it into the sand, so the hole is really small. Ideally only the female fits in and is able to make the entrance smaller by shoveling sand in it.

 

[luisramos126]

I'd remove it.

Besides, if you want a brooding cave that caters to the fish, take a half coconut, break a pies out of the rim and then press it into the sand, so the hole is really small. Ideally only the female fits in and is able to make the entrance smaller by shoveling sand in it.

Thanks for the recommendation, I will do it.

 

[anewbie]

I'd remove it.

Besides, if you want a brooding cave that caters to the fish, take a half coconut, break a pies out of the rim and then press it into the sand, so the hole is really small. Ideally only the female fits in and is able to make the entrance smaller by shoveling sand in it.

My female a. sp Blutkehl prefer he coconut with the hole near the top. Don't ask me why but she had a lot of options and she prefers the coconut. Having said that her tank is the only one with a coconut the others are stuck with driftwood and leaves.

 

[luisramos126]

My female a. sp Blutkehl prefer he coconut with the hole near the top. Don't ask me why but she had a lot of options and she prefers the coconut. Having said that her tank is the only one with a coconut the others are stuck with driftwood and leaves.

I have one like that on the front right side of the tank. You can see it in the fifth photo.

 

[luisramos126]

Update!
I removed the coconut in the middle background, added more plants, and got two fish apistogramma macmasteri.

Plants added
- Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum)
- Amazon sword (Echinodorus grisebachii)
- Micro swords (Helanthium tenellum and Lilaeopsis brasiliensis)
- Althernanthera reineckii

Fish arrived
2/4 Apistogramma macmasteri (both looks male to me) Fish are not yet in the tank.

Coming next week....
- Giant hairgrass (Eleocharis vivpara)
- 2 more Apistogramma macmasteri
- One more light

 

[MacZ]

2/4 Apistogramma macmasteri (both looks male to me) Fish are not yet in the tank.

Yeah, they do both look male. The long dorsal and anal fins are pretty obvious. And they are the colour breed domestic form.
When I first read your post I thought you had gotten 6 fish. 2/4 is a common way of denoting the male/female ratio.

- 2 more Apistogramma macmasteri

Please don't. The tank is fully stocked with Apistos now and the ones you already have will have established territory by then. Newcomers will not be integrated, you'd have to remove the first two, rearrange the sight barriers and everything and reintroduce them all together.

The fact that the two are males is only bad for your breeding plans, as a display tank this will likely still work. You should be observing what happens now. Because if one of them becomes more dominant it will chase the other one at every opportunity. you will now see if the structure you build does work or if the fish do not have the necessary boundaries to evade each other.

I love the Monstera sp. on top!

 

[luisramos126]

Please don't. The tank is fully stocked with Apistos now and the ones you already have will have established territory by then.

Right now, the tank is empty. I have both apistogrammas in two different temporary tanks. The problem was two of them arrived dead, so I ordered a new ones. After the newcomers arrival, I could add them all at the new tank at the same time or I should add them in a different tank, then a few days later add all in this tank?

I love the Monstera sp. on top!

Thank you! Is Monstera adansonii

Yeah, they do both look male.

Thanks for confirming that both are male.

I will add more photo next week.
Stay tuned!

 

[MacZ]

Right now, the tank is empty. I have both apistogrammas in two different temporary tanks.

Ah, very good.

The problem was two of them arrived dead, so I ordered a new ones.

Honestly, then put the two in quarantine and the next two in another quarantine. Not just for a few days but a few weeks.

After the newcomers arrival, I could add them all at the new tank at the same time or I should add them in a different tank, then a few days later add all in this tank?

See above: First thoroughly quarantine, then rethink the plan of adding more than two Apistogramma to the display tank. I would rather add only a single male with fitting tetras, set up a separate breeding tank with a duo and rehome the one leftover Apisto.

 

[luisramos126]

Ah, very good.

Honestly, then put the two in quarantine and the next two in another quarantine. Not just for a few days but a few weeks.


See above: First thoroughly quarantine, then rethink the plan of adding more than two Apistogramma to the display tank. I would rather add only a single male with fitting tetras, set up a separate breeding tank with a duo and rehome the one leftover Apisto.

Thanks for the information!

 

[MacZ]

Oh and if you ordered the second batch from the same seller expect bad quality again and forgo on breeding. That's not stock you want to multiply.

 

[luisramos126]

Oh and if you ordered the second batch from the same seller expect bad quality again and forgo on breeding. That's not stock you want to multiply.

Why are they bad quality?

 

[MacZ]

Domestic strains are the product of inbreeding via linebreeding. Fish farms breed the most colourful specimens with each other, often closely related ones. The result is spectacular colours but fish with bad immune systems.

Now while of course something could have gone wrong in transport, if the fish arrive DOA there is a big chance the fish were not doing well from the start. If that's the case this is often due to the above.

 

[luisramos126]

Got it! The company are based in the US, but the Apistogrammas are imported from Czech Republic. If the new ones does not make it, I found someone in Philadelphia that had some females for sale. If he send me photos later today I can show you.

 

[anewbie]

Got it! The company are based in the US, but the Apistogrammas are imported from Czech Republic. If the new ones does not make it, I found someone in Philadelphia that had some females for sale. If he send me photos later today I can show you.

In general my experience of apistogramma (app species) bred in cz and sold in usa are not very durable or even decent so i stopped buying them.

I realize you want macs but wetspot has some wild caught nijjensi and agassizii; aquaticclarity has some very nice wild caught cockatoo.

 

[luisramos126]

In general my experience of apistogramma (app species) bred in cz and sold in usa are not very durable or even decent so i stopped buying them.

Where is a good place to buying them?