Taeniacara Candidi

[Matt2609]

The tank doesn't look much like the one on the picture after I've added another 3 roots, and there are plenty of caves for them in botrh sides of the tank, but can't really get another picture taken atm. My light is broken, and I really don't have time to get it fixed. So At the moment I have a little desk lamp as my light.
And I've had to move the cryptocrynes over to the side of the tank, which has caused most of them to start adapting to the new environment (cryptocryne disease). And since they're simply starting to annoy me I'll take them out once I find some suitable leaves. So that'll probably create a lot more caves.

My biggest concern so far is the food I'm using. I've only got frozen food for them. I'm trying to get a hold of a shop that sells a lot of different live foods, as I'd really like to get a Daphnia culture up and going. I don't know what else would be suitable. They're really hard to feed actually. The only one I actually see eating is the subdominant male. The dominant male and the female are just nipping to some of the mosses and driftwood pieces once in a while.

Anyway... My female has definitely become darker in her coloration, but I highly doubt they'll be breeding in the water they're in now. pH 6.5, conductivity 243µS , temp. 27C (about 80.6F I believe). But that's why I've bought an RO-kit. Just gotta get it up and running now. Haven't had much time to set it up, and my parents aren't that glad about it.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Can you get a Grindal worm culture? they are ever so easy to keep. I wouldn't use them as a standard diet, but a little pinch every day helps condition the fish. If you can find small water bodies (without fish) you should be able to catch your own Daphnia. You might struggle if it is a naturally acidic area. Brine shrimp is the other option for live food, they are one of the best diets, but more fiddly to do.

cheers Darrel

 

[Matt2609]

I have a small rainwater bassin near my house where I can find some Daphnia. But there's a lot of other small animals in that water. And I'm really unsure what some of them are.
They're about the same size as Daphnia, but they have a little tail as well. Or so it seems at least. The tail is just about the same size as their own body.
I'll check up on the grindal worm. thanks

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I have a small rainwater basin near my house where I can find some Daphnia. But there's a lot of other small animals in that water. And I'm really unsure what some of them are. They're about the same size as Daphnia, but they have a little tail as well.

I'm pretty sure it will all be all right. The animal with the little "tail" sounds like a Copepod - Cyclops.

Have a look here: <http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/arthropod.html> & here <http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/microfoods.shtml>

cheers Darrel

 

[Matt2609]

They could very well be cyclops, thank you for the clarification! I'll go see if I can catch any this weekend.
And I can't get a hold of Grindal worms. How ever I can get microworms, microfex and vinegar eels. I don't have much experience in keeping live foods of that kind, so not really sure if any of them will be adequet for the fish. Only one of the fish goes to the surface to feed. The two others stay between the roots.

 

[Apistomaster]

Most any small aquatic animals which show up in a fish free container like a rain barrel are apt to be safe to feed to your T. candidi. For Cyclops and Daphnia to be present indicate there is some other source for part of the water reaching the barrel. The Daphnia and Cyclops do not spontaneously appear. Other animals present are typically mosquito larvae and Chironomid larvae(AKA blood worms) Both are the aquatic stage of Dipteran insects like mosquitoes and the Chironomids are non-biting Gnats with a somewhat similar life cycle as mosquitos. If you disturb the debris on the bottom and net it out you should be able to hang the debris in a open mesh net in some water and the live blood worms crawl out and sink to the bottom.
But you really should get used to hatching out brine shrimp because they are such a nutritious and reliable food. Always buy brine shrimp eggs sold in sealed cans and never the small vials. The small portions in vials are notorious for their paltry hatch rates.
T. candidi should thrive on just newly hatched brine shrimp and frozen blood worms. The rain barrel is not likely to be a reliable steady source of live foods suitable for these fish.
Micro worms, vinegar worms and banana worms are only useful as first foods for the fry. They are extremely easy to culture.
I mostly use microworms as a substitute for newly hatched brine shrimp but they are too small and not nutritious enough to make up a significant part of the diet for adult T. candidi. Brine shrimp nauplii are superior in every way.
Grindal worms are available in most parts of the world but it sometimes takes a while to find a source. You are likely to have some setbacks in your first attempts to maintain cultures but eventually you will learn what works best for you and in your climate.
They do best between 18*C and 24*C but should do well enough at up to 27*C.

