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Okay, maybe there was a misunderstanding there on my part. But have a look through the different threads here in forum, there should be plenty of images which could inspire you. I have 25 + small 12 liter tanks, all breeding tanks, but I have lots of plants in most of them, – in fact some are totally overgrown 🙂
I use mainly javafern, javamoss, but also lots of salvinia natans for example.But there might be a contradiction here 🙂 … though I do think its possible to solve.
But with paros, – we really encourage you to have focus on the breeding aspect. Keeping paros for display is not encouraged because of their rare occurance and difficulty. You might have lots of troubles finding some, and finally having obtained a few fish, it is a pity to simply ‘maintain’ these in a display tank without giving them the best options where they will breed. You might not succeed at first, – but not trying would really be a pity. Because before long you might again find that you are without paros, and not able to find them again in shops.
However this of course does not mean that you cannot try to make a tank which also is worth looking at. But much gravel probably a lot of times prohibit that you can obtain the right ph value for breeding, – which is below 6 really.
You might read my thread called My P. Nagyi Cherating home – in this forum, European section, pictures. in this tank, which is 60 liter I have not used gravel and therefore also not many plants, however, I think this is more true in some ways to the natural habitats, which also consists mainly of peat and fallen leaves etc. and by no means is less ‘beatiful’ than a green tank full of plants. I also have experimented a bit with cryptocorynes and some will grow in very soft acidic waters and you can even get them to grow in peat substrate.
I will post a few video clips of this tank one of the nearest days to show how its getting along.Just seen Peters response 🙂 .. of course you might think that it could be a problem feeding fry, – however, I would not be too pessimistic about this. If you provide an area with a good bit of javamos – say in one corner, and the cave close to this, – the fry will certainly be in this area and you could point your feeding to this area.
The problem of feeding fry I think is a problem even in smaller tanks, because you have to have very very small food available, and this is often difficult for new breeders. But if you find this and find out the tricks to handle it, – I think you would be able to feed fry also in a tank this size.
I currently have a 30 liter tank with a pair of P. nagyi, – and find no problems here, – fry is growing up fine, finding food good.
But I also do see Peters point, theres no saying if it might turn out being a problem, – but then i do think its probably linked to other problems too, such as getting aquainted with very small type food and so.Hello Jordy and welcome to this Forum.
I think the fluval edge small tanks are ideal for keeping paros – I have myself been wanting to experiment a little with them. I would think the size is really fine for a pair, in particular if you have successfull spawning, then it does give more space than the smaller tanks, and you can keep the fry with the parents for somewhat longer.
I am curious though as to how much flow (or rather how little flow) you can adjust the filter to give, – although paros do not mind a little flow, it could also quickly become too much in such a small tank, – so if you start it up, let us know how it works. Theres always the option of blocking the outpour a little with a bit of foam or something, if it gets too much. And yes, I think its a good idea to filter over some peat or something like that.
For gravel, I would not really recommend sand or most gravels, – they all tend to work against a low ph, – the best results are when you are using either no substrate or substrate such as peat, leaves or I have actually started using fluval peat granules, – thats only to cover the bottom so as to make the tank darker, not a big layer, or fluvial shrimp substate which is something like the peat granules. Then add lots of peat, leaves and possible java moss. You will not be able to grow much plants if using no gravel, but plants such as javamos, javafern, ceratopteris and other will do fine.
As for caves, my paros just really prefer the clay caves which you normally would use for small catfishes, – or just any clay pot, broken or half or a piece of it, as long as they can get underneath them. Even leaves will sometimes work, or a place underneath a piece of wood. But the long cat-fish caves are my favouritesApart from odinium this is the only type of illness which I have observed also with paros. I have observed it mainly in females (and at least on one occasion) it was following a time of spawning.
I have been thinking also in terms of swimbladder problems without being able to say much more about it than that. I have seen fish live long time with it, – but I do not think the prognosis is all that good.
I might have raised the temperature a little, – 27,28 C for a time.Other times I have experienced it when I have received a bigger import (25) fishes, – and took it as strain, stress
I just read an article today by J. Vierke – you can see it here http://www.fischreisen.de/Parosphromenus_nagyi.html
One of the photoes is actually also part of our species describtion of P. nagyi.
If you look at the last photo in the article, does the fish not show actually the same as you are describing (at least in terms of the iridiscent that you see), Stefanie ?Hi Mike.
I am sorry to hear about your experience – though it is both good and heartbreaking. Believe me, I know the feeling. My first pair to spawn simply could not get the eggs to stick in the cave, and one can say that if they cannot get them to stick, the eggs will be eaten. In your tank of the chocholates, (and I really understand that that makes it not good to have others around) but the paros also would have eaten the eggs most likely.I think there can be different reasons for the non-sticking. Un experienced fish, young fish could be one. Wrong surface of the cave could be another.
