I know this is an obvious statement, since most of us are keeping the fish we like, right?
However, I've recently come to the realization that there have been tanks I've kept with fish that I did not necessarily like, but that were appropriate for a setup that I liked. There are quite a few common aquarium species that I simply don't like, and I avoid those, since it is easy enough to do, with the myriad species available these days. On the other hand, once you've kept this type of setup and that type of setup, the community planted tank and the rocky Malawi cichlid tank, the species tank and the mixed tank, you start to have a desire for specific setups that appeal to you, or just ones that you've not kept before.
A couple of years ago I got a great deal on a large tank, a 150-gallon, with hood and stand, and suddenly I had new options. Fish that I could not keep before suddenly became a possibility. I started thinking how cool it would be to keep a large "tankbuster" type fish that would come up to me, begging to be fed; a fish that could be given a name and treated like a real pet. I thought about Astronotus ocellatus, the oscar cichlid, but they can be tough on tankmates and tough on aquarium decor. As mentioned, I like my aquariums to be as much an attractive display as a habitat, and I've heard stories of objects being banged around by oscars, heaters broken, plants uprooted, etc. Hmmm. Maybe not for me this time.
I've always had a thing for Tanganyikan cichlids, and the idea of a frontosa tank began to take hold. They get large and are relatively peaceful. The concept was born. I began my research and saw photos of grotesque humps on the foreheads of mature specimens, and was not terribly thrilled. Some people really like the humps - the bigger the better - but this did not appeal to me. These seemed to be most prevalent in the Burundi variety, and I set my sights on some other collection points, like Moba and Kapampa, which have a richer blue and less prominent humps, typically. I admired the look of some of the Moba setups, with rocks, dim lighting, sand and the graceful large blue striped fish cruising around. The tanks have a minimalist, simple look to them that appealed to me, after so many busy, high-light, heavily planted tanks that I've kept.
Since the frontosa get so big, it is not advised to keep smaller species with them, but often people have success with the Altolamps, (calvus and compressiceps), as long as you stick to the larger males. These are fish I truly admire, with their sloped foreheads and downturned mouths - the bulldog look that I like so much! So I set up the tank with frontosa and altolamprologus species, hoping that as the altolamps grew they'd hang out in the rocks for safety.
I had a lot of trouble with the frontosa. My first shipment of very young specimens died almost immediately - which was quite a bit of money down the tube, though the dealer replaced the fish. I was out shipping, and that was not a small amount, at least for me. I lost almost all of the second shipment too, but 4 survived out of 10. *Sigh* So, nothing but stress from the beginning with these fronts. Constant worry about whether they'd survive and thrive, and whether I could get this tank to where I wanted it. I had the monolithic rock formations, the dim lighting and the sand, and all I needed was the fish to grow and glide around!
One thing about Tanganyikan cichlids is that many of them are shy and dash for cover when you approach the tank. This has never bothered me too much, since they get used to you and will gradually come back out so you can see them. For fish like Brichardi sp., this was well worth it, with their interesting coloration and fin extensions - gorgeous. Same for the calvus and the comps. Such an impressive look to them, and some with polka dots and red or yellow hues. I could watch a mature calvus all day long.
Well, here I am with this large tank in my living room, and it looked completely empty! I had 4 Kapampa frontosa and about 11 various small Tang cichlids in it, most altolamps but 6 Paracyprichromis nigripinnis and one Neolamprologus leleupi. All of them hide, including the frontosa. While the fish were small they hid in the rocks with the rest of them, and would only dart out at feeding time, grabbing a mouthful and dashing back into hiding. Oh well, I told myself, once the fronts get big they won't be able to fit behind the rocks and they'll be forced to stay out in the open where I can see them.
Then came the recent dreadful tank disaster (I still do not know the cause of this tragedy!) and I lost all the Tang cichlids in about 12 hours. The idea of starting over crossed my mind, but slowly I realized the truth: I don't really LIKE frontosa! They have a blunt, bloated look to them that I don't like, but they needed to be the centerpiece to my Tanganyikan display tank, so I went with them anyway. Add to this the fact that Tang cichlids are sensitive to any change in water parameters, diet, etc., and I always had an underlying worry that something would go wrong with the tank; this was enough to lessen the enjoyment I got out of watching it.
This came into sharp focus when I got my new additions, the Geophagus sp. orange head "Tapajos." They gave me a very familiar scare initially (I was instantly brought back to the failed frontosa shipment) but came around once I raised the temperature, and now they are doing great. These are hardier fish than Tang cichlids, and I don't see a reason why I won't get them to maturity. They come rushing over to the glass at your approach, begging for food, and will follow you back and forth.
Also, I really LIKE the Geophagus and Satanoperca species complex, with the sloped foreheads, spangled and striped coloration, and oftentimes long, trailing fin extensions. Mature specimens are gorgeous. A couple of years ago I saw a mature Satanoperca daemon at a shop in Lynchburg, and ever since then I vowed I'd keep them someday. Fish that have a wild or native look to them definitely appeal to me more than some of the more ornamental species available now. No long-fins, balloon bellies, or koi colorations for me, thanks. I am not particularly opposed to hybrids, but I prefer fish as they'd be found in the wild.
I am now evaluating my tastes and preferences more carefully, and realize that I really like wild or wild-type angels, be they scalare, altum or leopoldi. I don't have much interest in domestic angels. I have come very close several times to purchasing some Apistogramma species as well, since my 40-gallon is a very appropriate setup for them, but I now realize that Apistos are not very appealing to me, surprisingly. They can be gloriously colored and have interesting personalities, but I don't really like them, much like I don't care for Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher). I can't explain why I don't like them, but something about the torpedo body shape turns me off.
I do like my Bolivian ram, perhaps mainly because he's actually alive (if you've kept rams before you may know what I'm talking about) and because he's wild I consider him to be like they'd be in nature. That's as close to a dwarf cichlid as I'll likely get anytime soon.
Another admission I'll make: I'm not such a big fan of catfish. I like cory cats in planted setups where I'm not trying to raise a spawn, and I had a whiptail cat that was absolutely fascinating and a gorgeous specimen (look back in the blog to see that amazing fish), but currently I have no catfish at all, and though I'm not ruling them out completely, they are not a species I need to have. For many years I considered some type of catfish to be essential to most any setup, to occupy the bottom and to "clean up" leftovers. I've had some interesting catfish before but I don't require them. Maybe I've just not kept some of the more interesting species, like Hara jerdoni, or the Asian Stone Catfish. My friend has those and they are absolutely adorable! Maybe I'll limit myself to Corydoras species and hold out for a truly interesting specimen catfish.
This entire post is silly but I wanted to share my ideas and where I am in the hobby these days. I tend to set up tanks hastily, without a lot of planning, and just think it would be neat to have certain fish in a certain type of setup. Now I think I'll consider more carefully - not only because I have less time to devote to the hobby but also because I don't want to waste time on fish that don't make me happy. All my tanks, save the pair of N. leleupi that don't seem to want to spawn for me, make me happy, truly happy, including my two tanks of wonky round goldfish, and that's a good thing.
Friday, December 9, 2011
I've Got Sunshine - In a Cloudy Tank
The Tapajos are still doing great, and showing more hints of color. They are very, very active, almost manic, and spend a lot of time doing what geophagus do - digging through the sand.
When I set up this tank with the frontosa, I rinsed this sand as well as I could, but eventually tired of the rinsing and gave up on it. It is extremely fine sand and contains a great deal of dust. Every time I would stir the sand to keep it aerated it would produce a mild cloud that would soon dissipate with the heavy filtration. For years the sand was no problem, without any fish disturbing it, so hours of rinsing was not required for the setup
Now, with the sand being constantly disturbed by this eartheater species the tank carries a constant haze. I was alarmed about it at first - thinking my water quality was suffering somehow, but diligent testing of all parameters showed normal and desirable results, confirming that there is no ammonia or nitrite, and 5 ppm nitrate. Hardness, buffering capacity and pH are all as expected - a little higher than a typical SA cichlid might prefer, but not too far off. I don't even suspect a bacterial bloom, since this tank is past that stage, which I went through with the goldfish..
So, the sand is the culprit, and I'm not sure what to do, if anything. I'm tempted to aggressively dig through it myself, attempting to release all of the dust at once, do a big PWC and see if that helps, or I can simply let the fish do it slowly over time, which might be the more sensible approach. My tanks are, for me, an artistic display as much as a habitat, so a cloudy tank is hard for me to ignore, but I don't want to cause problems for these wee fish, either. Massive disturbance of the substrate followed by a large PWC could upset the bacterial colonies enough to cause a mini cycle.
I'm sure over time the dust will be filtered out, but it could take a while. Right now the sifting of the sand by the fish is superficial, since the fish are so very small, and as they grow they'll dig down deeper and take bigger mouthfuls as they sift, searching for morsels.
In spite of all that, my little orange heads (the sunshine!) are content and give me a lot of pleasure, and this minor issue is one that will resolve itself before too long.
When I set up this tank with the frontosa, I rinsed this sand as well as I could, but eventually tired of the rinsing and gave up on it. It is extremely fine sand and contains a great deal of dust. Every time I would stir the sand to keep it aerated it would produce a mild cloud that would soon dissipate with the heavy filtration. For years the sand was no problem, without any fish disturbing it, so hours of rinsing was not required for the setup
Now, with the sand being constantly disturbed by this eartheater species the tank carries a constant haze. I was alarmed about it at first - thinking my water quality was suffering somehow, but diligent testing of all parameters showed normal and desirable results, confirming that there is no ammonia or nitrite, and 5 ppm nitrate. Hardness, buffering capacity and pH are all as expected - a little higher than a typical SA cichlid might prefer, but not too far off. I don't even suspect a bacterial bloom, since this tank is past that stage, which I went through with the goldfish..
