[Killietalk] N. symoensi

[RuevenM at aol_com]

Hi John,

     I've never used salt with Nothos except as a treatment. My tap water is 
hard and alkaline and for most species I keep them in the tap water unless 
breeding or hatching. I slowly adjust to softer water for breeding and adjust 
back for just keeping. I hatch in soft water and on day 3 after hatching I start 
adding a pint a day of my tap. In a week the fry are in hard alkaline water. 
Velvet has never been a problem for me. I have seen it twice in 40 years of 
fish keeping. Once on shipped in fish and once when I left a soft acid water tank 
without a water change too long. I have nothing against salt. I just have 
never used it. I tried the soft alkaline water Brian collected them in but I 
couldn't maintain that so I just went to slightly soft and acid as a compromise. 
They do breed best young for me too and die fairly early on so breed breed 
breed. I get between 50-80 babies from a group breeding colony over peat for 2-3 
weeks. Storage at 75-76F is 2 and 1/2 to 3 months as they have a tight hatching 
window. I feed them heavy heavy as fry when they eat alot so they get to be 
big robust fish before the appetite slacks off.

Bobby

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