New to Apistos

[Robin]

Hello all, I think I am ready to enter the world of dwarf cichlids.

My first concern is that a lot of information that I read says that Apistos like low pH and hardness. My problem is that the water in my tank is holding a stable pH of 7.8 Now I am not a total newbie to fishkeeping, but I would really prefer not to mess with the pH or hardness until I have some more experience with fish under my belt.

So my question is, are there any apistos (or any other dward cichlids for that matter) that thrive in the higher range pH?

 

[Randall]

Harder Water Dwarfs

Dear Robin,

Apistogramma borellii and A. cacatuoides both do well in moderately hard water with a slightly alkaline pH. You might also look into Microgeophagus altispinosa. On the West/Central African side, some species of Chromidotilapia and Benitochromis thrive in the same water. If your water is very hard, you might try conditioning it with peat moss prior to water changes.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[2la]

Other apistos that are more adaptable to such waters include eunotus, commbrae, and linkei.

 

[Robin]

Thanks, Randall.

I may end up having to do peat filtering after all. My tap reads 7.0 straight out of the tap, but after 24 hours it's between 7.6-7.7. At least that eliminated a possible leeching problem with the substrate.

How brown is the resulting water tint from the tannins in the peat?

 

[aspen]

>>'How brown is the resulting water tint from the tannins in the peat?'

that depends on how difficult to change your water is. my tap water can be like tea, with very little change if any. others get good results with peat. what are you gh and kh after aerating 24 hours? if you don't have a kit, and you want to change your water parms, get one. you can even just mix r/o from the grocery store with your tapwater to soften it. and peat will be a lot more effective then too. but it really just depends on what you are starting with. you would do pretty well just keeping dwarfs for a while in your tap, like cacatoides, rams or borelli's. i have mostly kept my rams in my tap, and they do fine, just breeding them in this is a waste of time.

rick

 

[R-S]

My apistogramma cacatuoides have lived happily in 7.8 and also spawned in 7.4 pH. If you just want to keep them happy and healthy and don't care to seriously breed, then I'd look at these pretty guys as a nice option for not having to mess with water chemistry.

 

[Neil]

Robin,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

So my question is, are there any apistos (or any other dward cichlids for that matter) that thrive in the higher range pH?

Here is my take on this. Your question specifically mentions "thrives" in higher pH. It has been my experience that no apistos thrive in higher pH. That ph range is definitely adequate for the above mentioned apistos, but not ideal.
I would follow Randalls advice and bring the waters pH down a touch to get the results that your statement suggests that you are looking for. You may need to consider an alteration in the hardness to accomplish this.
Good luck,
Neil

 

[Randall]

Softening Water

Dear Robin,

As you might have noticed from the overwhelming response to your questions, the people in this forum are a bunch of Apisto nuts! Welcome to the fold!!

To address your question concerning softening and acidifying your tap water, I appreciate your not wanting to mess with water chemistry too much. It can be a royal pain.

If your water is only moderately hard and not very hard (liquid lava), you won't need to use that much peat moss to knock the pH down a notch or two. If you don't have one already, please get yourself a hardness test kit that will enable you to test for both GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness). The pH of water is directly related to KH.

Assuming your KH level is not too high, you won't need to condition your water with that much peat to achieve the desired result, so discoloration should only be slight. I'd recommend conditioning your water in a separate recepticle (bucket, holding vat, etc.) and using that water do to your water changes. Water that has a slight tea color can be attractive, but if you don't like it, please simply add some activated carbon to your filter to remove it. Just remember to change the carbon each month or it will release the chemicals it's absorbed back into the tank.

Another possible species that I neglected to mention earlier is C. maronii, the keyhole cichlid. It grows to be larger than the other dwarfs previously mentioned, but is most peaceful and attractive and will do well in slightly harder water.

Hope this helps you out a bit.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Randall]

Softening Water

Dear Robin,

As you might have noticed from the overwhelming response to your questions, the people in this forum are a bunch of Apisto nuts! Welcome to the fold!!

To address your question concerning softening and acidifying your tap water, I appreciate your not wanting to mess with water chemistry too much. It can be a royal pain.

If your water is only moderately hard and not very hard (liquid lava), you won't need to use that much peat moss to knock the pH down a notch or two. If you don't have one already, please get yourself a hardness test kit that will enable you to test for both GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness). The pH of water is directly related to KH.

Assuming your KH level is not too high, you won't need to condition your water with that much peat to achieve the desired result, so discoloration should only be slight. I'd recommend conditioning your water in a separate recepticle (bucket, holding vat, etc.) and using that water do to your water changes. Water that has a slight tea color can be attractive, but if you don't like it, please simply add some activated carbon to your filter to remove it. Just remember to change the carbon each month or it will release the chemicals it's absorbed back into the tank.

Another possible species that I neglected to mention earlier is C. maronii, the keyhole cichlid. It grows to be larger than the other dwarfs previously mentioned, but is most peaceful and attractive and will do well in slightly harder water.

Hope this helps you out a bit.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[apistodave]

Robin listen to Randall and Neil they know what they are talking about --trifasciata do OK in your kind of water also

 

[Robin]

Don't worry...I'm listening to them. I'm not the type to impulse buy before researching and providing adaquate living conditions.

I do have the hardness kits (like I said, not a total newbie) and here are the readings from the tank water:

GH: 7 degrees hardness/125.3ppm
KH: 5 degrees hardness/89.5ppm
pH: 7.6-7.8

I have a gallon of tap water aerating now, and will test its hardness values after 24 hours.