Also the water qualities can play a role, as far as I know expecially the conductivity – but I am not totally sure about this.My fish who couldnt get the eggs to stick went on for weeks, and I tried everything to help them, – in the end they succeeded, but it was quite a struggle.
So what you have to do, is simply to let them try again, and change some of the things around your tank. The good thing is that with paros, once they have started, they will definitely spawn again 🙂
These are wonderful photoes, Stefanie. I would like to use them at the species page for Nagyi with your credentials 🙂 .. will you give your permission for that ?
Stephanie, as we already have a category in weblinks Food, I have added your link there as it seems to be a very rare shop selling live food cultures and therefore would be interesting for many people. I looked at their website and they actually even send live food cultures to Denmark, which would be very helpful for me.
At the moment the only place in denmark in which I have found live food cultures has closed, so I get it from Sweden if not private. But sometimes it might be good to order some from a shop.We have not fully developed the link section here at the homepage, but this is one of the things we will do I am sure in 2013 🙂
But I think that theres maybe not a ‘general rule’ here. I have normally only small tanks of 12 or 20 liters, and I never use either pumps, nor oxygen bubbels or anything really, and I never have problems with bad water conditions or too much build up of waste.
I wanted to write, that I also never have more than a pair in one tank, and that is actually mostly true, – and of course this then means that theres no way two small fish fed on live food is polluting the tank, – at least I have never experienced it.
But then I remember that actually sometimes I have a breeding tank of 12 liters, where a lot of fry survives, and since they are impossible to get out, I sometimes have 10 paros in 12 liter in different sizes from adults to subadult to small small :)..
I might be more aware of changing water for a while, but I do not have filters, and do not get any problems with too much bacteria or stuff on the surface.
So I dont – at least – see your experience with your 5 gallon as any kind of ‘proof’ that water becomes stagnant if you dont circulate it.
I dont say its a bad idea though, if you can find a small bubble filter which can move slow enough to not whirl the whole tank around 🙂 .. I think paros are used to a slow stream, and thats its probably good, – but in very small tanks, with few fish, it can work well.Hi Stephanie, no, I think you misunderstand me, – or maybe its the word spagnum which means something different. I google translated it, and of course the right english word is peat. Heres a link where you can find it down on the page named ‘peat’.
http://www.aquariumslife.com/aquascaping/planted-aquarium-substrate/substrate-materials-planted-aquarium/Killi breeders use it a lot for breeding tanks, – you just put a small amount of it, and it lies at the surface for a few days, then sink. It has of course to be the kind thats specially for aquarium purpose.
I actually dont think it looks too bad in terms of odinium at this stage. I agree the chocolate gourami looks in a bad shape, but if this is something else is hard to say.
The paros doesnt seem too affected, – saying this of course from behind a computer screen pretty far away from your ‘real’ world.
Again, one word, from my experience with paros, – I have had paros in tanks with other species of fishes that had illnesses, – and most of the time it did not affect the paros for some reason. I have had ick actually on boraras, it did not spread to the paros, – no idea why.
So sometimes one needs not panic.It might be a bit like it, yes. But its hard to tell, – the paros in the tank dont look too bad as far as I can see.
But the chocolate doesnt look happy at all. And it does have like a grey shimmer to it. Chocolates though are really sensitive, and if stressed they can look so awful. This one at least has some colours. But they are delicate fish.
I think I would leave the tank in peace for a while, and try and stable the waterparameters again, have a good temperature, – and then observe if they get worse. Maybe see if you can find some spirohexol in the meantime.
Odinium if so, will not kill the fish just like that, – it develops kind of slowly. But I only know it with paros, not chocolates.I will have to log out here .. getting midnight here in Denmark, but hope it works out for you.
One last thing, – theres a lot of light on the tank, – the paros probably will live with it, the chocolates might get more stressed from it, I think.
I have a small filter running, – where I have slowed down the outlet of water, so its streaming very gently, otherwise it would create total cloudy conditions I am sure.
After a few days I put in a few fish, and after a few days more, some more fish, – now all together 12 all young off springs.
I also added two very big ketapangleaves which have been floating now for a week, but one of them now fell down. I might arrange it a little different, but the fish seem to like it as it is. I know that some people say that ketapang leaves can affect the ph very much, so it may seem a lot with 2 big leaves like this. I have not found these particular leaves to make a lot of difference, it may be that they are not very good ketapang leaves. But they are fine for decoration purposes.
In such a tank, the size and the decoration, which makes it actually really difficult to ‘interfere’ in, – catching any fish that looks ill, or changing anything, – and I have been thinking that I think I wouldnt do that if I did not have the experience to the extend that I know the water values is not a problem, that I can keep it stable, – or also in a way that I know the fishes 🙂 … – if I didnt have that with me, I would be lost, because one they are in there, – I probably will not get them out without tearing everything down. And I can never ever count them, – so I just have to trust they are all well and safe in there.
So I have to feel really confident in what I am doing. I quess I do feel that by now, but that is only recently 🙂Here some more photoes
