As I mentioned in another thread, I want to try to breed my dwarf pike cichlids, but I am pretty sure I will need to have real blackwater conditions, as they have not showed any signs of breeding so far. But my water is already very soft. I hadn't measure the parameters for a long time but decided to do so today to check, hopefully my tests are still Ok as I have had them for quite a while. Anyway this is how my tap water (which comes from a mountain river and is not treated in any way) comes out:
GH 1
KH 0-1 (does not change colour on first drop, turns yellow on second)
pH - 6.8 (Azoo kit), 6.5 (Sera kit )(??)
TDS 21, conductivity 42
In the aquarium I will move them to, which is well established and planted, at the moment it has 16 baby Guianacaras 2-3cm as well as some Copellas, and a few other small fish, all will be moved next week.:
GH 1
KH 0 (yellow on first drop)
pH 6.6 (Azoo) 6.2-6.4 (Sera) - first thing in the morning
TDS 17
Re leaf litter - I used to have a lot in that tank, but removed it recently as I started to get an outbreak of Cyanobacteria. They were locally collected leaves that last quite long but do not seem to produce much tannins even when boiled, Catappa leaves are only sporadically available and much less often now since the best local shop has closed down. I do have a bag of alder cones - the Andean species (Alnus acuminata), they look the same but I haven't tried boiling them yet. I can buy various blackwater extracts - Azoo "triple black water", Dymax "ultra black water" and Dymax "The Black". There is already a lot of driftwood in the tank. I should be able to get peat but a bit nervous getting it from a garden centre in case it has something else added. I did try peat once before that a local fish shop owner gave me, but it had no effect on pH, maybe didn't give it enough time and I did not prepare the water for water changes. The tank measures 120 x 40 x 50 cm, but a lot of the volume is taken up with driftwood and substrate.
Any suggestions?
GH 1
KH 0-1 (does not change colour on first drop, turns yellow on second)
pH - 6.8 (Azoo kit), 6.5 (Sera kit )(??)
TDS 21, conductivity 42
In the aquarium I will move them to, which is well established and planted, at the moment it has 16 baby Guianacaras 2-3cm as well as some Copellas, and a few other small fish, all will be moved next week.:
GH 1
KH 0 (yellow on first drop)
pH 6.6 (Azoo) 6.2-6.4 (Sera) - first thing in the morning
TDS 17
Re leaf litter - I used to have a lot in that tank, but removed it recently as I started to get an outbreak of Cyanobacteria. They were locally collected leaves that last quite long but do not seem to produce much tannins even when boiled, Catappa leaves are only sporadically available and much less often now since the best local shop has closed down. I do have a bag of alder cones - the Andean species (Alnus acuminata), they look the same but I haven't tried boiling them yet. I can buy various blackwater extracts - Azoo "triple black water", Dymax "ultra black water" and Dymax "The Black". There is already a lot of driftwood in the tank. I should be able to get peat but a bit nervous getting it from a garden centre in case it has something else added. I did try peat once before that a local fish shop owner gave me, but it had no effect on pH, maybe didn't give it enough time and I did not prepare the water for water changes. The tank measures 120 x 40 x 50 cm, but a lot of the volume is taken up with driftwood and substrate.
Any suggestions?