Trifasciata Anomaly

[MacZ]

Ok, I knew it was going somewhere like this. I'll better leave you to yourself and would appreciate this to be mutual.

Have a pleasant evening anyway.

 

[anewbie]

You appear to have been triggered by a close-up photo of aquarium substrate.If I need to relax and find a moment of tranquility I find looking at one of the many aquariums in my home extremely calming,it soothes my soul.

You clearly lack experience and @MacZ is correct that your substrate is non-optimal. Most (all?) species of apistogramma are eartheater. What this means is that they like to shift through the substrate looking for food. This doesn't mean they poke at it - it means they will eat some of it and allow it to filter through their gills. Larger stones can damage the gills. Of course they will try to avoid doing this with larger stones but accidents do happen. This doesn't mean you can't keep them on the larger stones it just isn't optimal or perhaps a step further not ideal. I often wonder if locked jaw (a fatal condition these fishes can achieve) is partially related to the larger stones but that is pure speculation on my part as the jaws are tiny bones and issues can arise for other reasons.

As for the cory on larger substrate - that one seems more open to debate. The argument are similar but they don't actually shift in the same fashion but some claim the larger stones can damage their barbell. sharp stones are definitely a no-no and i saw this with eco-complete which is quite sharp in addition to being larger. of course small sharp stones are not great either. It is a can of worms to discuss cory on larger stones and i'm not sure if there have been any control studied just imperical data that sometime miss some key ingrediants. My sterbai bred after weekend after a water change but the conditions i kept them was hardly ideal and I won't claim they were - just because they are breeding doesn't mean they are being kept in an optimal fashion. Some might even claim a fish will breed to extend the life of the species if conditions are harsh (though i've not seen any proof of those claims either).

I use pool fitler sand which i believe is around 0.5mm it is not optimal but it is a step in the right direction.

 

[Jimmymud]

The photo is an extreme close up of one section of a large tank,and one fish..The majority of the substrate is sand but as in their natural habitat their are variations in the hard and soft scape.I really am enjoying all this triggering though.Fish are quite hardy,it’s how they survive in the big bad wilderness Oh Wise and Experienced One.

 

[Jimmymud]

Clearly 5 years on this forum has not taught you any manners.You clearly lack any semblance of social decorum old bean.