Apistogramma cf. Agassizii (netz) eggs don’t hatch

[MacZ]

Even a cheap one is better than nothing. You may find that the conductivity of your tap water fluctuates, so it will be good to correlate it with breeding success. At the very least, you'll know whether or not your water is in a permissive regime.

I agree. Not the best, but good enough for the start.

TDS/EC - Meter 1 Stuk

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I have used peat for a long time and I went to a 7,5 ph to a stable 6,5 with peat so that positive but I don’t now if it is even possible to lower the ph more. I will add more peat. And once a week after the water change at a brew. I can prepare the changing water. Is that so dangerous. I feel like I have it more in the hand then right?

With more peat you can get lower. But this comes with the problem of oxygen.
When working with humic substances there is no danger from other parameters. pH and TDS changes have to happen fast to be dangerous. A pH-change of 2-3 points is harmless when happening over the course of 4-5 hours, but fatal if happening in less than 30 minutes. Same goes for TDS (then it's a problem of osmoregulation): From 200mg/l tapwater to 20mg/l blackwater is a big difference that requires acclimation.

I could do this with boiling aquarium water with a lower ph gh and kh than tap water. Is it advisable to use more peat so maybe 300 grams or more just figuring that out or won’t it change anything. I hope this helps these fish also I like the brown water. For me it can get a lot darker then now.

You can try, but it will be mostly for the looks.

I will make this brew thanks a lot for helping again. (I do really enjoy learning things about the hobby. Where I live I can’t get in touch with people to talk and discuss the job hobby. I can only talk and discuss the hobby on forums or a little in de lfs.)

Strange tbh, I have found there're three countries that share the number one spot of being THE fishkeeper nations here in Europ: NL, DE, UK.
I have contacts to dutch aquarists just as much as to German or UK hobbyists. And not only due to forums. On the other hand... I speak a little dutch, so probably that helps.

 

[Ben Rhau]

With more peat you can get lower. But this comes with the problem of oxygen.

If you do a pour-over, this shouldn't be a problem.

pH and TDS changes have to happen fast to be dangerous. A pH-change of 2-3 points is harmless when happening over the course of 4-5 hours, but fatal if happening in less than 30 minutes. Same goes for TDS (then it's a problem of osmoregulation): From 200mg/l tapwater to 20mg/l blackwater is a big difference that requires acclimation.

I think you're saying "there is no danger" here as well. If he's changing 10 - 20% of the water at a time and has a nonzero KH, it will take some time to lower the pH.

 

[MacZ]

If you do a pour-over, this shouldn't be a problem.

True.

I think you're saying "there is no danger" here as well. If he's changing 10 - 20% of the water at a time and has a nonzero KH, it will take some time to lower the pH.

Yep, that's the case.

 

[Bramgroet]

With more peat you can get lower. But this comes with the problem of oxygen.
When working with humic substances there is no danger from other parameters. pH and TDS changes have to happen fast to be dangerous. A pH-change of 2-3 points is harmless when happening over the course of 4-5 hours, but fatal if happening in less than 30 minutes. Same goes for TDS (then it's a problem of osmoregulation): From 200mg/l tapwater to 20mg/l blackwater is a big difference that requires acclimation.

So I should not add more peat to the filter.

Strange tbh, I have found there're three countries that share the number one spot of being THE fishkeeper nations here in Europ: NL, DE, UK.

That will be true but as a minor I think it is harder I don’t really get the connection. I can’t drive myself to a meeting I am not in an aquarium club. Yea I don’t now. But I do really enjoy hearing from others and their experiences.

I think you're saying "there is no danger" here as well. If he's changing 10 - 20% of the water at a time and has a nonzero KH, it will take some time to lower the pH.

So I should prepare my water with chemicals? I am sorry I don’t understand now.

I speak a little dutch, so probably that helps.

I speak I little German I learn it at school.

You can try, but it will be mostly for the looks.

It is also important that we like the aquarium. The fish should like it the most then we.

With more peat you can get lower. But this comes with the problem of oxygen.
When working with humic substances there is no danger from other parameters. pH and TDS changes have to happen fast to be dangerous. A pH-change of 2-3 points is harmless when happening over the course of 4-5 hours, but fatal if happening in less than 30 minutes. Same goes for TDS (then it's a problem of osmoregulation): From 200mg/l tapwater to 20mg/l blackwater is a big difference that requires acclimation.

That’s obvious.

 

[Ben Rhau]

So I should prepare my water with chemicals? I am sorry I don’t understand now.

No, I'm simply saying that if you treat your incoming water with peat and then add it to your tank (which is also treated with peat) there is not a big enough pH differential between these two to be dangerous.

 

[Bramgroet]

No, I'm simply saying that if you treat your incoming water with peat and then add it to your tank (which is also treated with peat) there is not a big enough pH differential between these two to be dangerous.

Oke thanks.

 

[MacZ]

So I should not add more peat to the filter.

Depends:
If you should try the drip method Ben recommended: Stick to the amount, just replace it.
If not, you can safely go up to 350g (wet weight).

That will be true but as a minor I think it is harder I don’t really get the connection. I can’t drive myself to a meeting I am not in an aquarium club. Yea I don’t now. But I do really enjoy hearing from others and their experiences.