Since you recognize Cryptocoryne disease I do not understand why you did not leave the rhizomes alone and allow the new aquatic form leaves to grow. They are certainly compatible with the use of some leaf litter.

 

[Matt2609]

I haven't done anything with the Cryptocorynes yet, but I just feel like the space would be better used if it was covered with leaves. I should probably have placed a lot of leaves on the bottom of the tank, and THEN put in the driftwood. That would probably also have looked a lot better.
I'll get a hold of some brine shrimp and a hatchery asap, don't know if it's worth it to make a hatchery my self, but at the moment I don't have the time.
I've been thinking about using some kind of insect as a food source as well, meaning i.e. using plant lice. I'm just unsure about the T. Candidi gathering food from the surface as mine tend to stay on the bottom. Anyway, the brine shrimp will be first priority.
Thanks for the help on the food!

 

[Apistomaster]

I use a couple of two liter commercial brine shrimp hatching cones and hatch out two tsp of cysts in each one. I have a friend who set up a neat little system where he used two one liter jars and the lids have hose inlets and outs so he can run air into one and then it flows to the next jar so it a very compact and efficient way to hatch out shrimp enough for his needs and only uses one small vibrator air pump. The only expensive parts were a few dollars worth of plastic fittings sold at any big hard ware store which fit 3/16 inch air tubing. The fittings are screwed and glued into place in the lids so they are air tight.

 

[Apistomaster]

I forgot to add that it is possible to use too many leaves. They decay quickly and sometimes that can have a negative effect on water quality.
I use a couple whole Cattapa leaves in a twenty long but they are reduced to bare outlines by the MTS in just ten days.
They are enough to give my water a strong tint.
I think there is a happy medium which may be found to be just right.

 

[Cichlid Junkie]

I have a friend who set up a neat little system where he used two one liter jars and the lids have hose inlets and outs so he can run air into one and then it flows to the next jar so it a very compact and efficient way to hatch out shrimp enough for his needs and only uses one small vibrator air pump. The only expensive parts were a few dollars worth of plastic fittings sold at any big hard ware store which fit 3/16 inch air tubing. The fittings are screwed and glued into place in the lids so they are air tight.

Do you have any pics of his setup?

 

[Apistomaster]

No pictures.
It is just two one liter jars with two holes drilled in the plastic lids. .
Air goes into the first fitting which is threaded and glued into the lid. It has a section of rigid 3/16 inch tubing reaching the bottom. The air bubbles up and goes out the other fitting to the next jar built the same way and they are connected by a short section of air line.
This arrangement allows the same air stream to run both jars.
Like I said, the fittings are easy to find at a hardware store.
Use a little of your imagination.
A cone is not necessary. Many of us have used ordinary gallon jars as brine shrimp hatcheries for decades. There are any number of easy ways to hatch brine shrimp. Finding good brine shrimp cysts in some parts of the world can be the hardest part.
I have long used reef salts instead of rock salt.
I get better hatches and only use one tablespoon of salt per liter which is less salt than most general directions recommend which makes using reef salt worth the extra cost.

 

[Cichlid Junkie]

Thanks for that description. You were detailed enough that I could picture it as I was reading it.

 

[Matt2609]

Bought a kids set with a 8 litre container, brine shrimp food and salt for about 200 kroner (36 USD) and the brine shrimps as just started hatching. I'm gonna try to keep the culture up for as long as possible so I hopefully have a steady supply of brineshrimp. In about two weeks (or so), I'll start feeding with them. Hoping this'll turn out good. Anyone have experience keeping them as a culture and not just hatching some once in a while?