So, the sand is the culprit, and I'm not sure what to do, if anything. I'm tempted to aggressively dig through it myself, attempting to release all of the dust at once, do a big PWC and see if that helps, or I can simply let the fish do it slowly over time, which might be the more sensible approach. My tanks are, for me, an artistic display as much as a habitat, so a cloudy tank is hard for me to ignore, but I don't want to cause problems for these wee fish, either. Massive disturbance of the substrate followed by a large PWC could upset the bacterial colonies enough to cause a mini cycle.
I'm sure over time the dust will be filtered out, but it could take a while. Right now the sifting of the sand by the fish is superficial, since the fish are so very small, and as they grow they'll dig down deeper and take bigger mouthfuls as they sift, searching for morsels.
In spite of all that, my little orange heads (the sunshine!) are content and give me a lot of pleasure, and this minor issue is one that will resolve itself before too long.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Tapajos are Here!
My shipment of Geophagus sp. Orange Head "Tapajos" have arrived, and they are marvelous specimens. I ordered 20, but our best count keeps coming up 26, so that's quite a few extra!
Initially they were cold, and I was concerned for an hour or two but once I got the temperature up to 82 they perked right up, and have been right as rain ever since. They are always ravenous, and seem happy.
Once they get some size I'll definitely need to remove at least 16, since I think 10 individuals will be plenty for this tank, but we'll wait and see. They're already showing a hint of the red coloration they'll have as adults, and are literally all over the tank exploring. I look forward to moving my leopoldi angel into this tank, and finding more wild or wild type angels, and am considering catfish, maybe panaque types, but not if I hope to raise a spawn, so that decision will come later. I may stick to only cichlids, and keep the geos for the bottom and angels for the top. I' may also move my Bolivian ram down into this tank as well to give the blue rams a little peace in the 40-gallon.
Right now the geophagus are settling in and I don't want to disturb the tank at this point, but will watch as they grow and the tank matures a bit.
Initially they were cold, and I was concerned for an hour or two but once I got the temperature up to 82 they perked right up, and have been right as rain ever since. They are always ravenous, and seem happy.
Once they get some size I'll definitely need to remove at least 16, since I think 10 individuals will be plenty for this tank, but we'll wait and see. They're already showing a hint of the red coloration they'll have as adults, and are literally all over the tank exploring. I look forward to moving my leopoldi angel into this tank, and finding more wild or wild type angels, and am considering catfish, maybe panaque types, but not if I hope to raise a spawn, so that decision will come later. I may stick to only cichlids, and keep the geos for the bottom and angels for the top. I' may also move my Bolivian ram down into this tank as well to give the blue rams a little peace in the 40-gallon.
Right now the geophagus are settling in and I don't want to disturb the tank at this point, but will watch as they grow and the tank matures a bit.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Geophagus sp. Orange Head "Tapajos"
Also known as "red head," these eartheaters (they are bottom dwelling cichlids that spend a lot of time sifting through the sand for morsels) are a species that don't get too large, up to about 6-7" for domestics, and have gorgeous red coloration. I plan on starting out with #20 1.5-2" fry next week and will grow them out in the 150-gallon, then sell off the extras later, when they start to get some size to them.
They do well in groups, so I hope to retain quite a few of them in this tank long-term. They are relatively peaceful, as cichlids go, and are not secretive, so they won't be hiding in the rocks. I had my eye on Satanoperca (they've their own genus now, out of the Geophagus genus for the time being) daemon, since I see them locally, but the more I read the more I find them to be particularly prone to bloat, and are much more sensitive to water quality. They also reach about 10", which is fine for my 150 if I limit them to about 5, but then I have to be very careful about sex ratios. I am not intimidated by fish that demand clean water, since my water change regimen makes my tanks clean and healthy (see below ember tetra and black neon spawns in my community 40-gallon!) but my recent mysterious disaster with my Tang cichlids has me a bit gun shy. I also prefer the red coloration of the Tapajos.
I will post pics when I get them. I'll likely move my wild P. leopoldi angel down into that tank with them, and try to locate more wild or wild-type (F1-2) angels for this setup - they will go well together.
For the purist making aquascaping recommendations for an eartheater tank, my setup has much too much rockwork - a shameful waste of space! When you look through Google images for eartheaters the tanks you see will most often be rather spare, with sand, a few flat rocks for spawning, a piece or two of driftwood, and that's it. This lends a great simplistic look to the tank, and is something I admire and tried to recreate with my Tanganyikan setup, but ultimately, in practice, I find the look too simplistic (maybe I'm doing it wrong) and my eye demands more vertical interest, with zones that draw the eye. Somehow this will need to work for the fish and for my stupid "eye," and I hope I can make that happen. Some of the Acaras are cavedwellers and I could stock some to inhabit the caves, but I might just stick with angels and geos (maybe some larger tetras?) and perhaps Peckoltia sp. catfish for the caves at some point, or even cories. That's for later - right now I'm going to concentrate on the geos, then angels, and see where things go from there.
