Figure 8 Diet + Brackish Plants

[DiscusKeeper403]

Hey guys,

I'm finally home. My Dad has kept my puffer well, but I would like to make sure we have him in tip-top shape. Our normal diet for him is blood worms, krill, and the occasional hard covered white worm (do no exactly wht they are) The occasional, shelled worm is given live. I don't really think this is the best diet for him, he needs more of a veriaty, and I will be going to the store tommorow to see what else I can get. I need a good list of foods, frozen, dry, and live. And, I would love a bunch of good shelled foods, as his teeth need a good trimming. I was also wondering about brakish plants, can you give me a few names of some?

Thanks abunch!

DL

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Well, I think all I really need help with is the brackish plants. I may try up at the planted forum.

 

[DarkEntity]

Vallis, Java Ferns, Java moss to name a few. Find Neale Monks and check his signature, its got a link to a list of brackish plants im sure (thinks back) either that or its a sticky in here


http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=143235

 

[nmonks]

As a general rule, anything that prefers hard water conditions rather than soft/acid will do well at the SG 1.003-1.005 range you want for a figure-8. Ideal plants include Java fern, Anubias, Cryptocoryne ciliata, C. wendtii, Hygrophila, Vallisneria, etc. These plants are either brackish water specialists (e.g., Cryptocoryne ciliata) or else adapt quite well to brackish water (e.g., Vallisneria).

If you're growing plants in brackish water though, you do need to take the other aspects -- substrate and lighting -- seriously. Get those right, and the plants will adapt to the salty water. Go cheap on the substrate and use insufficient light, and you're plants will be very disappointing.

In other words, don't use plain gravel but instead a mix of gravel, sand, and laterite, or maybe even aquarium soil plus gravel. Use nice lights (like Tritons) with reflectors, and make sure there's about 2 Watts per gallon or more lighting. Set the tank up as freshwater, and let the plants get established. For the 4-8 weeks that'll take, your figure-8 will be absolutely fine in freshwater conditions. Then, when you're happy the plants have signs of root growth and new leaves, start raising the salinity a little at a time, such as 1.000 to 1.001 the first week, to 1.002 the next week, and so on. That'll let the plants adapt gently to the different conditions. When "shocked" by sudden chemistry changes, plants shed their leaves and go into a state of dormancy, which is what you don't want.

Cheers, Neale