Sphaerichthys vaillanti

Inka4040

Inka4040

O_o
Mar 31, 2008
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Real Name
The Silver Slanket
Got no thread lovin under my last obscure post title so lets try this again. Spent the past couple days borderline obsessing over these guys. I've read everything on the net in english about them, and basically, I must try them. Anyone have ideas as per where I can source some? Anyone actually have any experience with them? Lupin?

Not my vid, but they look so darn cool. [yt]rplA3ImYv9o[/yt]
 
Have you found them yet, Inka? pH shouldn't be really above 7 although they can acclimate to it if properly done but won't be at their best. Are you prepared to feed them mostly live foods? Because I find these gouramis at times picky on food including the licorice. I'd filter peat and put driftwoods in their tank, and put the pH to as low as 4-5. Never mind how it makes your tank look darker. Fish would be more important than looks here.

As far as water changes, 10% daily is best done than weekly so any tremendous changes will be avoided. This gourami like the licorice and chocolate are sensitive to changes but not as sensitive as the choccies fortunately. Still, you want to avoid too much issues with this fish.
 
My water comes out of the tap at 6.8 and remains so after a few hours. I choose to cut the water with at least 1/3 d.o. water, and will be furnishing the tank heavily with driftwood. Peat is a bit messy for me considering my urban situation, but the water will be steeped with ketapang leaves. My killies took a long time to switch to "dead" food so I have no qualms playing the live food game. Do you think twice weekly water changes with pre-treated water would suffice. 10% a day is a bit much for me as a working student. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to source them yet.

About the tannins, I actually quite enjoy the blackwater look, and actually have numerous b.w. setups for my apistos. Do you think a 29 gallon (110 liters) would be sufficient for 6? The only possible tankmates may be licorice gouramis or a small school of boraras maculatus or something similar. In your experience Lupin, are they very reluctant to take high quality frozen or freeze dried foods?
 
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Thanks. It may be a bit crazy since I can't even source them yet, but the tank will be up and running next week. I'd love to try my hand at breeding these guys. As far as water changes go, I can set up a drip system for the replacement water to minimize drastic swings in chemical properties.
 
Inka4040 said:
About the tannins, I actually quite enjoy the blackwater look, and actually have numerous b.w. setups for my apistos. Do you think a 29 gallon (110 liters) would be sufficient for 6? The only possible tankmates may be licorice gouramis or a small school of boraras maculatus or something similar. In your experience Lupin, are they very reluctant to take high quality frozen or freeze dried foods?
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29g should suffice for 6-8 gouramis. They can be mixed with licorice, chocolates, sparkling and microrasboras. Cories are the only suitable bottom dwellers I find so far as well as the kuhli loaches. They'll take the frozen foods more than the freeze-dried.
 
Theoretically, since I am ordering online and getting them shipped, should I spring for a few extras? Franksaquarium has them listed, but they haven't come up on the new arrivals board in at least a year. My next move is to contact anubiasdesign, and the seller lotsoffish on aquabid, since he's the last I saw with them. I'm gonna keep the tank stocking very light, so as to have the best chance at succcessful breeding. In your experience, how likely is it that they will ever take prepared food? I'm worried about the nutritional soundness of only feeding 3 or 4 kinds of frozen/live food. NLS has had great palatability with fish I never believed would eat it so hopefully at some point they could be weaned onto that.
 
Inka4040 said:
Theoretically, since I am ordering online and getting them shipped, should I spring for a few extras? Franksaquarium has them listed, but they haven't come up on the new arrivals board in at least a year. My next move is to contact anubiasdesign, and the seller lotsoffish on aquabid, since he's the last I saw with them. I'm gonna keep the tank stocking very light, so as to have the best chance at succcessful breeding. In your experience, how likely is it that they will ever take prepared food? I'm worried about the nutritional soundness of only feeding 3 or 4 kinds of frozen/live food. NLS has had great palatability with fish I never believed would eat it so hopefully at some point they could be weaned onto that.
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They will eat the commercial foods but not as enthusiastically as they do with live and frozen ones.You could try garlic on prepared foods. What foods are you going to make for them?

Spring a few extras just in case. Best to have some Indian almond leaves stuffed in their new home.
 
I make food for my goldfish, but don't know if it's worth it for such a small fish. Their diet would consist of frozen midge larvae, mysis, spirulina enriched brine shrimp, and live blackworms. New life spectrum would be their morning feeding (if they'll accept) and the live/frozen fare would be their evening feeding. They go for about 15usd a piece when they are listed, so I may only be able to spring for 2 or 3 extra.
 
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