AqualogNEWS100
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Adifficult start
Unfortunately by the second day a gray
coating was visible on the fishes. They
were obviously unwell – they all rested
beneath the internal filter and refused to
feed. What was wrong with them? I
checked the bristlenoses, but they
seemed fine. So luckily the disease was
not very infectious. What was I to do? I
didn’t want to add any medication
without making an exact diagnosis.
Judging by the mucus hyperproduction,
thewaterwasgiving thema lotof trouble.
Perhaps there were too many bacteria
present? So I tried the wisest and often
most effective method of treatment: I
changed60%of thewaterandadded salt.
This raised the conductivity to 1,500
µS/cm. After 2 days I could see a visible
improvement in the state of the fishes.
They had becomemore active, and,most
important, they were taking food again.
The latter consisted of bloodworm,
Artemia
,
Cyclops
,and food tablets.
First success
During the following6weeks I didn’t alter
the water parameters, in order to let the
fishes settle in properly. The high
conductivity seemed to suit them,as they
were evidently in good health. What
particularly struckmeat this timewas the
fact that the fishes didn’t swim around
much and liked to remain in the shadeof
the plants. After 6weeks of observation I
hadaccumulateda fewbasicdatawhich I
could think aboutwhen trying toprovide
the conditionsneeded for breeding.
Preparations forbreeding
InAugust Imoved the fishes toa separate
120-liter tank, which was, however, only
60% full ofwater. I initiallyprovidedwater
with no salt added and a conductivity of
200 µS/cm, but after just 3 days it was
clear that the fishes were unwell again.
Out of the blue they developed another
bacterial infection, whose signs were
slightly reddened areas.This time I used a
medication whose active ingredient was
Nifurpirinol. After 5 days the fishes were
better again. I kept them together, under
observation, for another 10 days, then I
split thegroup,as I thought that even this
tankwas still too large.
I divided the fishes into two groups, each
with 3 males and 2 females. The tanks
used this time (30 x 25 x 25 cm) had no
significant current, just a small air-
powered internal filter. The tanks were
dimly lit andhad just a sprinklingof sand
as substrate. A small
Cryptocoryne
and a
small
Anubias
completed the décor in
eachcase.The temperaturewas set at 26 °
and the softwaterwas again treatedwith
salt, which had already proved itself
beneficial to the well-being of these
fishes. They were fed mainly on live
Artemia
andbloodworm.
The first breeding – itself not without
problems!
On 29th September 98, towards 4 o’clock
in the afternoon, the fishes spawned in
one of the tanks. The eggs were up to 3
mm in diameter and colorless. About 25
eggswere laid,but only12were fertilized.
I have found “Cilex”very effective against
The long-snouted form resembling
Corydorastukano
fromBrazil isextremelypopular. Photo:ErwinSchraml
