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Recent content by Ben Rhau

  1. Ben Rhau

    Why do sites report PH ?

    The thought with some species of gourami is that replicating low pH will exclude pathogens that can’t survive in that acidity. In nature, these fish don’t see pathogens that are selected at higher pH, so their immune systems may not be able to handle it. Additionally, some species have only...
  2. Ben Rhau

    Using Waterlife pH 6.5 product

    Yup, I think where we're not syncing up is that we dont have the same concept of "adding" to the water. When I say "you can't soften the water by adding" I mean "adding" in the sense that it's now part of the water (i.e., dissolving in the water). I don't consider an ion exchange resin...
  3. Ben Rhau

    Using Waterlife pH 6.5 product

    It sounds like what you're saying is that you can neutralize KH with acid, which is true, but increases conductivity. ^Yes, it is this. Soft water will have slightly acidic pH. What your fish want is the soft water, not the low pH. You can't soften water by adding something, only by diluting it.
  4. Ben Rhau

    Looking For Advice (A. Borelli)

    Yes, most of my fish have taken dry food, but for the picky ones I had to try a number of different dry foods before finding the ones they will accept. Bug bites are definitely on the list. A lot of fish seem to like those. Lately, I've found that higher protein medaka foods (the ones optimized...
  5. Ben Rhau

    Dicrossus filamentosus

    20 long was for a single pair?
  6. Ben Rhau

    10g Breeding Project?

    It also depends on the specimens you have. If one is particularly aggressive, it might not work.
  7. Ben Rhau

    10g Breeding Project?

    15 is also pretty small for leaving in the pair. Maybe for borellii it might work, but both macs and agassizii (and most other apisto species) benefit from more space. 20 long should be fine for a pair of any of the varieties you listed. Can't really make a suggestion, since it just depends on...
  8. Ben Rhau

    10g Breeding Project?

    I mean if you want to leave them in, choose a smaller fish.
  9. Ben Rhau

    10g Breeding Project?

    10g is a pretty normal size for temporary breeding, but not if you plan to leave the pair in there. If you want to house a breeding pair longer term, you should choose something smaller like anewbie suggested.
  10. Ben Rhau

    Questions regarding softwater tanks

    Of course, I'm not suggesting that the OP should add exogenous nitrogen. However, 3ppm nitrite is very high to be accounted for by decaying plant matter alone. Plants are net nitrogen consumers, so I would not expect a spike of any kind. Therefore, I'm wondering where the nitrogen is coming from.
  11. Ben Rhau

    Questions regarding softwater tanks

    That is somewhat surprising, since you didn't mention adding any fish. What is the nitrogen source that is allowing nitrite and nitrate to accumulate?
  12. Ben Rhau

    Befuddled by ph

    My money is on measurement error, but these systems are complex, so of course there's stuff I'm not taking into account. I get it, but the whole setup is artificial compared to what happens in the natural habitat. Peat would be natural, but problematic for sustainability reasons. At the end of...
  13. Ben Rhau

    Befuddled by ph

    API is repeatable, but I believe the range only goes down to 6.0? Yeah, same was true for certain Parosphromenus species. Idea being that the fish are only used to seeing potential pathogens that are selected at low pH. The ones that can survive at higher pH are new to the immune system. Some...
  14. Ben Rhau

    Befuddled by ph

    You can measure pH in soft water, it's just a pain. My thoughts: Gold standard is using an electrode style meter and adding salt to the water. IME the reading takes a long time to stabilize, and other things (like the container) can confound your measurement. It's also a huge PITA to keep the...
  15. Ben Rhau

    First-time Apistogramma cacatuoides keeper - Is my small ( 30L ) tank adequate?

    No. What I'm saying is that unless you separate the mother from the juveniles, eventually she will breed with them. I mentioned this as a reason you need multiple tanks to limit breeding. Once the female starts to chase away the offspring, you should separate them. It is possible to go several...
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