Is Oxygen a criteria?

I did a thinking the other day and something struck my mind of the Marulioides habitat. Flower performing specimen most time thrive in still water, low Ph and blackwater. When I had failed specimen they are most time related to fast moving water, powerful pump, air pump, high PH, these if you look at it in another angle are somehow related to the ratio of oxygen vs carbon dioxide.

Is Carbon Dioxide one of the factor for flowering of the marulioides? Or is starving of oxygen the caused for producing flowers. Remember open water and Marulioides from rivers has less flowers? How are the lack of oxygen causing a flower bloom?

So the only way we can find out is to do a set up to test out this theory. I've practically ran out of tank to do so many types of experiment, thank god I still have 14pcs of Terengganu to try out. I choose the many band var which is the most stubborn of all types. From my understanding this is the controversial spec that is causing all the fights. The many band spec most time ends up having no flowers. I cant conclude the factor as I've not personally gone to the site and catch some for myself to fully understand this. But my trusted source caught this few pcs from peat swamp which I did actinic tanning and some flowers are produce, but yet a few pcs do not bloom as the original thick band types.

Anyway the set up are left oily on the surface to reduce oxygen, I've shut off the power filter for minimal water movement. On top of that I've a DIY CO2 reactor using simple yeast, sugar and water to pump in carbon dioxide. With the increase of CO2 the PH will naturally drop which is the ideal Marulioides habitat range. I will still continue with the Actinic tanning once awhile depending on the fish flowers.

Let us see in a month or 2 the outcome from this experiment. Is low oxygen and high CO2 plays a part in the flowering of Marulioides.

Yeast and sugar are the basic ingredient for the CO2 reactor

Mixed in water and they are good to go in a few hours

A holding container to help the CO2 having more contact time with the tank water

The surface is kept very oily to deprive them from oxygen and power filter is off to maintain stagnant.

This will be our subject fish

Our subject fish on the right side.

Another fish in the same tank divided.

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