Hi,
I'm new to the forum, but I've been keeping fish for about 6 months and I have now set up a Rio Negro blackwater biotope tank. At the moment this is quite small (120 litres / 32 US gallons) but it is really a prototype to try out ideas and water chemistry for a much bigger 8' tank that I am planning.
I recently added two Dicrossus filamentosus to this tank; they've been in a week and seem to be doing OK.
I would have bought a few more but unfortunately these were the last ones in the shop. They are very small (less than an inch long). It looks like there are quite a few people on this forum who have kept these fish, so I'm hoping someone can offer some advice.
When I got these two fish I couldn't tell them apart, but now I can see distinct differences, as shown in the attached pictures. I'm not sure if the differences are mood or dominance-related (one of them looks quite faded out in one pic, but was back to normal moments later). Also, I'm not sure what sex they are, and maybe they are maturing at different rates or starting to show sex differences?
The fish are a right pair of characters. Sometimes they ignore each other completely at opposite ends of the tank, sometimes they hang around together quite peacefully, and sometimes they interact with rapid little non-contact chases and lunges. The latter makes me think they might both be male.
Water parameters in this blackwater tank are stable at:
Temp 27-28C, pH 6.4, KH 0.5, GH 1, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, TDS <60.
Tank mates are 10 marble hatchets, 5 Petitella georgiae tetras and 1 baby L244 pleco.
Is it possible to tell the sex of the Dicrossus yet? What should I be looking for? They're both juveniles so no red fins or lyretails yet.
Would it be a good idea to try and get some more, or should I just stick with these two?
Many thanks for your help!
Regards,
Paul
I'm new to the forum, but I've been keeping fish for about 6 months and I have now set up a Rio Negro blackwater biotope tank. At the moment this is quite small (120 litres / 32 US gallons) but it is really a prototype to try out ideas and water chemistry for a much bigger 8' tank that I am planning.
I recently added two Dicrossus filamentosus to this tank; they've been in a week and seem to be doing OK.
I would have bought a few more but unfortunately these were the last ones in the shop. They are very small (less than an inch long). It looks like there are quite a few people on this forum who have kept these fish, so I'm hoping someone can offer some advice.
When I got these two fish I couldn't tell them apart, but now I can see distinct differences, as shown in the attached pictures. I'm not sure if the differences are mood or dominance-related (one of them looks quite faded out in one pic, but was back to normal moments later). Also, I'm not sure what sex they are, and maybe they are maturing at different rates or starting to show sex differences?
The fish are a right pair of characters. Sometimes they ignore each other completely at opposite ends of the tank, sometimes they hang around together quite peacefully, and sometimes they interact with rapid little non-contact chases and lunges. The latter makes me think they might both be male.
Water parameters in this blackwater tank are stable at:
Temp 27-28C, pH 6.4, KH 0.5, GH 1, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, TDS <60.
Tank mates are 10 marble hatchets, 5 Petitella georgiae tetras and 1 baby L244 pleco.
Is it possible to tell the sex of the Dicrossus yet? What should I be looking for? They're both juveniles so no red fins or lyretails yet.
Would it be a good idea to try and get some more, or should I just stick with these two?
Many thanks for your help!
Regards,
Paul