A grade paper

[Rafael Eggli]

Hello everybody,

My name is Rafael Eggli and I’m student at grammar school “Gymnasium Kirschgarten” in Basel, Switzerland. I’m in my second last year, so I will have to write my A level-paper during the coming year. In Switzerland, every student who aims to achieve an A grade has to write a scientific paper on a freely choosable topic.

Since I have been keeping fishes for the last 10 years, it was quite obvious to think about possible subjects connected with aquaristics. During my research, I rediscovered the ParoProject about which I had already heared several times before. I was always fascinated by Parosphromenus but never expected to ever be able to keep them.
I read a lot in this forum as well as in the Paro-book an finally decided to write my paper on the ParoProject.

Well, that’s the story so far, my plan is to describe the project and compare it to other, more “conventional” species-conservation projects such as those that are carried out by different zoos or, in Switzerland, by “Pro Specie Rara”. Furthermore, I will try to describe the successes that have been made That’s going to be the theoretical part. I’m also going to keep one species and describe how the dificulties (food, water…) can be faced. I hope to breed them and grow them so that I might be able to give the offspring to further keepers. So that I will be a link in the chain of breeders. Because that’s what the project is about isn’t it? To pass on knowledge and animals. And to conservate them for the future.

So i hope you can help me with my questions.
First of all, I’m gonna need fishes. Is there anyone near Basel who will have 2-3 pairs to sell by february?

I’ve already bought 2 25 liter tanks including light, filter and heater. I also have an osmosis plant but I’m not yet quite sure about how to get the ph down. I’ve experimented with peat… How do you do it? Put it right into the tank?
Then about the food. I breed Artemia Naupliae and I can catch mayfly larvae. Where can I get good Moina? Would Daphnia also work?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Have a nice New Year’s Eve
Rafael

[Pavel Chaloupka]

Hello Rafael,

welcome here. Very nice topic for the theses 🙂 . To get some basic clue, you can find all the basic info in the links on the left side of the page. Than I would recomend to go through the article section and methods forum. Of course if you need explanations post in the forum, there are lot of people with extensive experience who can help you. To get the fish, please go to https://www.parosphromenus-project.org/en/distribution/suchen-sie-fische.html

Hope that helps for now, Pavel

[Peter Finke]

Dear Rafael and Pavel, very good ideas, Rafael, and a fine reply, Pavel. Unfortunately, Switzerland is not yet that fine Paro-country any more that it was twenty years ago. To my knowledge, all those good Swiss breeders have no fish any more. But we shall get you some, from Germany.
I just wrote a private message to you, Rafael. Please, respond to my private address given there.
And good luck! We shall try to help you!
Peter

[Mark Nazer]

Hello Rafael,

With regards to the water, look through the articles as Deepin Peat says. But I thought I would state my method as I am quite a lazy fishkeeper and so things have to be easy!
I use a 50 / 50 mix of rain water and RO water. I use brown oak leaves collected from clean ground (clear of pollutants) and have recently started to use Indian Almond Leaves. I have had excellent results from these almond leaves. They are widely available; I buy mine from TA-Aquaculture.com at a reasonable price.

By the way, I used to use peat but it got too difficult to find in the UK. My method used to be to have one bucket with holes drilled in the bottom that would hold the peat and place this on top of an empty, clean bucket. Pour water onto the peat and acidic water would collect in the bottom bucket. Use leaves, it’s easier!!

Keep in touch with the forum and good luck.

Mark

[Tautvilas Laureckis]

As I see, to spread a message about parosphromenus problem is one of the key point of this project ant more what an aquarists can make against all the pollution and devastation of natural parosphromenus home.
At this time I am translating an article to my native language about parosphromenus, waiting to get the first paros at my country, to breed them, hope all of this will bring these species to the level they will be safe in aquariums, these little jewel fish will have a chance to get back at their native environment.. So an every parosphromenus friend can do very much for these species. To breed them, to make them more popular and the most important – to bring the message about destruction of their environment. This is the best we can do beside we could find a billionarie with knowledge about this little endangered predator fish. :whistle:

[Rafael Eggli]

Hello everybody,

A great 2015 to all of you. May all your wishes become true!

Thanks a lot for all your answers. I will defenitly read through the article section and the Methods Forum.
I’m looking forwards to the coming year…

@Peter: Thank you for those adresses. I will contact all of them.

@Mark: Interesting idea.. I’ll have to look those up.

