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  1. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all, That is where I struggle, I'm not a chemist. I think it should go down, but pretty minimally. I might try lowering the temperature and / or waiting for low barometric pressure? cheers Darrel
  2. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all, You've swapped a proton and I think that the proton (H+) would be a slightly less conductive than ions with a higher valency, like calcium (Ca++), and you swapped them 1 : 1. I think size is also important (smaller = more conductivity), and you can't get any smaller than a H+ ion, so...
  3. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all Peat would have some caution exchange capacity, (it would swap an internal H+ for a Ca++ etc. in the water column). Cheers Darrel
  4. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all, That makes sense <"https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-when-you-are-drinking-tea-you-are-also-drinking-some-ink">. I think they are photodegraded as well <"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669021011687">. cheers Darrel
  5. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all, If I was going to get a "cheap" pH meter, I'd get a Hanna one. That is one of the issues, the electrodes needed to be stored in 3 mol. KCl. The other problem is just that they work via ion exchange and the internal reservoir of potassium ions will eventually be exhausted requiring a...
  6. dw1305

    Can I make blackwater using my tap water?

    Hi all, They need calibration every time you use them, and you really need a meter with "2 point calibration". The other problem is that pH meters aren't very good with low conductivity water, and this applies even to more expensive lab. type meters. You can stabilise the reading with a...
  7. dw1305

    Advice on my two A. nijsseni

    Hi all, They are, and nice looking fish. cheers Darrel
  8. dw1305

    acidic bacteria and co2

    Hi all, I'd guess that if you re-run evolution, you wouldn't end up with vastly differing results, mainly because of the chemical structure of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) etc., and their relative abundance on Earth. Because carbon has four bonds and nitrogen three, they offer a huge...
  9. dw1305

    acidic bacteria and co2

    Hi all, I don't think you need to worry. As an example if you have vegetated soft water the pH can be really variable during the diurnal cycle as the plants deplete CO2 via photosynthesis. This situation would be pretty frequent in S. America in clear water rivers etc...
  10. dw1305

    Introducing microfauna: scuds, amphipods, isopods into botanical tank

    Hi all, I think that is an advantage with using Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) in the culture tanks. I've never had any problems with water quality, but I know it is very common when the Blackworms are fed with <"brown paper towels"> etc. Details on UKAPS...
  11. dw1305

    BACK IN BLACK

    Hi all, On the UKAPS forum we've spoken with a couple of the leading scientific research labs about this, and their answers are illuminating. I'll add in the threads, a lot of the journal articles (and other relevant threads) are linked in. <"Correspondence with Dr Ryan Newton - School of...
  12. dw1305

    Species and sex id ?

    Hi all, Most are all right in soft water, the ones from Sri Lanka are more likely to like harder water. I use mainly Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia and C x willisii. It has pretty plastic growth rate, if you feed it plenty it <"grows like wild fire">, but it will subsist on <"petrol fumes">...
  13. dw1305

    Species and sex id ?

    Hi all, I agree with @rasmusW, a <"lot more plants"> would help. As well as a quick growing plant (Ceratopteris thalictroides?) for "now", I would actually recommend plants that "take a long time to grow", like <"Cryptocoryne spp., Bolbitis heudelotii and Anubias barteri">. The reason for...
  14. dw1305

    Single Male options

    Hi all, It does, via ion exchange. The cation exchange sites are initially populated by a proton (H+) ion, which is swapped for a cation, with higher valency, like Ca++, from the water column. Yes that is it, it's ion exchange and depends on both the concentration of ions and their valency No...
  15. dw1305

    HTH pool filter sand for agassizii

    Hi all, In the UK they should say "100% silica sand". I think the last bag I bought was from the (UK) supermarket Morrisons. It was something like £5 for 20 Kg. "Kiln Dried Paving Sand" might be another option? I'm not sure about the USA or Europe but "block paving" is very popular in the UK...
  16. dw1305

    maturing an aquarium

    Hi all, I'll put this here: On UKAPS we've recently talked to Josh Neufeld, a scientist from the The University of Waterloo and also a fish keeper. <"Strangers in your home: Archaea thrive in aquarium biofilters – Dr Josh D Neufeld"> pages 14 - 20. This is the UKAPS thread. I know the "microbes...
  17. dw1305

    HTH pool filter sand for agassizii

    Hi all, I've gone over to using finer sand, and I like it, and so do the fish. Somewhere @Mike Wise or @Tom C posted a picture of the substrate that they picked up when they collected some fish, and it was very fine particles. Edit: Found it...
  18. dw1305

    Single Male options

    Hi all, That is a good looking fish. Was it fast flowing water? I'm going to guess not. cheers Darrel
  19. dw1305

    Id species (sold as Apistogramma sp. "Ipiranga")

    Hi all, The problem with identification is that Apistogramma spp. are part of the on-going <"Geophagine adaptive radiation">* and I'm guessing that forest clearance and climate change will lead to most species becoming extinct before they are ever scientifically described. At some point in the...
  20. dw1305

    What Baby Apisto is this?

    Hi all, I'm sorry to hear that, but it may be nothing to do with you and just be that they are very inbred and unhealthy fish now, a bit like Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi). cheers Darrel
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