[Norfgal]

Months ago I posted I was moving my wild altums that grew up in a quarantine 55 gal tank awaiting my new 180 to be supported under my house and set up. The time had come but I was petrified to move them because they spook so easily. This is my update.

The day came and I was ready. Everything was moved out of their 55 gal that they could potentially crash into. I figured they're wild and were caught by net so that may freak them out. I bought a special soft net and as soon as I put the net in the tank..........wait for it.......I couldn't believe what happened........THEY ALL FROZE. It was the easiest catch. They're so happy in this new tank. It's 3' tall so I was trying to capture the height here. And interestingly enough when they do get spooked they just like dart into the middle of the tank like a burst of energy instead of crashing into things. I'm so happy with this tank. Hard to maintain but I'm figuring it out as I go.

 

[Norfgal]

I remember

 

[Norfgal]

Thank you everyone. I truly love these fish. I've never seen them locally either. You can buy wild and F1s in the US but they're only available around Aug-Nov as they breed generally in May and once they're gone, they're gone until the following year. I'd taken the picture to see the red tiger lily I put in there but I have had NO LUCK with them and this is the second one I've had. What's the trick? It melted right away. This is a low tech tank so I may try it in my high tech 75 where I tried the first one. I want a lily so bad for the height (and beauty). Just cannot get one to take off.

 

[Norfgal]

Wow DallasFishGuy, that's awesome. I need the height in this tank. I had some issues planting it because I can't reach the bottom of the tank to "plant" anything. So I did a DIY clear plastic container (drilled holes around it, added flourite black and a root tab and "tried" to get it to the bottom. Dropped it once spilling black gravel on my sand Second attempt, I used barbecue tongs that had a firmer grip and was able to place it on the bottom. I may leave it, see if it settles down. I'll check the bulb. I know not to bury it, but heaven knows what happened. I did add jungle val (because I had it) and I put a weight around the bunch and just plopped it in, not even in the sand, and it's doing fine.

 

[Norfgal]

@Norfgal one question - how do you reach the bottom of a 3 foot tall tank to manage plants ?

I don't 😨 I did all epiphytes with a few exceptions after the

fact (as experiments). Most were done beforehand attached to driftwood and rock. And i could get "in" the tank before it was filled. But now I can't reach the bottom to plant anything. I'm 5'9". I have to be on a step ladder, get "the girls" over the lip (cause it's acrylic) and put all my weight on the top. I've tried plant weights with Pogostamaom (sp)? octopus and just dropped it in and so far so good. Looks ugly (if you see the weights) but it's doing ok. Good thing is, I can just reach in with my barbecue tongs and pull it out if it doesn't do well. Same with Jungle Val, again, it's doing good.

 

[Norfgal]

Fyi: aquaticclarity has some altum in stock - their shipping is a bit pricey but the fishes aren't that expensive....

I've not heard of them. I paid for shipping and it was pricey too, but I ordered 10 so seemed reasonable a the time. I'll look them up. I think I want more.

 

[Norfgal]

No need to drill holes in plastic container. You can buy hydroponic net pot to grow water lily, which come in all size, I grow mine in 3” net pot and filled in with pea gravel to constraint tuber growth so as not to take over. Lily has large leaf but delicate texture, so it is not cichlid resistant. The leaves got shredded easily but replaced quickly as it is a fast grower in my high tech set up. With slower growth rate, I doubt it will do well in low tech tall tank.

Ya, know, I didn't even think of that. I was also trying to keep it so I could move it if needed. After DallasFishGuy mentioned the bulb not being buried too far, I looked and mine (somehow) got covered. I have to get it out and I will move it to a hydroponic net pot. Sounds much nicer. If it doesn't do well, I'll move it. I have 2 other tanks. Thanks for the suggestion.

They are a small dealer that mostly deal with apistogramma; but they also get a few other random fishes. Been in business for years; similar to tangledupcichlid but as i said they focus on apistogramma.
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I'm also 5'9" so i've limited myself to 24 inch tank (and prefer 21). I worry that when my clown loaches get older they will require a 36 inch tall tank and then i will have to decide what to do with them - i just can't see myself managing a 36 inch tall tank. I talked to one of the fellow at the lfs (they have a display tank that is 36 inch tall); and he said they made him get into the tank to adjust landscape and plants (it is a large tank - i think 10 foot long 36 inch tall and 36 inch wide).

I need to add more fish, just not sure what I want yet. I bought the tank used from a guy that had a ton of custom monster acrylic tanks and was moving (this was his smallest one). I really hesitated. I thought about it for a week knowing it would be very difficult to not only scape but clean algae from the acrylic. I've had tanks for decades and never had a tall one (no need). It was so stunning to me and I knew these angels would need height. All of my tanks have been standard. If I move, I'd buy a house on a slab and get a 300 gal tank. I'd never go this tall again. But it is a beauty. I'd love to see that tank you're talking about.

 

[Norfgal]

Ps. I found this with a quick google search

Red tiger lotus natural habitat
These plants are native to Africa, where they enjoy slow to stagnant water with relatively shallow depths. This allows for their bulbs to grow two feet (61 centimeters) from the aquarium substrate to the surface of the water.May 17, 2021

After your last post about bulb being too deep, well I checked and it's buried. It wasn't when I put it in the tub, but as I submersed it, the container must have shuffled substrate over it. I'm moving it to my 75. I thought it would thrive in a tall tank but so far NOPE.

Here's to the obnoxiously tall tanks!! I have a ladder like that that I use for maintenance on mine as well as having to dunk the top half of my body 😆 I just wish I could've left a bigger space between the wall and the tank that I could get to all sides

I know, right? I put a black bg on it because I knew I'd never be able to clean the back glass. I get soaked too. I was able to get some stuff in when I set it up by laying on the top and bending into it to reach the bottom. But I'd need a snorkel now!

Beautiful altums. I'm of the same mindset as Tiger15 - I love the old fashioned wild type silvers, but rarely see them in the stores around here.

I have a really nice LFS near me and I know the owner. He gets a lot of cool stuff but said he'd never seen altums for sale. And there's a reason. You really have to find a breeder and breeders can get so much more for them from us rather than selling wholesale to a store. Or find a wholesaler that gets wilds in. Seriously, once they're in stock, after a few months they're gone until the next year. It's crazy.

Next time i go i'll take a picture -i only go once every 2 or 3 months but i might pop over there if they get some sparkling gourami in stock. It isn't planted but it has rock scape - i know it has a large eel like fish of some sort in it and some larger regular fishes (not sure of species).

I'd love to see a pic!

 

[Norfgal]

Love your altums. Do you know if they are Orinoco or Atabapo altums?

Thank you! Yes, they're Orinoco. I had a choice, but preferred the body type of the Orinoco personally.