YoHoHo at aol_com wrote:
> I have just installed an RO unit. I have very hard well water, 20 - 22
> grains/gallon, which is what I have used for the fish.
It would help if you could use units we all use. I'm too lazy to go look
up conversion to ppm, mg/L, or Degrees Hardness. :-) Even microSeimens
are easier to use.
> Now that I have the
> RO, I need to know what levels of hardness to blend the RO water to for the
> different types of killies. I assume that there must be some general
> guidelines, perhaps along the lines of "Soft, Medium, and Hard", and
> something like Rivulus should be in the soft, and Nothos should be in Hard
> (Just making up examples here). Also, some definition of Soft, Medium, and
> Hard would be very useful.
Soft for rainforest species, harder as they get out in the savannah, and
very hard for desert lakes and volcanic sinks with only evaporation for
outlet. Some coastal species like a little more salt (not hardness).
Let's start with tds (total dissolved solids) as that's easiest to
check, often. Good cheap meters are available, and anyone mixing much
water needs one. Read tds in parts per million or mg/L (about the same
thing).
Most tds readings tend to be about 1/3 greater than the actual hardness,
but find your local ratio from your water report.
100-150 ppm for soft. [Never go much below 75 for most fish.]
150-300 for medium
300-900 for hard
would be my general breakdown. YMMV.
>
> I know this is asking a lot, but a little input from a lot of you, and I will
> be able to compile a useful list. Is this info available somewhere, already
> collected & printed?
Yes, but it is one of the most poorly documented things reported in most
fish Atlases, so take the printed word with a BIG grain of salt.
[Metaphor intentional] Most authors just end up quoting each other so
pay attention to what works for your best local breeders, and follow
their lead.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley -- 209 521-0557 -- 731 Loletta Ave, Modesto CA 95351
All K-Mart and Walmart stores to be closed in Iraq.
They will be replaced by Targets.
www.sfbaka.net
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