My Heckels

[quarr]

Good Evening (in the UK) to all :wave: Thought I'd share some pics of one of my Wild Tanks...
Heckels, Heckel/Blue crosses (Madeira Heckels?), jurupari, hatchetfish, corys and a Hoplosternum.

[Jennie]

Everything about that tank is perfect. fish,substrate,driftwood... nice job:)

[ockyra215]

Looks pretty much like Heckles rule in your tank :D

[Eddie]

Nice set-up! Can you give use some more info on the tank and fish, how long you had them, what the water parameters are, etc.

Eddie

[quarr]

Thanks Eddie... The tank is 120 x 50 x 74 cm and holds 116 US gallons (440 litres). Had the fish just over a week and they've settled well; feeding on frozen bloodworm, mysis, beefheart mix... and peas! (Got them from a local supplier who'd had them for 3 months prior.)
All I can tell you about water parameters is that the PH is 6 and the temperature is 30C. I tend not to measure hardness, nitrate/nitrite, etc. For me, it's all about acclimatisation and stability. If there's something wrong, the fish will let you know and adjustments can be made accordingly.
Lighting is subdued with a cover of salvinia natans.

[Apistomaster]

Your Heckels look happy and fat. Nice habitat you have provided them.
The odd ball is not a hybrid but simply a Symphysodon haraldi with a prominent 5th bar. This feature pops up among most S. haraldi populations, some more than others. Sometimes the prominent 5th bar will be negative, that is, lighter but broader than normal. It is not due to any previous hybridization with S. discus.

I have always found that although Heckels can do well in fairly hard water with a pH greater than 7.0, that over the years their colors stay brighter when they are maintained in soft acidic water closer to that of their natural environment. S. haraldi are very adaptable so they tend to do well in most regions' tap water and can successfully breed in same.