The came in at 300ppm and I've been lowering the TDS gradually with each water change, adding peat pellets to the filter to add tannic acids. Right now TDS down to about 200ppm. pH about 6.5. Trying to keep nitrates about 5ppm or lower. Feeding frozen spirulina brine shrimp, live gridals, and small nutiritious pellets. They take them all, not picky.
They are soft water in nature. However, the commercial importers and dealers sometimes find that keeping softwater fish at higher TDS actually prevent some problems. I don't know the science behind that observation.
It might be to do with the presence, or absence, of humic substances. Very soft water, without humic substances, isn't suitable for the long term maintenance of fish.
I agree with Darrel that it's the lack of humic substances in the holding tanks at wholesalers and stores. Not every importer is willing to house them in soft acidic water until selling them on.
Edit: Ha, the aquarium already has Pelvicachromis in their stock.
Thank you Darrel. I'll give it a read.
Good points on the humic substances and wholesalers. And Ha! that you live so close to the Dragon Rock. Yes I've seen the photos of that castle and interesting that there is a zoo and aquarium in it. The research of A. Lamboj, et al. on the reclassification of genus Pelvicachromis was partially funded by Ernst-Otto von Drachefels, possibly why P. taeniatus "Wouri" was named after him.I agree with Darrel that it's the lack of humic substances in the holding tanks at wholesalers and stores. Not every importer is willing to house them in soft acidic water until selling them on.
But there is another practical reason: The importers and wholesalers acclimate wildcaught fish mostly to harder water mostly just to make it easier for customers and retailers to keep them, as not everyone is able and/or willing to adjust their water parameters to the fishes actual needs. That way they are much easier to sell. Some people only want to keep them, whatever their water parameters are, so this is basically customer service.
So these guys here can definitely go further down with the TDS.
Sidenote: I live in viewing distance of the "Drachenfels" (Dragon's Rock), a steep hill with a castle on top right on the River Rhine. The person this species was named after, had his family name from this hill. In that castle is a Reptile Zoo and on its foot is a public aquarium. I probably should suggest to one of these institutions to keep these fish.
Yes, I saw that low conductivity reading and a interestingly enough, a pH of 7.4, if I recall correctly. I'm consistently lowering the conductivity with each water change.