[Pavel Chaloupka]

[quote=”Mark N” post=4217] Indian Almond Leaves. I have had excellent results from these almond leaves. They are widely available; I buy mine from TA-Aquaculture.com at a reasonable price.[/quote]

I think Tim from TA-Aquaculture will have the real Ketapang but in case you want to order elsewhere, get them from here http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?waterc&1420115687. It needs to be stressed out that some of the leaves available are fresh leaves collected from the trees and dried and these are not good. You will find a description of how the leaves should look in the Amy’s offer.

[Pavel Chaloupka]

If you want to get Moina, you may get some inoculum here. https://www.interaquaristik.de/futter/lebendfutter/japanischer-wasserfloh-moina-macrocopa-zuchtansatz-500-ml/a-160/

[Andy Love]

re: Catappa leaves : an alternative source to consider …

I get mine from Jeff & Wan. Whilst buying a batch of ‘perfect’ leaves from them, I also get a bag of chopped-up low-grade leaves with which I make ‘blackwater extract’. However, having now sourced Aquahum as a result of a mention by (I think) Pavel, I may just use that instead.

[Bernd Bussler]

Now I’ve been using for many years, “American oak leaves” they are larger than the native oak. I collect the leaves now in the winter, because they have long been exposed to the weather and contain no pollutants. However, when I the pH value really deep down (pH 3-3.5) would like to have, then I do combination with peat (pellets) and oak leaves, goes pervekt and the pH remains long stabiel 🙂

[Rafael Eggli]

Thanks for the answers…

I’ve been using the “Seemndelbaumblätter” (Catappa leaves I think?) for my Betta coccina but always used peat as well. They seem to like it (50+ juveniles) Does it also work with Catappa or Oak only?
How deep is your Ph and how many liters per leave?
Do you put some in your fresh water for waterexchange as well?
Or how else do you keep the ph stable (I think if you only have leaves in the tank the ph will be unstable right after Waterexchanges?)

So many questions…

[Bernd Bussler]

Certainly, the pH value changed by changing the water but quickly goes back to the old version. I have had the experience of the “old” keep retracted aquarium very stabiel. I breed have now been in 15 years, Paros and have raised already hundreds of kittens with this method. Have the time 36 aquariums, all have a pH value between 3 to 3.8. Use only rain water for my aquarium and so deep ph values to achieve and maintain stability during use may be only a few plants in the aquarium, aquariums with many plants are more likely to be worth a neutral pH. But worth with my ph keep anyway hardly any vegetation. I use peat pellets and only as a substrate, the I replace every 6-8 weeks. I think that food plays a crucial role for successful breeding, have heard the Paros dry food or frozen food to eat, but the offspring will comply with this food rather limited. Live food is right, I’m starting my feed 2-3 week itself in ponds or highway retention basins, so no one can produce good food as nature itself.What I want to say. I’m obviously not a scale for the many Paro breeder, I have no “beautiful aquariums” my aquarium system is designed only to breed, quantity, many animals as to give them to interested and spread as far as possible Paros. 🙂

[Pavel Chaloupka]

Yeah Bernd is right. The main factor you have to take in to account is that the water you will be using for the exchanges has no ions that could make the pH higher, you only dilute the environment which happens on the natural localities for xample during heavy rains. Even in the nature the pH value will vary slightly during the day so water exchanges does not make nearly as big of difference as they would if you would use tap water in normal tanks. And you can prepare the water for exchanges, which make things even easier but as Bernd said, it is not necessary. As long as you add water that contains no alkaline substances, the pH will stay within the boundaries.

[Rafael Eggli]

Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading a lot the last days and now I set up my first parotank as follows:

So far, I got one of the two 25l tanks prepared with two clay tubes, two big Indian Almond leaves, some freely floating Microsorum, and 5 black beech cones. I used 100% deionized water (RO).
I will add some oak leaves when I get some.

I have no sand or so in the tank. This should be ok, I think? Because I want to keep the tank as clean as possible…

At the moment, I measure the Ph once a day and see wether I will have to add further peat or not.

I’m extremely happy to have found someone who lives near Freiburg from whom I will get P.linkei soon.

I will post some pics later…

All the best,
Rafael

[Pavel Chaloupka]

Hi RafEg,

what do you mean by beech cones? No sand or so is ok, if you add enough leaves to cover the bottom slightly they will like it more but it is not a big deal.

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