Corkscrew vals how do they do in Miami tapwater?

[Lia]

Hi

I am new to planted tanks. I like the 'grass" type look and am interested in corkscrew vals .
I intend to go with a 55 gallon and PC lighting . I have never had a planted tank but have a Marine tank (5 yrs old ).

I dont want CO2 just good lighting a good filter -No algae eater -fish will be florida pygmy sunfish .

Would corkscrew vals be a good candidate or any type vals?

thanks

Lia

[Dzignr]

I lived in Perrine and the tap water was off the charts for Ph and dKh and all my Vals grew just fine. My personal experience was that the substrate is what made the difference from one tank to the other. I used Vals in my Ponds where I had water from a well and they covered the bottom in no time.

ED

[Lia]

Originally Posted by Dzignr

I lived in Perrine and the tap water was off the charts for Ph and dKh and all my Vals grew just fine. My personal experience was that the substrate is what made the difference from one tank to the other. I used Vals in my Ponds where I had water from a well and they covered the bottom in no time.

ED

Great thank you very much. What substrates did you use ? I was thinking of those tiny natural river type gravel .
What fish did you keep in your pond ? I ask because seems to hot for koi .

thanks

[Dzignr]

I actually used anything I could find. Mostly I used about a 1/2 inch of soil then an inch of small gravel. I was developing my own strain of black sailfin mollies, crossing domestic black mollies with wild caught sailfins ( they're native to the mangroves around south FL. go check some out if you have time. Black point is a great place to look). anyway my pond had a mix of pea rock and coral saved from digging the hole for the pond.
The pond was mainly a grow out area for my males since the dorsal fins seemed to develop better in the pond setting than a tank setting. I also had a several breeding pairs of trichogaster trichogaster (three spot gouramis). I also had some portalogrensis cichlids and Hemichromis bimaculatus breeding in there. Funny thing is that all these fish, with the exception of the gouramis were caught in a canal next to my house in Perrine. I paid nothing for them and almost nothing to feed them and would harvest about 100 cichlids and gouramis each month. I would trade the young fish for credit at a few LFS in the area. All was bliss until 8/24/92. Then Andrew came to town and my fishy operation was obliterated. I lost just about every fish except for 6 mollies I had in a 20 gal inside my house.

Not that you asked for a complete history, but once I get started about the good old days...

ED

[Lia]

Thanks for the info its helpfull. I bought the vals so far so good . I have heard of people using soil with gravel over it but I just planted them in pea river gravel.

I am suprised you lost your fish in hurricane . They were "sucked" out of your pond?

Funny my sister/brother in law also found convict cichlids by canal neasr their house . My brother in law has a pair of convicts 5 yrs old he caught in shallow canal by him.


I like Mollies also used to have the red mollies . I find mollies bit hard compared to lets say Conict cichlids

Thanks

[leoslizards]

I only have one, one year old val in Caribsea Planted Aquarium Substrate and it hasn't really grown at all. Just recently I moved it to a more well lit area and added a root monster tab underneath it, it started to grow alot of leaves but they are all short.

The coolest thing I've ever caught in the canal in my backyard was a beautiful two foot female albino catfish that I had to throw back in the water because I didn't have anything big enough to put her in. I found out the next day she was worth $2,000.00
There's also alot of chiclids and bass. There also used to be alot of huge kois and even some manatees!

[GIO590]

I have seen a lot of cichlids, and oscars, bass, and even a few koi, in local canals.

[Lia]

Originally Posted by leoslizards

I only have one, one year old val in Caribsea Planted Aquarium Substrate and it hasn't really grown at all. Just recently I moved it to a more well lit area and added a root monster tab underneath it, it started to grow alot of leaves but they are all short.

The coolest thing I've ever caught in the canal in my backyard was a beautiful two foot female albino catfish that I had to throw back in the water because I didn't have anything big enough to put her in. I found out the next day she was worth $2,000.00
There's also alot of chiclids and bass. There also used to be alot of huge kois and even some manatees!

lol oh wow . That must have been a neat looking fish I have seen one in a picture but not albino type only reg type they are big

[Lia]

Originally Posted by GIO590

I have seen a lot of cichlids, and oscars, bass, and even a few koi, in local canals.

Yes the canals are great . we mostly have what I think are peacock bass but hard to say as can only get so close. I know I saw 1 oscar big red type weeks go

[leoslizards]

Originally Posted by Lia

lol oh wow . That must have been a neat looking fish I have seen one in a picture but not albino type only reg type they are big

Yeah she was very beautiful. Her body was beige and her fins and head was orange with bright red eyes!

Originally Posted by Lia

Yes the canals are great . we mostly have what I think are peacock bass but hard to say as can only get so close. I know I saw 1 oscar big red type weeks go

Yeah I see alot of peacock bass, it's probably the type I see the most. My friend caught a three foot one once.