PlanetCatfish.com

Hello everyone!

I'm thinking about getting some and was wondering if you think I could keep a breeding group of 5 in a 30 gallon, Decor would be sparse with some Echinodorus planted in the corners and some drift wood over hangs for them sleep under.

Would this be adequate?

Regards
James

I should add...

The tanks dimensions are in LxWxH are 36x12x16. I am also pandering getting 6 because I get them a little bit cheaper and its very tempting ;)

But if you guys think 5 is the max then thats what I will do.

James,
Start with 6 with the ultimate plan of keeping the two nicest males and two nicest females for spawning. These fish come from Discus/Uaru waters, so you will need soft, preferably acidic, warm water with good O2 levels. It also has to be kept clean with very low waste levels.
-Shane

Thanks Shane!

My tap water here has a ph of 5 so I think I'm fine on that front. I was thinking for temps I would do 78 Fahrenheit, would that be warm enough?. The collection site listed is the "Rio Meta". I'll see If cant get a picture of the tank tonight (keep in mind it will only be the driftwood at the moment the sand, soil, plants and water will come later ;) ). What you would you recommend for flow? would a canister filters out put be enough or should I grab a power head for 10 gallons to make some more current?


Regards
James

At the risk of stating the obvious... a fish collected in the white water Rio Meta in the llanos can not be the black water sp from the Rio Atabapo in Amazonas. Either their collection site is incorrect or their identification is.
-Shane

Here is the fish (Photo from the seller)


He says it was collected from the Orinico

Are they coming from Below Water? I would trust the owner of that company to know the collection location.

Narwhal72 wrote:Are they coming from Below Water? I would trust the owner of that company to know the collection location.

Yes I am getting them from Oliver. I just sent him an email just to make sure that he got them from the Rio meta. i believe these did come from the Orinoco because he brought up the Orinoco in an email he sent me.

Orinoco would make more sense. I have some and they are really fun fish to watch.

I am sitting in a room with Oliver, that fish was collected in the Rio Meta. It appears to be widespread in Venezuela.

Jools

Jools wrote:I am sitting in a room with Oliver, that fish was collected in the Rio Meta. It appears to be widespread in Venezuela.

Jools, if this is , should I add Meta to its distribution on its CLOG page?

So, it appears this is a much more widespread species. Whether the fish from the Atabapo is the same species or not.

Jools

Would inhabiting the Rio meta be that far fetched? I know they are collected as by catch when are collected. When I get the fish I'll be sure to note as many physical characteristics as possible and see if anything differentiates it from and or put evidence towards it being a newly discovered population.

Irregardless I'm excited to be a part of this! (not sure if I am or not but I'm counting it ;) )

@Jools, understood. But since anything 'sp. Rio X' isn't defined as a species to begin with (as I understand the usage), where do we go next? Either list this fish as 'sp. Rio Meta' based on different distribution, then combine them later if they turn out to be the same sp., or expand the distribution of 'sp. Rio Atabapo' to include the Meta, based on superficial morphological similarity and the local awareness of "widespread" distribution, then split them later when they are properly identified as different spp. - half a dozen of one, six of another, as I see it... But as stated previously, I'm a lumper not a splitter, so I'm biased. I'll defer to your judgment.

Cheers, Eric

Just wondering what direction this is going in, when I get them (Dammit I will get them!) I'll just note that they are Loricaria cf "Atabapo".

I believe my next chance to get these guys is going to be in November and once I get them I will be sure to note as many physical features as possible for comparison.

I should also ask, Does them being from the meta change things (water quality, temp, chemistry, current)?