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natural tank
Robert,
I have turned almost completely, mostly out of necessity, to natural ten
gallon set ups for my fish. However my fish are plant spawners. I have
packed the tanks with java moss, java fern, duckweed, salvinia, and any
other floating or low light plants I can get my hands on (low light
submerged plants because the floating plants block most of the direct
light.)
I’ll go one further, but it mostly pertains to plant spawners. Henri
DeBruyn is the first one I PERSONALLY heard talk about raising the fry up
with the parents. Of course with all the java moss and thickly rooted
floating plants, these fry get plenty of protection. There are some
losses, but this just cuts down on competition for food. With the
schedule I am keeping for the moment, I am not interested in mass
production. I only want to maintain the species I have and possibly have
a few pairs extra to distribute. Well, as luck would have it, I am having
more success with this natural tank method (and using no mops) than I ever
had hoped. The nice thing is that, even though I raise vinegar eels in
mass I have had no need for them with the infusorians, cyclops, and such
that live in the java moss or equivalent plants. I am having a ball
really. Not only do the killifish love it, but my Ellasoma evergladei
have come full circle (offspring are starting to breed) and I had never
even considered br
eeding them.
I have a heavily planted 55, and the 5 fish (grins) that I have in there
love it, as it is similar to their natural environment. Even with 4 watts
per gallon, the fish are very comfortable.
The only problem I have with this natural setup is when people ask for
eggs. This requires me to place the fish in a separate small tank with
mops for a while and collect the eggs. I can see now why Ruth W. only
likes to sell fish and not eggs.
It is important to note though that water changes need to be written on a
schedule because the water will look so good that you will
forget…lol. I do less water changes now however, and the Epiplatys,
especially, seem to not mind at all.
I have been using oak leaves in some of my tanks as well and these seem
not only natural, but to add a certain aphrodisiac to the water, not to
mention some nice tannins. Not recommended for the fish with an affinity
toward hard and alkaline water.
I’m done rambling now.
Mr. Allen M. Boatman
Instructor of Horticulture
Orient Road Jail
Hillsborough County School Districts
Tampa, Florida
(813) 247-0836
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