L377 Tank Set-Up

[bigbird]

Hello All,

I set up my L377 set up as follows.
Silica sand, 3pieces of drift wood, some java ferns and oak leaves on the floor. Water change 30% every monday, temp 28C, a good current. Now my question is, should I remove the oak leaves or not ? They do break up and get mulmy ? just seeking your advice. cheers jk

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Hi Bigbird, I have dead oak leaves in all the tanks, they certainly don't do any harm. I tend to replace them in the Hypancistrus tanks a lot more often than I do for the Apistogrammas. I'm not sure whether they do any good, and the main problem I have is they always end up in a big heap in the corner trapped by the flow. My suspicion would be that the water flow in the areas inhabited by most Pelkotia species would be high enough to remove most leaves and small branches, just leaving rocks, boulders and the larger logs.

I think the main requirement for most rheophilic plecs is highly oxygenated water and a lot of crevices and caves to hide in.

cheers Darrel

 

[bigbird]

Hi Darrel,

Thanks for that. I have started to remove a handfull of leaves a day and in my quarantine tank have soaked more wood and sandstone to make up hidding spots. I usedthem for the apistos, as they likedthat set up in the leaf litter. cheers jk