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Re: [APD] Estimative Index
At 02:51 PM 1/13/2005 +0000, you wrote:
>This may be a stupid question, but I have to ask anyways.
>
>I have a 29 gallon tank, on which I use the Estimative Index (Barr Method)
>for my nutrient dosing. The problem is this: ever since I've started using
>the EI, I have not been able to keep dwarf cichlids (apistos specifically)
>alive for very long. I have tried everything I can think of -- the water
>parameters should be ideal. pH 6.7, very soft water, heavily planted ....
>I've tried drip-acclimating them, floating bags, acclimating with the
>lighting off; everything I can think of.
>
>Could the higher nitrate levels sustained by me using the EI be stressing
>the fish out? I had one pair that only lasted 2 days, and another single
>male that only lasted a week. I feed live foods (microworms and viniger
>eels) and my catfish and shrimp are all fine; my aspidoras and cherry shrimp
>both breed with consistency. Could I have gotten some bad apistos? I know
>the LFS keeps them in local tap water (very very very hard, pH 8.2+) and
>maybe going from soft water to hard water back to soft water was what did
>them in. I want to get this worked out, because I am very fond of apistos
>and rams, and would like to get some of either kind.
>
>Does anybody have any suggestions?
Microworms and vinegar eels? That's not much of a diet for Apistos. Can't
you get some white worms or at least grindals? This is the only thing
that stands out to me.
High nitrates won't hurt fish. I have a tank with some killies, some quite
rare expoesnuve and delicate (A. georgae) that surviced a month of 200ppm
NO3 (oops, slipped a decimal point) and there was no sign of trouble with
the fish or plants.
Are they wild fish or captive bred? Wild fish in soft water may get a bout
of mycobacteria which is grossly inhibited by hard water (See Scheel, ROTOW).
--
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