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RE: [Killietalk] Any soft water Nothos


*Brian Watters <bwatters at sasktel_net> wrote:*

David Sanchez wrote:


I was under the impression these were, rainwater,
temporary pools they lived in? Is that water not soft
and acid?


The average Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) content of the water in all the
Notho localities that I have investigated (a few hundred) is 95 ppm, which
is quite soft. However, the water is invariably alkaline, the avarage pH
being 7.4. When the pool fills up the water leaches Ca and Mg from the
substrate, keeping the water alkaline. The very few Notho habitats that have
acidic water are almost always those that have a large amount of decaying
vegetation in them and the consequent acidification exceeds the buffering
capacity of the substrate.
________________________________________
Brian Watters


Brian, you just described my tap water. I have quite a few Notho eggs getting ready to hatch. My tap water is chlorine/chloramine free (local well) with a tds of 85-95 ppm, about 2/3 as hardness, and pH in the mid-high 7s. It comes out of the tap a bit higher, but CO2 equilibrium with the air makes it about 7.6-7.8 or so on standing or aeration.

Should I plan to add some "Equilibrium" and salt to hold down Velvet disease? I did well with Nothos in my Santa Clara water (450 ppm tds) and Fremont (300 ppm), but I did add some salt, usually. Except for a weird virulent strain that I imported from South Africa, I never had a serious problem with Velvet in those waters.

Once I have my continuous water change system working, I believe it will be much like nature. What should I do to make Nothos happiest until then?

Wright

--
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
                     760 872-3995

Samuel Adams advised: "It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."


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