Don't be surprised if the two that got away are still in there. I've had fry show up that I didn't know I had--and at a size that made me wonder how I'd managed to miss them.

Blaise

Looks like to me.

Blaise

They're not insubstantial size-wise, but they don't last as long as oak leaves. Leaves I've been tempted to try are Bradford Pear. Those things take forever to break down in the yard.

Blaise

I've been using Sycamore leaves in my tanks for several years now, simply to provide more variation to the leaf litter look. Agree with Darrel that the leaves do not add much by way of tannins. They do, as Darrel noted, last much longer than similar-looking maple leaves (I get the occasional in with ...

I've had CW052s since 2009ish. They're fun little guys.

Blaise

Something out of the elegans group.

Blaise

I'm in. Haven't missed one since 2010 (Laurel, MD)? I don't have a t-shirt for that one, so I'm not positive.

Blaise

Here's one from a conversation in the Capital Cichlid Association forum that popped up in regard to a member who has fantastic luck at spawning whatever.

Blaise

Andrew,

What are the workshops listed for Friday afternoon? Hands-on sort of things? Regardless, totally stoked.

Blaise

Let it ride. It'll be fine.

Blaise

Eric,

I need your venezuelanus to have a word with mine. They spawned around this time last year and haven't done bupkis since...

Blaise

I've had cories on Flourite Black Sand before without problems.

Blaise

I have mine on pool filter sand. A buddy of mine has his on a darker substrate and the orange pops more.

Blaise

Prime is a dechlorinator made by Seachem.

Blaise

Prepping tanks for potential new occupants...

Blaise

Pool filter sand is another option. As Marc said, avoid sharp edges and rinse thoroughly.

You can find play sand at Home Depot or Lowe's and pool filter sand at a pool supply store. In any case, it should be under $10 for a 50 lb bag.

Blaise

I concur with Corycory. You've got C. aeneus.

Blaise

The most recent Amazonas briefly mentions albino C. pygmaeus. Don't remember if it mentioned whether they're commercially available yet.

Blaise

At various times, I've kept C. pygmaeus with C. habrosus, Aspidoras pauciradiatus and/or Aspidoras sp. CW052 with no interbreeding.

Blaise

It's certainly something in the elegans group. Which one is harder to pin down.

Blaise

Excellent!

Blaise

They're Aspidoras pauciradiatus. I have some from Batfish Aquatics.

Blaise

Or try a pool supply store and purchase a bag of pool filter sand.

Blaise

I enjoy simply being able to nerd out with like-minded people for a weekend.

Hat tip to you, Andrew, and to all the PVAS people who put on the convention.

Blaise

Sweet list, Matt. I'll be stopping by. Need some female erhardti. Want some of the others.

Blaise

Andrew-

I know someone who had/may still have some robinae. I'll ask. He'll be at Catcon.

Blaise

I'm going to further confound things here. I purchased 5 C. venezuelanus from a local vendor, Batfish Aquatics, about a year ago. All five of them looked like the picture labelled as such in Ian's Mon Aug 25, 2014 2:41 pm post. Since then, two of them have darkened considerably and now look closer ...

Sorry for not combining my responses into one post. Haven't had my coffee yet. Andy, I was just throwing zygatus out as a possibility for the fish in the middle picture. You're right--the fry are the definitive indicator. I have some fish that were sold as rabauti, but what do you know, when they ...

No luck with the leucomelas, Ron. Had them for maybe 4 years now. They don't even display breeding behavior.

Blaise

I like delphax as the possible ID of the two "outsiders" in the top picture. I was thinking along those lines. I based my agasizzii ID on the size of the spots. Hardly scientific, I know. I've got several mystery corys that came along with some leucomelas I purchased from a fellow club member a few ...