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  1. Ben Rhau

    Fin rot or spawning damage?

    Fins can be delicate, particularly the thin extensions. Probably just wear and tear. It grows back.
  2. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Phosphate buffers combine a weak base with its conjugate acid. They will definitely increase the conductivity of your water, and as such, have no practical purpose when reducing pH in aquariums. You don't need to buy API products. Can you find something on Amazon or an online lab supply store...
  3. Ben Rhau

    Macmasteri in Metaframe tank

    I’ve never found glassworms for sale near me, and definitely have never seen black mosquito larvae listed frozen in the States. Only the kind the sell in liquid in jars.
  4. Ben Rhau

    D24 How to improve Color?

    People have said the same for wild caught borellii, of their colors being a lot less vivid the longer they're kept in captivity. Mac is correct that some individual specimens just have more color than others, particularly when you're talking about specific patterns on the face. That said, a...
  5. Ben Rhau

    Blackwater tank with leaf litter -> Cyano bacteria

    My guess is that these mystery products are antibiotics (perhaps not disclosed?) or flocculants.
  6. Ben Rhau

    Blackwater tank with leaf litter -> Cyano bacteria

    I'm not sure if anyone can give you an answer with certainty, but it could also be that the tanks where you have a leaf litter bed have other properties that are ideal for cyanobacteria. For example, tanks that are optimized for heavy plant growth and/or more flow are more likely to be in...
  7. Ben Rhau

    Blackwater tank with leaf litter -> Cyano bacteria

    That’s because the conditions are still ideal for it to continue growing. You could choose to dose nutrients minimally so that the plants would always deplete them. I understand you don’t want to do that, in which case your only other option is to black out for a few days and then significantly...
  8. Ben Rhau

    Blackwater tank with leaf litter -> Cyano bacteria

    I agree with all of this except to be careful about what is meant by "competition." It's not competition for nutrients. Algae and bacteria can survive on almost nothing compared to plants, so you can't simultaneously starve them out and expect to grow plants. However, high light relative to...
  9. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Haha, I can’t help you with the “real scientist” bit. :) I understand this is happening on the molecular level, but in aggregate I don’t recall seeing a big conductivity change before and after. Possibly went down slightly, but the difference was not far from the margin of error. Perhaps enough...
  10. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Yes, I will add that conductivity did not appreciably change, though I suppose it’s possible that GH makes a difference. There were also dissolved organics released to the water.
  11. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hm, maybe not for the same reasons... It sounds like you're asking whether the compounds that cause the coloring effect precipitate out of solution at acidic pH. If we're talking about humic and fulvic acids, we know that they're soluble enough to stain acidic blackwater so darkly that you...
  12. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Maybe it depends? I know there are studies that say that pH can partially determine M/F ratio of offspring, so it may not be completely irrelevant. At least in Parosphromenus species, nearly all serious breeders only keep them in water with virtually no KH/conductivity. Still, there are some...
  13. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    A number of folks on this forum have had good luck with the Hanna 98129, which is certainly not cheap at $200, but cheaper than what Darrel is suggesting. I believe it has a glass electrode as opposed to ISFET. It has a cap where you can put a few drops of buffer to keep the electrode wet...
  14. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    I see. In that case, let me say there is no danger of the pH collapsing. Dissolved CO2 from the air will generate KH (via the carbonate - carbonic acid equilibrium) and the pH of neutral water wants to stabilize at around pH 5.5. I've found that even adding strong acid, I can lower the pH below...
  15. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Leaf litter will have close to no effect on pH. You can confirm this yourself by putting some in a jar with distilled water vs water only. I've done this to test a number of different organics, and the only one that lowered pH was peat or peat/sphagnum moss. Some types of driftwood also worked...
  16. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Yes, I found that necessary.
  17. Ben Rhau

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    If pH is really the limiting factor, I think peat or strong acid are the only solutions. Of course, all precautions apply. I would personally avoid the blackwater extracts because they're unlikely to be acidic and will only increase your conductivity.
  18. Ben Rhau

    Pair of Apisto in a 25L?

    I’ve kept a wild betta imbellis in a 5g, not a bad choice IMO.
  19. Ben Rhau

    Pair of Apisto in a 25L?

    For long term keeping, 80 liters (20 gallons long, not high) is recommended. Some experts will put pairs in as small as 40 liters temporarily for breeding, but not for long term keeping. 25 liters is just far too small for apistos. Nano fish or inverts would be good for this size.
  20. Ben Rhau

    Introducing microfauna: scuds, amphipods, isopods into botanical tank

    Just keep an eye on your nitrates. I've found that when adding blackworms for the first time, you might inadvertently add some dead ones. Also, some can die if it gets too hot, etc. The small tank I grow them in gets weekly 50% water changes. If there are very few worms, that may be unnecessary...
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