[jkan0228]

I've never had much success with Amanos long term. Never kept a batch longer than a few months and I'm finally determined to try and solve my problem. I know that there are several hobbyists out there that keep Amanos in their high tech tanks and I was wondering how do you guys do it? CO2 has always seemed to be the killer with my Amanos, whether it be improper acclimation or raising the CO2 too much too fast for the Amanos to acclimate.

So.

Is the key to keeping amanos in a high CO2 level to reduce CO2 levels when amanos are initially introduced and very slowly raise levels back up again over a period of a few weeks?

 

[Sethjohnson30]

I don't know about you, but in se Portland I have really soft water
Out of the tap:
Gh2
Kh4
Ph7
Tds 21

Amonos need harder water I add some seachem equilibrium along to my tank and my Amanos do well with co2

 

[tunatime]

it might not be high co2 as much as low o2 in the water , try adding some more water movement or add an air pump

 

[jkan0228]

it might not be high co2 as much as low o2 in the water , try adding some more water movement or add an air pump

O2 shouldn't be a problem as I'm running a wet/dry sump

I don't know about you, but in se Portland I have really soft water
Out of the tap:
Gh2
Kh4
Ph7
Tds 21

Amonos need harder water I add some seachem equilibrium along to my tank and my Amanos do well with co2

Do you have a GH of your tank water you could share?

I have softer water here with a TDS of 17-20... So that's definitely a possibility

 

[Rainer]

My experience with amanos is similar. I've made several improvements since the last batch died: added a spray bar, have a lot of flow for gas dispersal throughout the tank, 2/3 of the surface has small ripples while the other 1/3 has individual boils from the spray bar jets.

Recently I added a few amanos and ghost shrimp, drip acclimated, etc. The ghosts are active; the amanos stay hidden, assuming they're still alive.

GH/KH 8/7
NO3 10-20,
PO4 10+ (burning off to 1-2 ppm)
TDS 175
74F

 

[freph]

I keep them just fine (they even berry up) in soft water at around 74F-78F in my 20L with nothing more than an Eheim 2217 with an in-line atomizer for CO2 and a Vuppa for surface skimming. However, my tank is extremely dense with plants. I'd like to think that oxygenation plays the largest part in keeping amanos alive in a CO2 injected setup. Lots of plant density + no surface film = lots of oxygen. If your amanos have a bluish hue to their innards when you find them dead...too little oxygenation. However, that is a really low TDS so you may want to up the gh a tad bit.

 

[jkan0228]

My experience with amanos is similar. I've made several improvements since the last batch died: added a spray bar, have a lot of flow for gas dispersal throughout the tank, 2/3 of the surface has small ripples while the other 1/3 has individual boils from the spray bar jets.

Recently I added a few amanos and ghost shrimp, drip acclimated, etc. The ghosts are active; the amanos stay hidden, assuming they're still alive.

GH/KH 8/7
NO3 10-20,
PO4 10+ (burning off to 1-2 ppm)
TDS 175
74F

I keep a koralia 1050 running most of the time which provides a good amkunt if agitation throughout the tank. Plus the wet/dry sump, O2 levels should be high.

I keep them just fine (they even berry up) in soft water at around 74F-78F in my 20L with nothing more than an Eheim 2217 with an in-line atomizer for CO2 and a Vuppa for surface skimming. However, my tank is extremely dense with plants. I'd like to think that oxygenation plays the largest part in keeping amanos alive in a CO2 injected setup. Lots of plant density + no surface film = lots of oxygen. If your amanos have a bluish hue to their innards when you find them dead...too little oxygenation. However, that is a really low TDS so you may want to up the gh a tad bit.

I think your Vuppa plays a bug role in high oxygen levels. I have a modified filter guard in front of my sump overflow which I think may have increased the surface film. I never find the dead bodies with the amount of hardscape I have. I remineralize my water everytime with a water change (maybe once every 2-3 months as I'm dosing PPS-Pro). I should have a GH of around 5-6.

 

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Well, look to Amano for how he keeps them. They're in tanks with a good amount of CO2, but maybe Amanos are easier to gas.

 

[antbug]

Didn't you just get the wet/dry? I never had a problem with them in any of my tanks. Have you tested your water? What's your TDS?

 

[jkan0228]

Well, look to Amano for how he keeps them. They're in tanks with a good amount of CO2, but maybe Amanos are easier to gas.

I've heard conflicting stories on their hardiness but I think generally the sort is that they are sensitive at first but are hardy once they've established themselves after the first month. Similar to otos. It's always good to hear from other hobbyists too.

Didn't you just get the wet/dry? I never had a problem with them in any of my tanks. Have you tested your water? What's your TDS?

I've had the wet/dry ever since the tank has been up. It's built in.

I haven't tested my water in the past few months. Maybe I should do that tonight

 

[antbug]

hmm. Any problems with any other live stock?

 

[mordalphus]

I've never had luck keeping then long term with co2, but I have a few 2-3 inch ones I've had for a few years in my low tech tanks that are as soft as you can get with a GH of 1-2 and a kh of 0

 

[jkan0228]

hmm. Any problems with any other live stock?

Nope. Roselines and cardinals are all fine.

I've never had luck keeping then long term with co2, but I have a few 2-3 inch ones I've had for a few years in my low tech tanks that are as soft as you can get with a GH of 1-2 and a kh of 0

Hmmm. Interesting. I know for sure ferts isn't an issue and from your story, hardness shouldn't be an issue either. So how do people do it? Unless the roselines are already picking the amanos off when they're only 2.5"? Their mouths don't seem big enough to pick at amanos yet.



Also, is there a point of not cleaning your sump that O2 exchange isn't as efficient anymore?

 

[Sethjohnson30]

I keep my gh around 5-7

 

[Sethjohnson30]

I have a couple larger roselines that do fight with my Amanos from time to time but I've never seen one killed I still have the 11 I bougght 6 months ago

 

[freph]

I think your Vuppa plays a bug role in high oxygen levels. I have a modified filter guard in front of my sump overflow which I think may have increased the surface film. I never find the dead bodies with the amount of hardscape I have. I remineralize my water everytime with a water change (maybe once every 2-3 months as I'm dosing PPS-Pro). I should have a GH of around 5-6.

Vuppa plays a role because it removes the surface film. I'd check the overflow to make sure it's actually skimming the surface. It might not be. If you're running CO2 and any of it reaches the surface, check to see if any bubbles are staying. If there are, you have surface film. If you can't tell that way then drop a paper towel on the top of the tank and angle yourself so that you're looking up at the surface of the water. If it appears any clearer where you took the paper towel off, you have surface film. Barr has a relatively large post about surface film and the effects of it on oxygen levels in an aquarium. Sloshing water or more exposed water in your wet/dry may be good for oxygenation but if you have surface film in the tank itself then it's kinda a moot point.