Water Parameters for Breeding

[spitfire]

I was wondering if water can be too soft for breeding? For example: lets take a white water species. These fish are known to inhabit water with a pH of 6-6.5 with hardness around 3-4 degrees. Please correct me if this info is incorrect. Will they breed in softer water 1-2 degree hardness with a pH of 5.5 - 6.5? Is it true most apistos will breed in 1-2 degree hardness water with a pH of 4.5 - 6? Are there any other things to consider or watch out for? All coments are welcome.

 

[tjudy]

Interesting question. My suspicion is that most fish will spawn in a wide range of water conditions, and actually reproduce is a narrower range. The breadth of that range is species=specific... and possibly even individually specific. It makes sense to me that non-blackwater species would have a lower-end hardness/pH tolerance that is higher than blackwater species.

 

[spitfire]

So you think the non-blackwater species could breed in a broader range of parameters, but black water species need the tighter range. Do you think fish can adapt to water parameters over time and learn to spawn / breed in water that they would not normally spawn in? I have seen white water species breed in almost anything, and a few blackwater species breed in higher pH water but hardness less than 4 degrees. It seems that water hardness is the key for most species and pH needs to be between 4.5 and 6. This is just from my limited experiences - cacatuoides, borelli, trifasciata, bitaeniata, macmasteri, steindachneri, cruzi, and eunotus.