In fact after the scalare I made a moss hole out of the pot for a couple of years. It was my simplest arrangement. I bought normal bog earth for the garden and poured into the cleaned aquarium with water. It took a couple of weeks before the water was clear. Then I furnished it with two big floating plants from my other aquaria.
Back to aqua | Malavi sea |Shell fish |back to familypage home |Then I bought a pair of colissa lalia the little labyrinth fish and had much fun out of it. To start with he wanted to breed at once, however the water was not smooth enough to make bubbles. Then I happened to see when he stood and looked at the bubbles from the air pump I used for the circulation. Then he began to transport bubbles from the outlet to his nest. It was funny since he lost some of the bubbles on his way and he looked as an under water jet. Do not say that they are without intelligence ... and will to preserve. Then he made a new breed every second week for three months.
I bartered his breed to the betta splendens and got plenty of them
Malavi sea
.
For a long time I had just the usual goldfishes in my big aquarium.
But then we got a zoo-dealer and he offered these. I read something about their natural biotope the Malavi Sea. Someone warned me that they are difficult to breed.
I had my expensive roots in the other pots and decided to make these stony labyrinths and set in plants afterwards. The fishes simply loved the stony building. Immediately they swam around and into every place. It was not only recognition since the expressed they loved it.
Later I got the advice to keep the temperature low and my plants loved that. The plants tell by their colour and growth if everything is OK. Here I have a picture of a sea biotype as background.
Here is no problem with the background.
The secret behind keeping algae away is fish eating algae and fast growing plants. Fast growing plants ask for the correct iron balance. However the normal commercial products are very expensive. My solution was to use what the gardener use. I bought a kilo and was furnished for many years.
The stony bottom
As soon as I get a good picture of my Princess of Burundi and her flocks I will write more here. I sold my yellow Malavi chiklids when I got 60 bigger of them and bought five of these. Now they are about 200 in different sizes.
Shell living fishes
I will also tell something about this little "brevis".
I thought I should have the shellfish in my big aquarium on the bottom. But the Princess did not like them and I had to make some small pots from spare parts. They do not need more than about 25 litres and it need not be more than 15 centimetres deep.
Then I recommend using Malavi-water and putting some lime in the filter. A little air driven filter is enough. Then you avoid that the shell is eaten by acid water. I bought a basket with shells in many sizes so it fits the small as well as their parents.
next