They do well in groups, so I hope to retain quite a few of them in this tank long-term. They are relatively peaceful, as cichlids go, and are not secretive, so they won't be hiding in the rocks. I had my eye on Satanoperca (they've their own genus now, out of the Geophagus genus for the time being) daemon, since I see them locally, but the more I read the more I find them to be particularly prone to bloat, and are much more sensitive to water quality. They also reach about 10", which is fine for my 150 if I limit them to about 5, but then I have to be very careful about sex ratios. I am not intimidated by fish that demand clean water, since my water change regimen makes my tanks clean and healthy (see below ember tetra and black neon spawns in my community 40-gallon!) but my recent mysterious disaster with my Tang cichlids has me a bit gun shy. I also prefer the red coloration of the Tapajos.
I will post pics when I get them. I'll likely move my wild P. leopoldi angel down into that tank with them, and try to locate more wild or wild-type (F1-2) angels for this setup - they will go well together.
For the purist making aquascaping recommendations for an eartheater tank, my setup has much too much rockwork - a shameful waste of space! When you look through Google images for eartheaters the tanks you see will most often be rather spare, with sand, a few flat rocks for spawning, a piece or two of driftwood, and that's it. This lends a great simplistic look to the tank, and is something I admire and tried to recreate with my Tanganyikan setup, but ultimately, in practice, I find the look too simplistic (maybe I'm doing it wrong) and my eye demands more vertical interest, with zones that draw the eye. Somehow this will need to work for the fish and for my stupid "eye," and I hope I can make that happen. Some of the Acaras are cavedwellers and I could stock some to inhabit the caves, but I might just stick with angels and geos (maybe some larger tetras?) and perhaps Peckoltia sp. catfish for the caves at some point, or even cories. That's for later - right now I'm going to concentrate on the geos, then angels, and see where things go from there.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Another Tetra Spawn
I am happy to report that my 40-gal planted tank has new black neon fry! This is really amazing to me, on the heels of the ember tetra spawn. It is my experience that spawning tetras requires specific conditions and dedicated setups, but here they are.
I also have a couple of new additions to this tank, a pair of electric blue rams. They were given to me by a fellow hobbyist in Virginia Beach (thank you, Justin!) and have settled in very well in this heavily planted tank. There is a Bolivian ram (wild) in this tank as well, which looks absolutely beefy and monstrous next to the wee blue rams, as well as a wild leopoldi angel, with the ember tetras, black neons, het rasboras and a couple of cardinals. This setup is quite well established and is one of only two tanks I have that have remained as is for years, without getting bored with it and redoing it (or killing off all inhabitants....) so I think this goes a long way to making the environment hospitable for a tetra spawn. It's hit the "sweet spot," so to speak, and I'm just delighted. If the population of tetras can raise one or two of the fry to adulthood on any kind of regular basis I can maintain the colony for a good while.
I also have a couple of new additions to this tank, a pair of electric blue rams. They were given to me by a fellow hobbyist in Virginia Beach (thank you, Justin!) and have settled in very well in this heavily planted tank. There is a Bolivian ram (wild) in this tank as well, which looks absolutely beefy and monstrous next to the wee blue rams, as well as a wild leopoldi angel, with the ember tetras, black neons, het rasboras and a couple of cardinals. This setup is quite well established and is one of only two tanks I have that have remained as is for years, without getting bored with it and redoing it (or killing off all inhabitants....) so I think this goes a long way to making the environment hospitable for a tetra spawn. It's hit the "sweet spot," so to speak, and I'm just delighted. If the population of tetras can raise one or two of the fry to adulthood on any kind of regular basis I can maintain the colony for a good while.
New Incarnation
Here's the 150-gallon, redone for my SA eartheaters and others. The water is cloudy because I just finished rearranging rocks and the sand being stirred up creates billowing clouds of tiny particles.
I really had to manhandle the rocks quite a bit, not happy with the first 50 placements of them or the wood, but finally got something that I'm happy with. The wood could be pointing 10 degrees up or down and look "off" visually, so I messed with it until I achieved some sort of visual balance, at least to my eye. I removed quite a few rocks that were cluttering things up. I don't need much in the way of rocks at all for this setup (maybe some acaras, since they like to use caves? Peckoltia compta or another "leopard" pleco type would work as well).
I will be looking for a species of Satanoperca (depending upon availability) and some wild or wild-type angels. I think they will look great in there together, with the angels occupying the middle and upper strata and the eartheaters the bottom.
I scored a sweet piece of branchy driftwoodrecently from Fin & Feather. Sometimes they don't have much in the way of wood and decor, other than plastic and colored gravel, but that time they were loaded up with wood, so I got it relatively cheap, since it was not the curly heavy Mopani wood ($$$$!!!) but just plain old driftwood. It was soaked first and is being held down with a rock for good measure.
When you go back to the beginning of the blog it seems like this tank has been so many things, and I suppose it has. I will say that I don't sit around and lick my wounds, though, and I became absolutely inspired by the idea of this next setup. The empty tank is like an artist's canvas, and I work with it and work with it until I achieve visual appeal. The aquarium hobby is an expression of art for me - living organic art - and my last project had the hardscape just like I wanted it but I was waiting for the large, full-grown frontosa to set off the monolithic rock structure and slate background - moving slowly around an almost moonscape of dim cool light, sand and rocks. Never got to see that.
Many aquarists consider themselves to have "arrived" when they are successful breeders, especially of the more delicate and unusual species. They set up fish rooms with row after row of tanks, nursing a mated pair and coaxing them into a spawn. It is almost as though this is the be all, end all for the hobby, and if you're not heading for that then you are not really serious. I don't really desire that at this point in my life, but rather I want to incorporate graceful living fish into my day to day life, like art on the wall. If the tank does not have visual appeal and does not fit in the room with the other functional and nonfunctional decor, then I don't like it.
So, for now, this tank is set up, and I'm waiting on a cycle to introduce some interesting cichlids, and I will continue to attempt to keep them alive!
I really had to manhandle the rocks quite a bit, not happy with the first 50 placements of them or the wood, but finally got something that I'm happy with. The wood could be pointing 10 degrees up or down and look "off" visually, so I messed with it until I achieved some sort of visual balance, at least to my eye. I removed quite a few rocks that were cluttering things up. I don't need much in the way of rocks at all for this setup (maybe some acaras, since they like to use caves? Peckoltia compta or another "leopard" pleco type would work as well).
I will be looking for a species of Satanoperca (depending upon availability) and some wild or wild-type angels. I think they will look great in there together, with the angels occupying the middle and upper strata and the eartheaters the bottom.
I scored a sweet piece of branchy driftwoodrecently from Fin & Feather. Sometimes they don't have much in the way of wood and decor, other than plastic and colored gravel, but that time they were loaded up with wood, so I got it relatively cheap, since it was not the curly heavy Mopani wood ($$$$!!!) but just plain old driftwood. It was soaked first and is being held down with a rock for good measure.
When you go back to the beginning of the blog it seems like this tank has been so many things, and I suppose it has. I will say that I don't sit around and lick my wounds, though, and I became absolutely inspired by the idea of this next setup. The empty tank is like an artist's canvas, and I work with it and work with it until I achieve visual appeal. The aquarium hobby is an expression of art for me - living organic art - and my last project had the hardscape just like I wanted it but I was waiting for the large, full-grown frontosa to set off the monolithic rock structure and slate background - moving slowly around an almost moonscape of dim cool light, sand and rocks. Never got to see that.
Many aquarists consider themselves to have "arrived" when they are successful breeders, especially of the more delicate and unusual species. They set up fish rooms with row after row of tanks, nursing a mated pair and coaxing them into a spawn. It is almost as though this is the be all, end all for the hobby, and if you're not heading for that then you are not really serious. I don't really desire that at this point in my life, but rather I want to incorporate graceful living fish into my day to day life, like art on the wall. If the tank does not have visual appeal and does not fit in the room with the other functional and nonfunctional decor, then I don't like it.
So, for now, this tank is set up, and I'm waiting on a cycle to introduce some interesting cichlids, and I will continue to attempt to keep them alive!
DISASTER!
This is hard. Really hard! Difficult to tell, I mean. This is the story of how I lost all of my Tanganyikans from my 150 gallon tank. Well, not really how I lost them, because I can't say, but the story of the death of an entire stocked tank in a matter of hours.
Here's how it went:
I did my weekly PWC on Sunday afternoon, 4-ish, and I do only a 1/3 change because these are sensitive fish and any more than that seems to stress them. My other tanks get 1/2 PWC once a week. I did not disturb the decor or sand at all this time (it remains relatively clean without debris accumulating), but I simply placed the Python siphon hose into the water and started draining, then when it was 1/3 gone I tested my new tap water for temperature match and started refilling, taking care to add the correct amount of Prime. I have to be careful about temperature in particular because, again, they are sensitive and they show it when you are not careful about it. I have a pretty solid routine down, since this is a valuable tank in terms of the cost of the stock, as anyone who keeps or has kept Tanganyikan cichlids can attest. I've made mistakes with Tang cichlids in the past and treated this tank like the prima donnas they were.
Everything went fine, and we went out to dinner. No one was at home while we were out. We come home later and I fed them, and they all ate normally. We went to bed, and when I got up Monday morning everything looked fine, and we all left for work and school. We were all gone all day, with nobody home. When I got home from work my daughter alerted me that some of the fish were lying on the sand. Uh oh. What could this be?
I did a big PWC, thinking that something got into the tank, even though another PWC this soon after the first is risky, but I had to do something to try to save the tank, which was in obvious distress. All members were either dead or dying. Every last one. This included four 3.5-inch Kapampa frontosa, six Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, one 3-inch N. leleupi, and about 10-12 Altolamprologus species of various sizes, from 1.5" to 3". The water tested fine, in that there was no ammonia or nitrite, and very low nitrate (it hardly ever measures much nitrate, considering how small the fish were for this much water). This did not look like a case of not adding enough dechlor, since the times I have done that the water starts to cloud up and you see the params go wonky, and the fish start suffering immediately. I suppose this may not always be how it presents, but just in my own experience. Chlorine present in the water is not something this group of cichlids would take their time to react to, in other words. Cross that mistake off my list.
