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  1. Ben Rhau

    I'm truly at a loss here, please help (cycling low KH tank)

    Whether or not you add ferts is a decision. I believe @MacZ does it in order to have vigorous plant growth, but consciously doses low enough that it's all being consumed the by the plants and doesn't contribute much to the EC/TDS of the tank. @dw1305 does this as well, using the duckweed index...
  2. Ben Rhau

    I'm truly at a loss here, please help (cycling low KH tank)

    Once you see vigorous, new plant growth, it's safe to add fish. In such nutrient poor water, this will take some time, as the plants will experience some shock and have to adapt to this environment. I think it can take a couple months. I don't advise adding inverts until you know the EC/TDS of...
  3. Ben Rhau

    pH probe keeps drying out

    Hi all, I'm using a Hanna 98129. The pH probe has a cap with a well that holds a few drops of storage solution, and I store it upright. However, if left longer than a week or so, the storage solution will wick up along the device and dry out. I can see the salt forming at the edge of the cap...
  4. Ben Rhau

    Detritus Worms

    Also I don’t think “detritus worms” refers to a single species, so I’m not sure how to culture them in higher quantities than they naturally occur.
  5. Ben Rhau

    Detritus Worms

    I’m culturing blackworms in a 5 gallon neocaridina tank right now. I think they would be easier to harvest if I kept them in a breeder box, but so far so good.
  6. Ben Rhau

    Ram sexing?

    It has been reported in this forum. See <this thread> by @Chandz.
  7. Ben Rhau

    Got a new Apistogramma Hongsloi pair. Best food?

    I tend to feed worms around once a week in controlled moderation. I chop them for the nano fish, and for adult apisto-size fish, 2 or 3 worms per fish max. I don't let them gorge. Can feed more often if trying to condition them for breeding, but only on a temporary basis. Other keepers I know...
  8. Ben Rhau

    Blackwater Water Change

    I think you can get sustainably farmed rooibos. A different "controversy" of rooibos is that tinting a tank quickly is mostly cosmetic. By contrast, botanicals that are permitted to decompose in the tank both leach tannins and provide substrate and sustenance for other fauna. So, rooibos isn't...
  9. Ben Rhau

    Got a new Apistogramma Hongsloi pair. Best food?

    White worms and grindal worms require culturing. If you culture the blackworms, the advantage is that they're aquatic and can be left in the tank with significantly less danger of rotting. I've tried culturing grindal worms, and have found it very labor intensive to deal with infestations...
  10. Ben Rhau

    Help for choosing the right Apisto species

    There are hundreds of species of apistogramma, but a lot fewer of them are commercially available. The more efficient way to go about this is to see what’s available to you in your area. Of those, research the ones you’re interested in and learn where they come from.
  11. Ben Rhau

    Apistogramma - Substrate grain size

    Mike also said he’d go with the finer sand if starting from scratch today, but too much work to change the current tanks.
  12. Ben Rhau

    Thinking about dimensions for a new tank

    Check out these posts: https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/sand-size-and-type.23341/#post-108663 https://www.apistogramma.com/forum/threads/clay-like-substrate.23441/post-109165 https://www.apistogramma.com/forum/threads/is-this-a-male-or-female.23904/post-112461 The sand doesn't need to be...
  13. Ben Rhau

    Thinking about dimensions for a new tank

    Hey Andrew, I've used black sand before, but have since stopped using it. The one that used to be sold by Caribsea was discontinued due to toxicity, and I haven't been able to find a commercially available one that isn't suboptimal for one reason or another. That said, I wouldn't worry too much...
  14. Ben Rhau

    Apistogramma Morado?

    Re: aggression. Conventional wisdom is that the temperament of apistos varies a lot by individual within a species, but that there's less pronounced variation across species. That said, I know a handful of aquarists who have recently kept A. ortegai, and they all had specimens that were among...
  15. Ben Rhau

    Shrimp

    Amanos tolerate somewhat soft water, I kept them with apistos in 100 TDS, pH 6.8. Tangerine Tigers prefer soft acidic water, and some keep them in blackwater.
  16. Ben Rhau

    Help me choose an RO filter

    It’s really not that complicated. If you can hook up a stereo system, you can probably handle it. You just need to understand where the water is going (instead of audio signal, in my analogy). Diagrams make it pretty clear.
  17. Ben Rhau

    Help me choose an RO filter

    If it’s running continuously, there might not be any TDS creep. You could set the other side up to flush automatically, possibly.
  18. Ben Rhau

    Help me choose an RO filter

    You should absolutely do this. If you have an inline TDS meter, you can see for yourself the effect of "TDS creep" that occurs with all RO membranes. TDS will diffuse over to the treated side between uses. For the first 30 seconds or so when you start it up again, you'll see high TDS water after...
  19. Ben Rhau

    Help me choose an RO filter

    Forgot to mention my tap water is already very soft.
  20. Ben Rhau

    Help me choose an RO filter

    I haven't yet had to change any of the cartridges in 1.5 years, but my water volume is a lot smaller than yours (around 60 gals total). It's a good reminder to check the chlorine level on the output again, though the TDS is still basically zero (and TDS 3 before DI). Couple notes: Mine came...
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