Multiple tank options, help!

[Aiptasia]

Hey guys.

I'm going to be setting up a home for a group of juvenile L046's and I have several tank options open to me at the moment. I'm looking for setup recommendations and stocking levels for these fish for a standard 48" long rectangular 55 gallon aquarium as a display tank.

If necessary, I can also move pairs/trios to other soft water community tanks already up and running (a 42g. bowfront and a 29g. bowfront respectively), but i'd like to at least keep a trio of females to one male in the 55 tank.

I guess the most confusing thing is whether or not these fish need a high flow rate, or just an improved oxygen level because of the warm temperatures they prefer. There seems to be two schools of thought on this. I can accomplish either, or both, using a combination of water agitation at the surface and increased flow rate using powerheads (with or without venturi). This tank will not be in a bedroom so venturi noise won't be a factor to me.

Here's what i'm considering for the setup:

1/2" to 1" of quartzite pool filter sand as a substrate
Five to six slate caves (or similar)
Artificial plants (aquascapers)
Pre-soaked bogwood/driftwood
Two 150 w. submersable visi-therm heaters
Two Magnum HOT canister filters
(optional) powerheads for waterflow
Standard glass canopy/Florescent striplight.

Dither fish:

Six to eight hatchetfish (silvers, marbled, etc.)
Eight to ten scissortail, rummynose or cardinal tetras

I plan to use a combination of 3/4 filtered/deionized water (Kent Marine Deion 200-R) to 1/4 tap water. Our regular tap water fluxuates (depending on rain levels, etc.) between pH 6.8 to 7.4 and 80-120 ppm TDS. The Deion unit produces water purer than my R/O unit (pH 7.0 and undetectable dissolved solids) with no wastewater. It's so pure it isn't potable and I have to "buffer the mix" with tap water to keep the pH from fluxuating.

So, any thoughts on stocking levels for L046 in the proposed 55g. tank? I'm thinking of acquiring six to ten juveniles and then separating them into pairs or trios later on. Feesable?

I also have two empty 20g. tanks that I can and will use for quarantine tanks and/or fry tanks if necessary. I tend to put synthetic aquaclear sponge filters over the intake tubes of any HOB or canister filter, so I can pop one onto a quarantine/fry tank in any emergency or at any time I need them.

[thebuddy]

did you read the AFM (aquarium fish magazine) article on dither fish?
sounds good most people recomend high flow rate becuase L046's come from a river of the amazon (if anyone wants to tell us what its name is that would be great i forgot) but from what ive seen its up for debate wether it is a necesity i personlay would try to mimic there habitat as much as possible lemme go find a link to a nice river idea

linkified
http://www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1392


PS keep in mind all the above is what i have read i dont have any L046 fishes yet

[zebrastorey]

Hi Aiptasia
Well you seemed to have covered everything
Your set up sounds like it will be perfect, But if i were you i would add the power head and an air stone just to keep oxygen as high as possible but thats just me. Your proposed stocking for a 48" seems ok zebra wise though i don't think the hatchet fish and probably the other small tetras will like the water movement unless you can provide some dead areas for them.
Other than that i think your set up will be excellent for your fish.

L046's come from a river of the amazon (if anyone wants to tell us what its name is that would be great i forgot)

The Rio Xingu

[Aiptasia]

did you read the AFM (aquarium fish magazine) article on dither fish?
sounds good most people recomend high flow rate becuase L046's come from a river of the amazon (if anyone wants to tell us what its name is that would be great i forgot) but from what ive seen its up for debate wether it is a necesity i personlay would try to mimic there habitat as much as possible lemme go find a link to a nice river idea

linkified
http://www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1392


PS keep in mind all the above is what i have read i dont have any L046 fishes yet

Well, that's the thing. I've seen some other care and breeding articles that mention the high flow rates aren't really as important provided you can supply the fish with adequate oxygen levels in the warmer water they require. Even highly active river fish will retire to the shallows to rest, and by using the UG setup as outlined above, it would be more difficult for me to adjust the powerheads with regard to the different tank zones.

Another clue that a high flow rate is probably not necessary for these fish is that they're bottom dwellers. Simple physics, these fish swim along and grip the bottom of fast moving territory because it isn't as often patrolled as other suckermouth cats. Their smaller size cuts down the drag in the water, and water currents (like wind currents) are actually slower and more temperate along the absolute bottom of a river system than in it's middle or upper regions. The underwater terrain of the riverbeds helps greatly. And it's not like these fish live in rapids.

Yeah, I could go all out and re-create a true S.A. soft water river biotope with live plants, peat extracts, special substrates, etc. but it's more of a PITA and not exactly necessary to re-create an acceptable home for these fish.

If I need to, I can always just add more powerheads.

No I didn't read the article on dither fish in any magazines. I've used dither fish a lot in the past with skiddish species to help them feel more comfortable. Water changes are just as important with some skiddish fish, such as characins and some cichlids as they'll often secrete a "fear" response hormone into the water if frightened.

Your set up sounds like it will be perfect, But if i were you i would add the power head and an air stone just to keep oxygen as high as possible but thats just me. Your proposed stocking for a 48" seems ok zebra wise though i don't think the hatchet fish and probably the other small tetras will like the water movement unless you can provide some dead areas for them.

Ehh, I don't like airstones/pumps. I'd rather run airline to the venturi valve on the powerhead and a sound deadening sponge "bullet" silencer filter on the other end above the water line to inject air into the tank if necessary. Some of those bullet filters are even adjustable so that you can control the airflow rate (made for protein skimmers). It's really not how much dissolved oxygen is in the water, but how quickly I can get the trapped CO2 released, and the best way to do that is by rapidly agitating the surface tension of the tank water. The more CO2 released, the better oxygen carrying capacity of the water.

I should be able to arrange the powerheads in a pattern that won't disturb surface dwellers too much, yet create a turbulent zone at the water's surface for gas exchange. If it's too rough, i'm sure i'll come up with a solution (floating plants, wavemaker powerstrip, etc.).

Thanks for the kind words one and all. Any other suggestions?