[Killietalk] Adjusting water Chemistry

[Charles & Sue Harrison <csharrison at inkmaker_net>]

Back in my other life in Texas, er ah West Texas,  Ft Worth water was 
2500 ppm TDS (evaporated solids, and it still is) if you look back in 
the 1969  - '70's or so BNLs  I was selling Bulanum Red "T" , 
Australes, some Roloffia species, occidentals and SA annuals a well 
as running a Tropical Fish Store with my wife. We treated the water 
with Thiosulfate, adjusted it to temperature, usually cooling it to 
room temperature, and added it to the tanks.

Joe Ricco was my mentor back then all the way from California to Texas.

I had more Killies than I knew what to do with - then as now my main 
focus was 2 fold - - raise as much live food as I could and change as 
much water as often as I could.

Here is the mid-west the water is not that great but useable. (best I 
can tell it is about the same as Edd's) I just did a tank full of 
Neolebias ansorgii - a west African tetra for the Missouri Aquarium 
Soc BAP, I an 3 rd on their list of number of species spawned and 
raised with over 300 different species . I have tanks or australes, 
bulanum, Fp avichang, cameonense hassi, I maintained 3 generations of 
Episemion callipteron  and on and on . . .

This is not boasting, I am just stating a fact to the beginners and 
anyone interesting in becoming a member of the AKA, keeping Killies 
or within the Killie group in general . . .

There are really 2 important things to be primarily concerned with:

1. Change as much water as often as you can and

2. pay attention to culturing live foods.

You really don't have to be a Ph D - the fine points may come later 
but not necessarily so, the hobby needs to be fun and keep itself 
going. Too many complications will drive newcomers away . . . I don't 
have an RO unit, I don't bring in deionized water, and I don't use 
seasalt for anything. Dechlorinate with Thiosulfate(or what ever), 
bring the water to temperature, and replace as much as I can as often 
as I can. The only real important instrument I have is a pH meter and 
I would recommend that to anyone working and breeding fish. I don't 
test my water for ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, etc. but I do test 
it for chlorine. I try to KISS it and it has worked for 45 + years.

The more one messes with their water to make it useable - which is 
usually not needed- the less they will use it to keep their tank 
water fresh. It is an old story and doesn't seen to stop.

The plant guys who live by CO2 addition present us with beautiful 
plants which just melt away in 2 days in the average tank. They have 
their chem parameters so far away from tap water, it is impossible to 
duplicate without a fully equipped analytical lab.

And that is the situation I would like most to avoid with the fish. I 
think you should be able to take the fish out of my tanks/water and 
put them into your tanks/water and they reproduce and live a long 
life without a fully equipped analytical lab.

OFF SOAP BOX
-- 
Charles & Sue Harrison
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