What then? I tested the pH and the tap water is the 7.6 it always is, with the tank measuring only a tiny bit higher at 7.9. Sometimes I reach 8 but as the tank matures the sand is buffering the water less and less, it seems. At first I thought the tap was measuring way low, at 6.2, but my pH meter needs to be calibrated and the liquid reagent kit proved it to be more alkaline, as always, at 7.6 (I'm sending the meter off to Milwaukee to be properly calibrated, as the adjustment screws are not solving the problem).
Over a matter of hours all fish dead. Monday night I tore the tank completely apart, removing and cleaning all the rocks (there must be 300 pounds of rock!) and cleaning out the sand, then taking apart the filters, a Fluval FX5 and a Rena Filstart XP4 and sterilizing them, loading with all new media. This took hours to complete, and was quite a physical strain, but I could not sit there and look at this giant glass testament to my failure.
What went wrong? What happened to slowly kill off every last fish? I've been over it and over it, and even my husband, who was present during the PWC procedure, can't come up with anything that does not match with my recollection. When I fed them I used the New Life Spectrum cichlid pellet, like always, and this time I did not use any frozen food, which could potentially go bad and perhaps sicken the fish. I think it must have had something to do with the water change, but with these fish any mistakes made in that procedure are typically evident quite rapidly, in my experience, and not 24 hours later.
I suppose I will never know, but I will continue to beat myself up over it, and not only because of the massive financial investment that went down the drain. I feel like I ought to have been able to get this tank mature and grow out the frontosa to their potential size, and this goal is not going to be achieved, at least not in the near future. I just don't have the funds to invest in replacing the fish and starting over. Maybe someday I will git it another shot, but not now. It would be easier to take if I knew what happened, so it could be mitigated in the future, but I just can't think of what happened.
Incidentally, when I did the water change on the 150 I also did one on the 20h goldfish tank in the kitchen, and they never had any problems whatsoever. Not a ragged fin, cloudy eye or red gill in the bunch. That tank, in fact, was cleaned aggressively (this tank was cleaned after I was done with the 150) and I moved decor around to siphon out the copious debris that collects with these filthy fish, and wound up with about an 80% change of the water. This is a typical change for that tank, and the goldfish seem to thrive with this weekly routine. They are fantails, and their fins are in perfect shape, with no signs of any water quality issues. I would not dream of that kind of maintenance on a Tang cichlid tank.
It could be there was something in the tap water that affects Tang cichlids and does not affect goldfish, which is definitely possible - goldfish are known to be much hardier - but I won't likely ever know. Copper leaching into the tap water would affect many species, but with the higher range pH that is less of an issue. If we had soft, acidic water then that would be high on my list.
In the past when I have called the water treatment plant to inquire about certain values (some systems contain levels of NO3 -nitrate- that cause aquarists some problems, for instance) I am usually met with defensiveness, as if I'm trying to blame the water treatment people for health issues, which I'm not. I just like to know what I'm dealing with when I put tap water into my tanks. This is a huge part of the process and I don't have any control over what comes out of the tap. If they said to me, "oh yes, Sunday we registered a higher than normal level of ________ in the system. That might explain it" I'd be grateful and go on with my life. Maybe they could even tell me to avoid doing PWCs on a certain day of the month, perhaps. I just want to be informed so I can manage my livestock the best I can.
So, now I'm setting my sights on a less pricey species from the other side of the world, in South America. I'm going to turn this tank into an "eartheater" tank, with Satanoperca daemon, which sounds awful but actually is the designation of a species of cichlid that is attractive and peaceful. It has been known as Geophagus jurupari, but there is a lot of work being done on the taxonomy of the genus so it covers quite a few species. I have added wood and plants to the tank, but only plants that attach themselves to the wood and rocks, and nothing planted in the sand, because it will be uprooted by these sand-sifting cichlids. I will consider angels and acaras as well for this tank, which are other peaceful cichlids that are appropriate tankmates.
Right now the tank is cycling with some shubunkin (if you have been reading this blog you'll know that I do cycle tanks with fish and I'm not ashamed of it!) and after things have settled in the goldfish will go into a friend's pond. I'm doing large PWCs during the process, and we're about halfway there. The fish are about 3" long and there are only three of them in this huge tank, so nobody needs to get uptight about animal cruelty. I did the same thing with the goldfish I currently have in the kitchen, which started out cycling the 150 themselves a couple of years ago before I added my Tangs, and they are doing great to this day.
I am really trying to move on but will be affected by this traumatic event for a good while. I do feel like a failure but I'd sure like to know what I did. No broken heaters, no electrical shock, nobody spraying chemicals, painting nearby, etc. There was nothing in the water that I have a test kit for to explain it, so I guess it will always be a mystery, and be, to date, my biggest DISASTER!
