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Black peat granules as ground due

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  • #6500

    Hallo!
    I’ve seen that many of you use peat as ground due to get down the pH.
    That means, you have to anew it from time to time when it’s worn out, am I right?

    At the moment it still seems to me difficult to get a lower pH than 6,4 ….

    #6501
    Davy Grenouillet
    Participant

    Hello,

    I use RO water with resins = 0 us for conductivity
    I use too bubble corner filters with black peat granules on it or sock with blonde peat = pH between 4,5 and 5.

    #6502
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Hello,

    I use peat granules as a very thin ground layer – just covering the ground in not more than the grain size. I experienced it as very stable, keeping it’s grain form for months – until it’s time to clean the whole tank anyway.

    Second, I fill in dried beech and oak leaves, scalded before with boiling water. Not too many leaves – let’s say a layer of single leaves side by side. And one catappa leaf per tank. If available, sometimes I put in some peat moss (you get it as an orchid substrate). If it’s still moist you can take it as it is, if it is already dried, you have to soak it for a while in boiling water. The fish love to dive under this layer of leaves and fibres, and there always developes a good micro fauna which supplies very young fry (which you haven’t even noticed) with the first food.

    And third, I use pure rain water “enriched” with humic acids by hanging a nylon stocking filled with black peat into the water for some days – before I fill the water in the tank.

    I use the same water for water changes – I change about 25% almost every week.

    This way I achieve water parameters of about 40 to 50 µS, no measurable hardness, and pH levels between 4,2 and 5,5.

    #6503
    Davy Grenouillet
    Participant

    Hello Stefanie,

    What is your conductivity in yours tanks just before you change the water on it?

    I change 30% every weeks in my 20L Paro’s tanks.

    #6504

    O.k., thank you!
    I use osmosis water, also one catalpa leaf for each tank, elder cones ( I am learning to find out how many before the tank is really dark!), dried beech leaves.

    In my tank which I’m preparing for my future Parosphromenos linkei I have done as I did usual with my tanks, about 8 mm fine gravel …. And I’ve read already, that that is rather unusual for Paro tanks….

    Also I’m not used to “clean” my tanks all the time, I have in every tank shrimps and snakes, they do a good work.
    Till now I newer had to manipulate much in my tanks, I respect too much the rest of
    my animals 😉 …
    Therefore it’s unusual for me to “clean” the tanks so often.
    Also it’s unusual for me that you can obviously start a black water tank at once …. It’s a good opportunity if a additional Paro tank will be needed perhaps some day 😉

    I change the water once a week 20 to 30 % with osmosis water.

    That are the two things I am thinking of at the moment – a stable pH at low enough rate and the cleaning ( removing old leaves, old elder cones and so on ….)

    I’m exercising already with my two Spaerichtys tanks, the fish seem to do well, but still they have got no fry … Perhaps they are still too young or I must get the pH more stable down… And obviously get a still lower conductivity, do you think so to?

    At the moment I have got about pH 6,5, in Paro tank 50 conductance, in Spaerichtis tank about 190 conductance….

    #6505

    Hallo stefanie!
    Do you clean the tank while the fish still live in it, or do you often make a new tank?

    #6506
    Davy Grenouillet
    Participant

    10H after water change I have pH 6.00 and 22 us of conductivity in the tweediei tank…

    #6507
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    [quote=”7 Zwerge” post=3179]Hallo stefanie!
    Do you clean the tank while the fish still live in it, or do you often make a new tank?[/quote]

    Hi, Dorothee,

    that was just something I wanted to correct when I read your answer (in post 3178) to my post 😉 .

    I also, like you, don’t like to disturb my animals too often, so I don’t do bigger cleaning works, I just clean the glass front every week when I do the water changes. Whenever I think the tank needs a thorough cleaning (remove the old leaves etc.) I take out the fish and set up the tank completely new: Empty it, clean it with hot water, put in new peat granules, leaves and so on – like described above. That’s the great advantage in paros – that you can set up a tank completely new and put the fish in at once.

    [quote=”Davy” post=”3177″]What is your conductivity in yours tanks just before you change the water on it?[/quote]

    The conductivity stays much the same – it’s about 55 µS max. when I change it. Putting in only about 25% new water with a conductivity of about 30 µS like our rain water doesn’t show a great influence, the conductivity is around 45 – 50 µS again after changing. That’s the average level I (or better my paros) live with ………..

    I have one tank, it’s one of the smallest (12 liter), where my cf. rubrimontis fry live in. This tank has a pH about 4,2 – and a conductivity of about 100 µS. I can do 50% water changes and do not succeed in lowering the conductivity level. The tank is set up like all other tanks ………… I can’t say why the conductivity is so high. I’m waiting for the fry to grow to a “catchable” size – then I can empty the tank and clean it thoroughly. Right now the fish seem to do well ………….. as long as they are too young to breed the conductivity will be no problem, I think.

    #6508
    Bill Little
    Participant

    (quote) Also I’m not used to “clean” my tanks all the time, I have in every tank shrimps and snakes, they do a good work.
    Till now I newer had to manipulate much in my tanks, I respect too much the rest of
    my animals ;-)(quote)
    Do we have a translation problem here … do you actually keep snakes in your tank with the shrimp??

    #6509
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    [quote=”Little” post=3]
    Do we have a translation problem here … do you actually keep snakes in your tank with the shrimp??[/quote]

    Hello, Bill,

    I am sure it’s a mistake – I am convinced that Dorothee has no snakes but snails in her tanks ….. 🙂

    #6510
    Bill Little
    Participant

    Hello Stephanie,
    That would make much more sense … my that was almost an immediate response!!

    #6511
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    [quote=”Little” post=3184]Hello Stephanie,
    That would make much more sense … my that was almost an immediate response!![/quote]

    I had just sent off my last post when I read your newly arrived question …… so I answered at once 😉

    #6512

    Thank you for correcting me! Of course I don’t have snakes but snails in my tanks ….. 😉 in the Paro tank just bladder snails …. 😉

    #6523
    Davy Grenouillet
    Participant

    Hello,

    what type of peat granules do you use for substrate? I’m looking for this peat.
    My method doesn’t works, my pH increase in my tanks…

    #6524
    Stefanie Rick
    Participant

    Hi, Davy,

    I use this product and was quite satisfied with it so far.

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