Someone wrote:
>>I am hoping to keep some cold water catfish with either Aldrovanda or
>>aquatic Utrics.
Paul Temple replied:
> Aldrovanda is reputedly not that fussy about pH. However it grows >superbly
for me in acid water, neutral rainwater over a 5cm peat bed >with added
rainwater boiled with peat. Pleco's love acidity. Use any >neutral gravel as
a 3cm deep layer over the peat bed. The peat shpould be >boiled to wet it and
drive out air and to sterilise it.
>You can keep Aldrovanda even at sub zero temperatures. But it grows in
>climates where there is seasonal heat creating very warm water. You >will
need good summer temperatures and I recommend a water heater.
I second the recommendation for a heater. Plecos may love acidity, but I
doubt they will tolerate water temperatures near freezing. Algae eating
catfish like Plecos are South American and will want a warm aquarium. Some
species from highland streams may like cooler temperatures, but they will want
highly oxygenated, heavily filtered water. "Cold water catfish" to me
suggests north American catfish like bullheads, madtoms, or channel cats and
European catfish like the Wels. With the exception of madtoms, these all grow
very large and are basically just appetites with fins. They are usually
predatory and won't do much for algae. Cold water cats (especially madtoms)
are certainly fun to keep, but they probably aren't good tankmates for
delicate CPs.
cheers,
Nick (whose first Nepenthes, a N. alata, is finally starting to
make pitchers. And there was much rejoicing)
Nicholas Plummer
nplummer@umich.edu