Here's how it went:
I did my weekly PWC on Sunday afternoon, 4-ish, and I do only a 1/3 change because these are sensitive fish and any more than that seems to stress them. My other tanks get 1/2 PWC once a week. I did not disturb the decor or sand at all this time (it remains relatively clean without debris accumulating), but I simply placed the Python siphon hose into the water and started draining, then when it was 1/3 gone I tested my new tap water for temperature match and started refilling, taking care to add the correct amount of Prime. I have to be careful about temperature in particular because, again, they are sensitive and they show it when you are not careful about it. I have a pretty solid routine down, since this is a valuable tank in terms of the cost of the stock, as anyone who keeps or has kept Tanganyikan cichlids can attest. I've made mistakes with Tang cichlids in the past and treated this tank like the prima donnas they were.
Everything went fine, and we went out to dinner. No one was at home while we were out. We come home later and I fed them, and they all ate normally. We went to bed, and when I got up Monday morning everything looked fine, and we all left for work and school. We were all gone all day, with nobody home. When I got home from work my daughter alerted me that some of the fish were lying on the sand. Uh oh. What could this be?
I did a big PWC, thinking that something got into the tank, even though another PWC this soon after the first is risky, but I had to do something to try to save the tank, which was in obvious distress. All members were either dead or dying. Every last one. This included four 3.5-inch Kapampa frontosa, six Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, one 3-inch N. leleupi, and about 10-12 Altolamprologus species of various sizes, from 1.5" to 3". The water tested fine, in that there was no ammonia or nitrite, and very low nitrate (it hardly ever measures much nitrate, considering how small the fish were for this much water). This did not look like a case of not adding enough dechlor, since the times I have done that the water starts to cloud up and you see the params go wonky, and the fish start suffering immediately. I suppose this may not always be how it presents, but just in my own experience. Chlorine present in the water is not something this group of cichlids would take their time to react to, in other words. Cross that mistake off my list.
What then? I tested the pH and the tap water is the 7.6 it always is, with the tank measuring only a tiny bit higher at 7.9. Sometimes I reach 8 but as the tank matures the sand is buffering the water less and less, it seems. At first I thought the tap was measuring way low, at 6.2, but my pH meter needs to be calibrated and the liquid reagent kit proved it to be more alkaline, as always, at 7.6 (I'm sending the meter off to Milwaukee to be properly calibrated, as the adjustment screws are not solving the problem).
Over a matter of hours all fish dead. Monday night I tore the tank completely apart, removing and cleaning all the rocks (there must be 300 pounds of rock!) and cleaning out the sand, then taking apart the filters, a Fluval FX5 and a Rena Filstart XP4 and sterilizing them, loading with all new media. This took hours to complete, and was quite a physical strain, but I could not sit there and look at this giant glass testament to my failure.
What went wrong? What happened to slowly kill off every last fish? I've been over it and over it, and even my husband, who was present during the PWC procedure, can't come up with anything that does not match with my recollection. When I fed them I used the New Life Spectrum cichlid pellet, like always, and this time I did not use any frozen food, which could potentially go bad and perhaps sicken the fish. I think it must have had something to do with the water change, but with these fish any mistakes made in that procedure are typically evident quite rapidly, in my experience, and not 24 hours later.
I suppose I will never know, but I will continue to beat myself up over it, and not only because of the massive financial investment that went down the drain. I feel like I ought to have been able to get this tank mature and grow out the frontosa to their potential size, and this goal is not going to be achieved, at least not in the near future. I just don't have the funds to invest in replacing the fish and starting over. Maybe someday I will git it another shot, but not now. It would be easier to take if I knew what happened, so it could be mitigated in the future, but I just can't think of what happened.
Incidentally, when I did the water change on the 150 I also did one on the 20h goldfish tank in the kitchen, and they never had any problems whatsoever. Not a ragged fin, cloudy eye or red gill in the bunch. That tank, in fact, was cleaned aggressively (this tank was cleaned after I was done with the 150) and I moved decor around to siphon out the copious debris that collects with these filthy fish, and wound up with about an 80% change of the water. This is a typical change for that tank, and the goldfish seem to thrive with this weekly routine. They are fantails, and their fins are in perfect shape, with no signs of any water quality issues. I would not dream of that kind of maintenance on a Tang cichlid tank.
It could be there was something in the tap water that affects Tang cichlids and does not affect goldfish, which is definitely possible - goldfish are known to be much hardier - but I won't likely ever know. Copper leaching into the tap water would affect many species, but with the higher range pH that is less of an issue. If we had soft, acidic water then that would be high on my list.
In the past when I have called the water treatment plant to inquire about certain values (some systems contain levels of NO3 -nitrate- that cause aquarists some problems, for instance) I am usually met with defensiveness, as if I'm trying to blame the water treatment people for health issues, which I'm not. I just like to know what I'm dealing with when I put tap water into my tanks. This is a huge part of the process and I don't have any control over what comes out of the tap. If they said to me, "oh yes, Sunday we registered a higher than normal level of ________ in the system. That might explain it" I'd be grateful and go on with my life. Maybe they could even tell me to avoid doing PWCs on a certain day of the month, perhaps. I just want to be informed so I can manage my livestock the best I can.
