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Re: cacatoides
Sue writes:
> I don't do water changes often, maybe once every few weeks. I just did one
> about two weeks ago. There is a nice pot in the tank to spawn, and the
> tank is oh, 3 gallons. It has lighting and an undergravel filter, with a
> couple plastic plants and a pinch of live plants. The temperature of the
> tank is room temperature <no heater>. I haven't tested water hardness..
> but the water I use is city water, if that helps :P I treat it with the
> ammonia, chloramine and hard mineral remover stuff, ph down basic
water>, and ph stabilizer.
And they haven't died yet? Okay, not meaning to be snooty, but that's not
gonna do it. If they did spawn in a three gallon tank, which is unlikely but
not impossible, the male would be dead by the following morning. You gotta
get at least ten gallons. You GOTTA know your water parameters before you
start adding stuff like "hard mineral remover stuff". And if your water is
very basic, it is also probably (but not necessarily) very hard. If by a
hard mineral remover you mean a "Softener", then you are probably doubling
conductivity by replacing the calcium and magnesium with sodium. That's just
as bad as having hard water. They'll be more comfortable, maybe, but not in
a spawning mood. And room temperature doesn't really mean anything, either.
I've had cacatuoides spwn anywhere from 76ºF to 82ºF, but in the winter I
keep the room at 70ºF. When I lived in FL, then 80 was as low as it ever got.
I don't mean to discourage, but you need to care for them like they was
tender little babies. Changing water every "few weeks" in a three gallon
tank is like changing a diaper every few days. They are swimming in their
own pee, ya know?
Bob Dixon.
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