Hi
Has anyone had problems keeping whiptail catfish in a hi-tec planted tank ? I bought what look like 4 Rineloricaria fallax for mine.
I've kept the more common form of the whiptail before in a non-planted tank and they've done really well and bred. This time around they're in a heavily planted tank with CO2 and three of the four have died. None of the other fish have been effected this way. Ammonia and Nitrite are both 0 (I tested again last night). I'm doing nitrate dosing a couple of times a week (1/4 tsp in 52 gallon) and Ferropol a couple of times a week (4 caps). The plants are regularly bubbling off small oxygen bubbles. CO2 is at about 30ppm, water is hard (10KH). At night a soleniod disconnects the CO2.
I wonder if they're intolerant to the ph swings or there's not enough oxygen for them or I've just been unlucky and this particular batch from the LFS were very stressed in transit. I have a bristlenose plec who's positively thriving in there though and is growing at a great rate.
I'm thinking of moving the last one out to a smaller non-CO2 tank to see if he does better in there.
Also is there any reason to think the pair of L134s will struggle. I wanted to keep them in the planted tank until they were mature and then move them to another tank for breeding, but may move them sooner ?
Stocking level is at it's maximum really (e.g, 52" of fish in 52 gallon tank).
Cheers
Has anyone had problems keeping whiptail catfish in a hi-tec planted tank ? I bought what look like 4 Rineloricaria fallax for mine.
I've kept the more common form of the whiptail before in a non-planted tank and they've done really well and bred. This time around they're in a heavily planted tank with CO2 and three of the four have died. None of the other fish have been effected this way. Ammonia and Nitrite are both 0 (I tested again last night). I'm doing nitrate dosing a couple of times a week (1/4 tsp in 52 gallon) and Ferropol a couple of times a week (4 caps). The plants are regularly bubbling off small oxygen bubbles. CO2 is at about 30ppm, water is hard (10KH). At night a soleniod disconnects the CO2.
I wonder if they're intolerant to the ph swings or there's not enough oxygen for them or I've just been unlucky and this particular batch from the LFS were very stressed in transit. I have a bristlenose plec who's positively thriving in there though and is growing at a great rate.
I'm thinking of moving the last one out to a smaller non-CO2 tank to see if he does better in there.
Also is there any reason to think the pair of L134s will struggle. I wanted to keep them in the planted tank until they were mature and then move them to another tank for breeding, but may move them sooner ?
Stocking level is at it's maximum really (e.g, 52" of fish in 52 gallon tank).
Cheers
