Re: Undergravel filters, sand, and my new acquisitions (was Re: Under ground filter or not?)

["Darren J. Hanson" <djhanson@calweb.com>]

 I decided
>to give up on them and go with something I would at least see..  I
>really wanted A. cacatouides, but there's a local shortage, so I
>picked up some Microgeophagus (is that right?) altispinosa.  I picked
>up two, since that's all they had. (I will probably grab a few more
>when they get them in.)  These are nearly impossible to sex other than
>when breeding, aren't they?  I'm a little unsure about the water
>conditions they prefer.  I've read things via the WWW that say they
>prefer soft, slightly acidic waters, but in Linke & Staeck, it is said
>they were collected in an area of pH 7.6, and they were bred in tap
>water, measuring pH 7.5 and GH and kH each of about 140 ppm (or
>thereabouts -- can't remember exactly).

(From a earlier post from me)

- -I spawned a pair back in 1994. I put them in a 20 gallon tank with just 2"
fine sand, 3" ceramic flower pot and they had only the light from the
window. Their tank overgrew with algae on the glass so it was difficult to
see in the tank without a flashlight. One day when I went to do a water
change (soft water, 5.0 hardness and 7.0 pH.) I thought I might check to see
if the pair was even still there. Indeed they were. They didn't use the
flower pot for spawning. Instead they made a bare spot in a circular pattern
in the sand and that's where they spawned. They hatched their eggs and
raised their own fry. I still have the original pair in a 100 gallon
community tank with several of their offspring. (They don't seem to be of
much interest here in Sacramento, CA.) I fed them flakes and baby brine.
Other than that, I just left them alone. I didn't do a water change for 3
weeks prior to this one.-

I have been keeping them in tap water since they were 3 months of age. I
have not had them spawn in tap. It is easy to sex them I found out. You can
tell by the fins. On the male they are pointier and a bit longer and the
male is a bit larger than the female. The females fins are smaller and
rounded. It took me a couple years to figure this one out! There is no
difference in coloration. That is the difficult area. But, look to the fins
and you will be able to tell. If not, they may be too young or of the same
sex. My males are 2 1/2-3" and the females are 1 1/2 - 2". These are my fry
from 94.

I have found that reading the information in books is very helpful as a
baseline but, that the only way to find out what fish like best with me is
to experiment until they do spawn. Most of the time I just leave them alone.

Hopefully this is of some help.

Kaycy