blackwater" biotopes"

Hi Tracy,

Riversand is not wrong to use, but you must remember that the nature of the sand depends on where you collect it from. Most of the sand sold in the cape is silica sand and is what you are looking for, but you have to be careful because on the Agulhas plain, which starts at Stanford and goes up to the breede river mouth, the soil and the sand is alkaline and that you do not want in an Amazonian setup. However, the commercial sand is ok except that it is dirty, as you say, it also has quite a nice colour.

However, you can also get this from the silica sand producers and I checked on my plastic bag (this is the stuff that my neighbor bought for me from some supplier in Brackfell) and it comes from Consol, called filter sand, obviously the grade is important, but is says that Consol is in Athlone Industria and the telephone number is 0216910010. Perhaps one can phone them and find out in the area that you are in who your local supplier would be.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

I defer to the experts - Ima busy diving with Dirque & Henque!


Though, aesthetically, I still prefer the look of river sand - tho I must be honest and state I've never tried an amazonian setup, my water precludes it. So, my comment was just my 2c...

 

Tracy I agree about the river sand looking better aesthetically, as far as I concerned you are right on that one, but you can get some really messy sand which makes clouds of mud before you get it clean.

Enjoy the dive with Dirque and Henque, isn't that biotope just absolutely bloody amazing (or shall I say Amazon....., the wit is getting a little thin).

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Yes something like that altum.....

getting mixed up with peacock cichlids, Cichla ocellaris, called Tucunaré.....

But when are you getting us some altums.....

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGLxozvhbSM&feature=related

 

and for the prof when he gets his fish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYSUyt2J7cQ&feature=related

 

is it really posible to scape the gravel like thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZurysfRIYWY&feature=related

 

@oscar freak....it's REAL easy scaping aquarium gravel like that....just add big cichlids that want to spawn....:laugh: