Redoing a 55 Gallon

[Kestrix]

Well, this is my first post here and after reading several other topics here I've decided you guys would be the best ones to answer my questions. I'm currently getting ready to re-setup a 55 gallon aquarium as a natural planted aquarium. I've decided that it will have a three part substrate. First layer is a mix of regular Flourite, Red Flourite, and Black Flourite. Second Layer will be either screened dirt or organic plain old topsoil. As for the final layer I'd very much like to have sand. The reason I want sand is I currently have three juvie to adult Corydoras panda (the smallest of the trio measures around 1/2inch without tail maybe a little less.). I do know they need to be in a larger school, though I am waiting for the LFS (also the seller The Wet Spot on Aquabid) to get more Long Fin Pandas as well as more tank raised (like these three) or wild caught regular pandas in. Also currently in holding is a Rineloricaria hasemani (wild caught from Columbia and it's around 2.5 inches), who seems to enjoy the fact that fresh vegetables are a norm around here.

I would love to use CaribSea's Black Sand Substrate for this tank, which is listed on their site for being safe for soft bellied fish (which I assume would be safe for Cory barbels), however to keep it from compacting as I heard it's very fine I would like to also mix it with their newer small grain Voodoo River black gravel. It has a minium size of .1 mm and a max size of .5mm. Would this be safe to mix? As for the catfish, I couldn't seem to find specific care information for the rineloricaria hasemani so I've been basing my care off of Rineloricaria sp. "Red Whiptail Catfish" L010a. He currently recieves a diet of spiruella/algae tablets, left over shrimp pellets, blanched hulled peas, cucumbers, and whatever else I have this week from feeding a rabbit. Will this diet serve him well? He seems to be fond of hiding under the aquatic turtle ramp in the holding tank and for whatever reason the panda cories have decided to "panda pile" ontop of him during the evenings, though this doesn't seem to bother him.

As for the panda's diet they recieve a similar one with tropical flake, freeze dried blood worms and tubiflex worms, and homegrown chopped up earthworm (I do vermiculture composting with them, so I know just what those worms have been eating. I'm a completely organic gardener and haven't used chemicals or artificial fert. in over 10 years due to wildlife and having dogs. My garden is treated with cow, chicken, worm, and rabbit manure and the worms are fed leftover vegetables and fruit.) I can tell you those corys go crazy for that fresh worm. So do platys I have in another tank. I have one that likes to pretend he's Jaws.

Am I giving these cats the best start I can? The other tank has previously cycled natural sand that I've grown tired of and formerly kept neon tetras in. If the black sand/gravel mix isn't acceptable then would this special play sand be safe? It's harvested by Oregon Decorative Rock from the Oregon Cost and sterilized to be a safe alternative to store bought play sand. Something about being free of carcinogenic compounds or some such. It's rather cheap for a large bucket full.

Thanks for answering my questions as I've never really kept catfish before outside of pl*cos and an Auchenipterichthys thoracatus (Midnight Catfish) when I was younger.

[MatsP]

I have CaribSea's "Tahitian black moon" sand, and it needs to be laid in rather a thin layer to avoid gas buildup - most gas is actually carbon dioxide, which is harmless. But it can also be hydrogen sulphide - which is BAD for fish, and smells of rotten eggs.

I'm a bit concerned that digging fish would turn over your sand and get down to the soil and other substrate underneath - not this will harm anything, just make it look less "neat".

Can't really comment on the other CaribSea product, but I'm pretty certain it's similar type of sand, just a bit coarser. Should still be fine for catfish.

When it comes to

Rineloricaria hasemani

- it is either not that species, or not from Colombia - this specis is a Lower Amazon species. My guess would be on the "not that species" - most people (including the exporters in South America) try to ID Rineloricaria by pictures, which is full of flaws - mostly because the pictures will show three different fish in three different colour patterns. What no one says on the page showing these pcitures is that:
1. There are another half a dozen species of Rineloricaria that aren't pictured in this book.
2. They all can look very different depending on the substrate, lighting and mood. Unless they are in the same state of "lack of stress" and on the same background, the fish may well be the same species and look very different.

Rineloricaria are a nightmare to identify. However, if they came from Colombia, it's likely that they are R. eigenmanni.

Rineloricaria in general are more carnivores than herbivores.


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Mats

[Kestrix]

I might then layer the soil under the flourite mix. So as for the whiptail do you think he'd be fine recieving the diet that the pandas get? The only "live" food they recieve is the chopped earthworm, as I know for a fact what's in/on them. All other meat foods are freeze dried.

The sand most likely won't be deeper than a 1/2 inch with Malaysian Trumpet Snails to help with churning. I'll most likely see if the local potters can bisque me some clay caves for my fish, though then I'm not sure what type of clay would be good. They do have a lovely almost white stoneware clay.

For water quality my tap water is around 8pH or so with a decent level of hardness probably 20ppm (or kH I can't remember what the letter is supposed to be) or so at least. (I can't get to the actual results at the moment as I fractured a toe. Bad luck and all.) I combat that buy using filtered bottle water that comes from our water delivery guy that is 0 softness and around 7pH. I am purchasing a R/O portable water filter (cheaper than a month's worth of water changes using the 5 gallon bottles) as well as creating a peat filter to have lower pH water. I want to use these different mixtures to create a better water for the catfish which would be stored in large drinking water holding tanks. That way the water is already prepared for water changes. I will also be using indian almond leaves (and perhaps Oak leaves as there's a lovely oak forest nearby.. but I'm not sure if they are sprayed to kill Gypsy Moths and how to decontaminate any leaves that might have it on them.) to also lower pH and make the fish happy. This was recommended to me by a betta breeder.

I want to give these fish the best home I can and also will be using driftwood and plants as well as good lighting (I will be upgrading from single fluorscent tube fixtures to doubles) as well moon lighting. Any more recommendations for them? Would wild pandas be safe (after being kept and observed for diseases and such.) to house with my little tank raised ones?

I have so many questions as I am also a biology major at my university, though I'm more focused on human biology and pathogens/disease.

[MatsP]

If your pH is about 8, then your GH/KH will be much higher than 20 ppm - it may be 20 on the German or Clarke hardness scales - or there is something else added to your tap-water to raise the pH, but that's unlikely.

I'm pretty sure that just plain RO water would be sufficient to lower the pH to acceptable levels for all your fish - you don't really want to go too low.

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Mats