 

[Apistomaster]

I have cultured Artemia but for Dwarf Cichlids it is easier to hatch out a fresh batch each day.
I raised them by transferring clean shrimp to 33 gal plastic garbage cans supplied with lighting and heater.
I fed them Bakers yeast in suspension adding more as the water began to clear. It takes about 3 weeks to raise them to a breeding size. They are not entirely self sustaining so periodically more newly hatched nauplii should be added to replace those that are harvested. I used to raise my brine shrimp in the water I removed from my 125 gal reef tank so I got to use this expensive water twice and the shrimp will thrive better in reef salt than a simpler salt and Epsom
Most Dwarf Cichlids do well on freshly hatched nauplii; that is when they are the most nutritious.

If you can, I think a self sustaining culture of Daphnia in addition to newly hatched brine shrimp is a better strategy.

 

[Matt2609]

I'm trying to get some daphnia, but the rainwater bassin near my house was empty.. Couldn't catch anything at least. But I know a site where I can buy them. They're just sold out at the moment. In a few weeks their own cultures should be large enough, so they'll start selling them again. They've get both Ceriodaphnia dubia, Moina macrocopa and Daphnia magna. Was planing on getting either Magna or Moina. Not really sure which one would be the best.

 

[Apistomaster]

I think Daphnia magna are the easiest of the three organisms to culture but it usually takes awhile to find the set up which works best for you and furthermore it may prove that one of the other two are better suited for your circumstances and each will require some experiments to find out how to maximize their culture.
You need to find a fairly cool place to set up your cultures. Most do best between 60 and 70 degrees(*) F or 16 to 21 *C.
A suspension of brewer's yeast in water as I recommended for culturing Artemia often works well when it is difficult to provide Chlorella algae culture. Brine Shrimp(Artemia) cultures are still worth considering.

Grindal worms are a good live food to culture. They thrive between18*C and 26*C and produce more food by weight and media volume than aquatic organisms. I get good results feeding them any cheap flake fish food which is rich in Spirulina. I use wood boxes which are about 16 X 9 X 4 inches filled with 2/3 potting soil, 1/3 peat moss and a couple table spoons of dolomite to moderate the soil's pH.. I use a smaller piece of glass on the soil where I place the food and the worms congregate then a second piece of glass which covers the entire box. These boxes may be stacked and so several may be maintained in a minimal amount of space. Grindal worms are smaller than white worms and are a perfect size to feed to Apistogramma.

 

[Matt2609]

At the moment the only live food I've been able to give them are white mosquito larvae, and they seem to enjoy them alot. Otherwise they've been fed with different forzen foods. But I'll soon be getting Lumbriculus variegatus and Enchytraeus albidus for them.
I've gotten my light fixed (finally) and I'm slowly lowering my water parameters with small daily changes of R/O water. My water parameters are 191 TDS, 5.9 pH, 0 kH and 5 gH.
Can anyone tell me what signs to look for when the male is trying to get the female to spawn? Doubt they're gonna spawn within the next month, but always good to know what to look for

 

[Mike Wise]

T. candidi has an unusual courtship 'dance'. The male will orient its body with its head down and appear to swing up and down from a point centered in the tail. This is a good indication that the male is 'interested'.

 

[Matt2609]

Great thank you
So far they've only shown aggression towards eachother. Wondering about removing the submessive male from the tank to see it that'll change anything.

 

[wethumbs]

Instead of focusing on the male, one should focus on the behavior of the female for sign of impending spawning. The female will become very round indicating she is full of eggs. She will then look for a potential spawning site and also entice the male over by displacing in front of him. Her coloration will also darkened and intensified. The male may initially chase her away but eventually figure out what is going on. Before you know it, the female will settle on a spawning site while the male sits patiently outside to wait for the right moment to enter it. The whole courtship may take as long as a few days with the male and female going back and forth.

I keep a trio of 1 male and two females. Both females have spawned in the same tank without issue. The key is provide a lot of hidding spots and break the line of sight.