Re: High light = Apisto shyness?

[Dave Mosley <dxm1@calweb.com>]

On Fri, 16 Apr 1999 21:50:23 -0500, "Derek Wingert" <dwingert@MNIC.net> wrote:

> Well, luckily a friend I know owns a pet shop and sold me a complete
> used 36" Perfecto SHO light hood with reflector and two 5400K bulbs for $90. 
> Great for the plants... this will be a whopping 110 Watts over a 30 gallon 
> tank... nearly four watts per  gallon. I was reading that Apistogramma are 
> quite shy in these bright conditions. I plan on  having a few overhanging/
> floating (you know what I mean!)  Italian Vals, but not  too many floating 
> plants, but luckily I will have lots of hiding places among plants, driftwood,
> slate caves, and coconut caves. I am wondering if I just ruined my chances 
> of keeping  Apistogramma -- and in a spendy fashion.

i have the same fixture on a 40 gallon (along with two CSL 27 watt PCs.) this 
will definitely be good for your plants. with proper fertilization (iron and 
CO2), you should be able to grow some of the more demanding high-light plants. 

unless you plan to prune on a daily basis, you may have more "floating" plants 
that you thought. most happy plants in a high-light condition will race for the 
surface, fold over an spread out. this will provide a nice habitat for apistos - 
but can be a nightmare to keep looking good. the tops floating on the surface 
will shade the lower leaves, and you can end up with a tight mass of (good 
looking) leaves floating above allot of spindly stems and water roots.

it may not look too "amano", but my fish loved this type of setup. i've had 
cacatuoides, borelli, and kribs spawn in tanks left to "go to seed" like this.

but, like mike sez, if you want to spawn them, a dedicated spawning tank is the 
way to go. if you want to keep them in a nice looking community setting with 
plants, choose your plant species carefully, or plan to prune often.


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