Looking for advice and suggestions as to the best way to set up a Biotype tank for some Hoplogenys...
it is for a project that I am organising where a community group using polls and general consensus determine how this tank is done, but we need some details so as we can narrow down our choices to what is better for these little guys...
here is the link for the discussion that is in progress >
Well the typical natural biotop would be
a tank with fine light coloured sand with a lot of diftwood, no plants , and black water. a lightening which is not strong but rather low. A filter that will create a little current but no strong one. T° around 27-28°c/ ~80F°
Cheers
Yann
do you mean biotope or biotype?
if biotope, then its as yannfulliquet stated.
as for biotype...i was under the impression this term referred to the habitat the fish were collected in.
Meanwhile, Homer catches a legendary catfish, General Sherman, but to prove his love for Marge he throws it back in the lake...
Yann is right on in his description of the biotope for your black and white Ancistrus. As rule, I have NEVER encountered any black loricariid with white dots outside of black water habitats. This color/camouflage pattern seems to be a specific adaptation to hiding in black waters (hence, so many loricariids with this general pattern). A. triradiatus are collected in and around Villavicencio, Colombia and it is a llanos piedmont (foothills) sp. The substrate should be two parts light colored sand to one part medium colored gravel and contain several medium to large well-rounded rocks. It should also contain one or more (depending on the size of the tank and how many males are present) large complex driftwood tangles. The tank should have an additional powerhead to provide a good amount of current (much more current than the black water Ancistrus sp. would be found in). A. triradiatus arrive here mainly with a non-descript Rineloricaria sp. and Corydoras melanotaenia. No tetras are exported from this area as they are all non-descript silvery spp. A 20 gallon (long) replica of the natural biotope could have a pair of A. triradiatus, 4-5 Rineloricaria, and 4-5 C. melanotaenia. Given that they are piedmont fishes adapted to very clean well oxygenated water I would suggest frequent large water changes. The water can vary from soft to medium hard and should have a pH of 7.0 to 7.6. This would be a nice looking, easy to set up, and very accurate biotope. Farlowella vittata and F. mariaelenae are also found in this biotope but they would starve competeing with the Ancistrus for food. I know it is not your plan, but you could take out the Ancistrus and do an accurate biotope with the same fishes just replacing the pair of Ancistrus with 4-5 Farlowella vittata.
-Shane
"My journey is at an end and the tale is told. The reader who has followed so faithfully and so far, they have the right to ask, what do I bring back? It can be summed up in three words. Concentrate upon Uganda."
Winston Churchill, My African Journey
Interesting stuff about the black water. Can anyone fill me in on appropriate pH and other conditions for this sort of fish. We have just spawned our Ancistrus hoplogenys and there is a chronology here if anyone is interested:
Black water is tannin-stained water with a fairly low pH (generally around 4 and as low as 2.9), which is most easily approximated in the aquarium by adding peat (either as a filter medium or under the tank substrate).
sometimes driftwood also makes ur ph drop a little and makes ur water tan which makes ur water the proper habitat for ur plec. Silurus is right on peat. And u could also use ready make black water extract. Try to use the brand tetra, for there effect is better rather than sera.. gudluck
Too many gorgeous loricariids
So hard to obtain! Grrr....
The tank is up and running, currently housing 4 Hoplogenys, 5 Rosy Tetra, 8 Black Neon Tetra, 14 Neon Tetra, 2 Blue Diamond Discus (to be relocated upon the acquistition of another 2-3 Discus).
The tank has 2 decent sized chunks of Drift/Bog wood in there, a cave feature as well as a couple of plants.
Filtration is well covered, 1 x AC300, 1 x Via Aqua/Atman 750 Canister, plus 1 x Air powered sponge filter. The AC300 & the Canister have a layer of Eheim Ehfitorf Filter peat and Sera Morena is added to the water when water changes are made every 2-3 days.
