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RE:Burrowing fish
>I have just set up a 40 gallon tank with special substrate. Will
>burrowing Fish like eels and botias cause problems by bringing the
>laterite up to the surface?
>
>The substrate is a 1.5 inch base of fluorite with laterite mixed in at
>the recommended 1 lb/gal rate. Then added 1 bag of Fluorish tabs (about
>14 I think) plus about 8 Jobes sticks (13-5-5). Covered with 1.5
>inches of conventional gravel. Planted with what I had available -
>couple of large swords, hygrophila, plus java moss and elodea to suck up
>the nutrients that leak out of the into the water column.
>
>Did I go overboard on the substrate? Is adding laterite to fluorite a
>waste of money?
Wow, that's a rich loaded substrate! And you want eels and botias eh? I had
a fire eel in a 55 gallon tank with a horde of loaches (large clowns) once.
The eel didn't dig but most do. Laterite won't cause much problems but those
jobes and fluorish tabs would concern me.............
Loaches "sometimes" dig. Some species do more than others. They uproot
plants more than anything as a general rule. Eels can do more damage if they
decide to.......................
As I understand it you have 40 lbs of laterite in there?
>with laterite mixed in at
>>the recommended 1 lb/gal rate.
Are you sure?
If you use layering methods with your substrates perhaps it wouldn't be wise
to have loaches and eels. Think about it. It's a big risk. Get a pack of
SAE's, rosy barbs, otto cats and so on.
I'd be testing (Ph, Kh and NO3 namely) a lot also and doing nice water
changes as needed. It can work but you'll have to very careful. If all's
balanced well you won't have too many problems.
Add as many plants as you can in there for the start up. Keep your CO2 up
and ph stable.
Flourite can be used without laterite with good results but it also won't
hurt any to add it either. Why not after all? Should help more than hurt, I
would think. Could even add a small amount of peat too. I'm going to try
this next time myself to see.
Good luck.
Regards,
Tom Barr