I've not been member of a club in 30 years. I don't attend premeditated meetings, if any I go to trade fairs or to cross-regionally known stores and get into talking to people there. But yes... I guess for you it will be best to start off online.

I speak I little German I learn it at school.

I should have learned it at school, too. But I simply grew up close to the border (near Venlo) and thus Nederlands was my first foreign language even before English. But I never learned it properly, so I only speak the border dialect (must be Limburgs, I think) and can barely write it, but I understand when reading.

It is also important that we like the aquarium. The fish should like it the most then we.

Wish more hobbyists your age and also many older ones would see it that way. Most are of a "me first" attitude.

 

[Bramgroet]

If you should try the drip method Ben recommended: Stick to the amount, just replace it.

I will use this method on the new aquarium I will be getting. Then I have to prepare less water. Remember I am still doing al of this just in my bedroom.

You indeed learned Limburgs accent then.

 

[MacZ]

Remember I am still doing al of this just in my bedroom.

I know that problem. One-room-apartment. I live on less than 30m².

 

[Ben Rhau]

For what it's worth, I do it all in my bedroom as well! Except for the RO, which I temporarily hook up in the bathroom. But I keep the RO unit and the carboys in my bedroom closet.

I will use this method on the new aquarium I will be getting. Then I have to prepare less water.

Yes, it would take a lot of time to do it for a 55 gallon. 20 gallon is more manageable, so only a few gallons at a time each water change.

 

[Bramgroet]

I know that problem. One-room-apartment. I live on less than 30m².

I know you have to sacrifice a lot of room for it.

 

[Bramgroet]

Yes, it would take a lot of time to do it for a 55 gallon. 20 gallon is more manageable, so only a few gallons at a time each water change.

I will thanks for the help both of you.

 

[MacZ]

Except for the RO, which I temporarily hook up in the bathroom. But I keep the RO unit and the carboys in my bedroom closet.

Same, luckily the bath is big enough to store the stuff there. Incidently been bottling up RO all day today.

I know you have to sacrifice a lot of room for it.

Less than you might expect, and more than I would need. About... 1/5 of my room. I know how to stack things. Been an avid Tetris player back in the day.

 

[Bramgroet]

Less than you might expect, and more than I would need. About... 1/5 of my room.

That’s pretty neat. For me it depends on the day when I am doing something for the tank if of course takes more space. Also for things like adding a tank or getting an RO unit I have to discuss with my parents. Which is pretty logical. But I am happy my parents even support the hobby.

avid Tetris

I think I am to young to have played it. I do know what it is tho.

 

[MacZ]

That’s pretty neat. For me it depends on the day when I am doing something for the tank if of course takes more space. Also for things like adding a tank or getting an RO unit I have to discuss with my parents. Which is pretty logical. But I am happy my parents even support the hobby.

Yes, you can be glad to have that support. I had support, but at one point it was more like stepping on the breaks because my dad was losing it. We went from a 350 liter tank in the living room to a whole fish room in a year and once we had that we went from 350 to 750 and in the end to 1.200 liters just in the living room within 3 years.

I think I am to young to have played it. I do know what it is tho.

You don't have to have played it, knowing the principle is the important part.

 

[Bramgroet]

Yes, you can be glad to have that support. I had support, but at one point it was more like stepping on the breaks because my dad was losing it. We went from a 350 liter tank in the living room to a whole fish room in a year and once we had that we went from 350 to 750 and in the end to 1.200 liters just in the living room within 3 years.

I would love it in the beginning but after a while of working in the room every day I think I would not really like it anymore. Also you can’t give the best for every fish I can imagine.

I looked this morning and the female is still defending the spot even more then first. She doesn’t want anything near the entrance. So I don’t know she might still have fry but not free swimming I don’t know. But she is guarding them still.

 

[MacZ]

I would love it in the beginning but after a while of working in the room every day I think I would not really like it anymore. Also you can’t give the best for every fish I can imagine.

I'll put it this way: I learned a lot. But as this was roughly between 1992 and 2002 and I had a hiatus from the hobby for just as long. Things have changed in the mean time as have my opinions about how to handle fish. It was a business nontheless. Today it's a hobby again.

I looked this morning and the female is still defending the spot even more then first. She doesn’t want anything near the entrance. So I don’t know she might still have fry but not free swimming I don’t know. But she is guarding them still.

That's to be expected. Once they have found a spot they deem good for their territory, females also defend those.

 

[Bramgroet]

I'll put it this way: I learned a lot. But as this was roughly between 1992 and 2002 and I had a hiatus from the hobby for just as long. Things have changed in the mean time as have my opinions about how to handle fish. It was a business nontheless. Today it's a hobby again.

That’s true there is a lot more info now online.

That's to be expected. Once they have found a spot they deem good for their territory, females also defend those.

She did not do that first she goes in and out of the cave a lot. And also is really yellow. Maybe I missed something the last time I looked.

 

[MacZ]

That’s true there is a lot more info now online.

When I started there was no "online".

 

[Bramgroet]

When I started there was no "online".

That’s true. That’s a big benefit for people who start now.

But what to you think about this

She did not do that first she goes in and out of the cave a lot. And also is really yellow. Maybe I missed something the last time I looked.