water parameters for resticulosa-complex?

[Ben Rhau]

Hi all,

Following up on my first post <linked>, looks like I have some as-yet unidentified resticulosa-complex fish. Can you please give me some guidance on the ideal TDS to breed?

My params:
Tap water GH3, KH3, pH 8+, TDS 138
Peat-filtered tap: TDS 104, pH 6
50/50 tap + peat-filtered tap: TDS 121, pH 6.6
50/50 tap + distilled (I do not have an RO unit): TDS 61, pH 6.0

Before joining the group, I had been using buffers to get my tank pH down to 6.6, but my TDS was sky high (525). Since then, I’ve been doing daily water changes with either distilled water or 50/50 tap + peat-filtered tap to lower my TDS by about 9% per day. I’ve got the TDS down to 180 so far, and would like to get it below 100 before moving to only some mix of tap + peat-filtered tap.

I googled resticulosa, but could only find an old thread on the Krib <linked> that discussed sp. resticulosa (not the complex) as having been bred successfully at very low TDS. However, it also said it was a white-water species.

Is the 50/50 mix of tap + peat-filtered tap (TDS 121, pH 6.6) reasonable to try to breed these fish? Since lowering the TDS, they have begun to show breeding behaviors, but no eggs that I have seen yet. Hard to say, because I have small apisto caves, and I'd need to lift them up and shine a light in them to see anything.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Ben Rhau]

Updated photos:
Male showing maybe a little bit more blue iridescence in the body, and more transient color changes, generally.
One female with slight yellow coloration. Hangs out in the cave, but comes out to feed.
Other female just hangs out in the cave and chases away the male. She really doesn't like to come out, will grab some frozen food quickly and take it back to the cave.

 

[Mike Wise]

Resticulosa-complex are, for most species, not very demanding on water values. Most are white- or clearwater species. Either of your water values should work. Behavior of one of your females indicates that she might be brooding eggs/larvae.

 

[Ben Rhau]

Thanks, Mike. Keeping an eye on her for sure. Where can I find information on which species comprise resticulosa-complex (besides Wangenflecken, which you've eliminated) for an eventual species ID?

 

[Mike Wise]

There are several books by Koslowsk (1986 & 2002), Link & Staeck (1984 +), and Römer (2000 +) that discuss species of the resticulosa-complex.

 

[Tom C]

...Where can I find information on which species comprise resticulosa-complex...?

http://tomc.no/page.aspx?PageID=127

 

[Ben Rhau]

Thank you! I guess I didn’t scroll down far enough the first time I saw this

 

[Frank Hättich]

No need for long-winded scrolling down, just click here for the group/complex you are interested in!

 

[Ben Rhau]

Update: Both females now have free-swimming fry. Assuming they hatched roughly a week ago, that would have been around TDS 250, consistent with them being white-water. Not expecting too much this time, since they are both first-time mothers and I do not have BBS hatching yet. I am hoping they will take some frozen in the meantime. Thanks for all the knowledge I continue to gain by reading this forum!

 

[Tom C]

... I do not have BBS hatching yet. I am hoping they will take some frozen in the meantime.

Some well-boiled egg yolk dissolved in a little water might also help them survive the very first days.