Andre, Novakovic, Brosinski, Vucicevic, Isobel and Ulla (the 6 White Clouds) are now housed in their lovely new tank. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite afford the 60l tank, so got a 48l one.
There is a planting substrate at the bottom, covered with a layer of gravel and sand. I currently have 7 plants in the tank and 1 moss ball. Today I bought a piece of Mopani wood which will be split into 2 pieces and then soaked in a 20l bucket before being placed in the tank.
The reason for the Mopani wood? Around September/October, the 6 WCMMs will be joined by 3 or 4 Otocinclus (Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish). I decided on a breed of catfish, knowing that the WCMMs are surface to mid tank feeders and there wouldn't be any point in putting more of that type of fish into the aquarium. So, I started reading up on the different types of catfish, knowing my requirements:
Size: must be small.
Temperature: Need to be happy at 22 Celcius
Temperament: Peaceful.
From a short list of suitables, I chose the Otocinclus as they fit those categories well. They only grow to around an inch in length, are peaceful fish and the tank temperature is Ok for them. They feed on Algae and vegetables, although may be tempted by Mango. So, although making the aquarium look more natural is hard work and can cost money, in the long term, the fish are happier and the look is really great.