So, now I'm setting my sights on a less pricey species from the other side of the world, in South America. I'm going to turn this tank into an "eartheater" tank, with Satanoperca daemon, which sounds awful but actually is the designation of a species of cichlid that is attractive and peaceful. It has been known as Geophagus jurupari, but there is a lot of work being done on the taxonomy of the genus so it covers quite a few species. I have added wood and plants to the tank, but only plants that attach themselves to the wood and rocks, and nothing planted in the sand, because it will be uprooted by these sand-sifting cichlids. I will consider angels and acaras as well for this tank, which are other peaceful cichlids that are appropriate tankmates.
Right now the tank is cycling with some shubunkin (if you have been reading this blog you'll know that I do cycle tanks with fish and I'm not ashamed of it!) and after things have settled in the goldfish will go into a friend's pond. I'm doing large PWCs during the process, and we're about halfway there. The fish are about 3" long and there are only three of them in this huge tank, so nobody needs to get uptight about animal cruelty. I did the same thing with the goldfish I currently have in the kitchen, which started out cycling the 150 themselves a couple of years ago before I added my Tangs, and they are doing great to this day.
I am really trying to move on but will be affected by this traumatic event for a good while. I do feel like a failure but I'd sure like to know what I did. No broken heaters, no electrical shock, nobody spraying chemicals, painting nearby, etc. There was nothing in the water that I have a test kit for to explain it, so I guess it will always be a mystery, and be, to date, my biggest DISASTER!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Puffers are Running!
This weekend the family had a gathering at my childhood summer cottage on Mobjack Bay in Mathews County, Virginia, which is now owned and has been lovingly restored by my sister and her husband. Typically the cottage is closed for the season this time of year, but it was a special occasion and the weather was gorgeous, so we all met down there for boating, fishing and feasting.
The tide was out during most of the afternoon, and considering how shallow and treacherous most of Mobjack can be during low tide, we fished from the pier. We had lots of action, but ALL of it from puffer fish! We must have reeled in 25 of them over the course of an hour or two, sometimes two on one rig. All were promptly released back into the water, and considering that fact, maybe we were catching the same puffers over and over, but you could easily see them in the water from the pier, and there were many, many of them in the vicinity.
This is the Sphoeroides maculatus, or the Northern puffer, and is common to the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the specimens we caught were about 8-10" and for the most part they did not puff up, which made me feel better! I am torn in situations like this, since I truly do enjoy fishing, and eating fish, for that matter, but puffers are near and dear to my heart and I hated for them to be stressed in this way! However, try as we might to catch other species that we typically catch off this pier, nothing was biting but the puffers. The kids put several in a bucket to observe them more closely for a few minutes, and they are indeed fascinating to watch.
Since I already keep a brackish puffer at home, I was very interested in the possibility of keeping several of these in a tank at home, though I'd have to devote a very large tank to them, like my 150-gal. If I did decide to create a setup for them, I'd want to get them as babies and raise them in the tank, rather than try to transport these adults into captivity. However, since I'm sure they spawn in much deeper water, the chances of me finding juveniles is very slim, so I'll just have to enjoy them from the pier.
Incidentally, these puffers were a popular food source from the Chesapeake until about 40 years ago, when their popularity faded, though locally you'll see them offered as "sugar toads." Their meat is apparently very sweet and delicious, and they allegedly do not contain any toxic organs like some marine species, so you don't have to worry about this when preparing them. I've never eaten them, but my mother recalls doing so, and they used to be a popular fish to serve children, who might not enjoy fish otherwise. She said they were easy to clean, because they are simply skinned and the strip of tender meat is removed from each side of the spine.
We certainly caught enough of them to have made a meal for our entire crowd, but they all went back into the water, to puff another day......
Since I already keep a brackish puffer at home, I was very interested in the possibility of keeping several of these in a tank at home, though I'd have to devote a very large tank to them, like my 150-gal. If I did decide to create a setup for them, I'd want to get them as babies and raise them in the tank, rather than try to transport these adults into captivity. However, since I'm sure they spawn in much deeper water, the chances of me finding juveniles is very slim, so I'll just have to enjoy them from the pier.
Incidentally, these puffers were a popular food source from the Chesapeake until about 40 years ago, when their popularity faded, though locally you'll see them offered as "sugar toads." Their meat is apparently very sweet and delicious, and they allegedly do not contain any toxic organs like some marine species, so you don't have to worry about this when preparing them. I've never eaten them, but my mother recalls doing so, and they used to be a popular fish to serve children, who might not enjoy fish otherwise. She said they were easy to clean, because they are simply skinned and the strip of tender meat is removed from each side of the spine.
We certainly caught enough of them to have made a meal for our entire crowd, but they all went back into the water, to puff another day......
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