tolstoy21

I would say if your test strips are accurate (and they appear to be), then your water parameters is pretty much out of your hands without changing your water source. Hopefully this is just some passing anomaly in the larger water system.

If that's a sample from rainwater, then you're probably right, the strips are fine. If you're getting 'softened' water through a functional water softener, your GH readings should be low to non-existent, looking the color that you see in your rainwater test. With the original tank water samples you took and posted pictures for, did you take your readings after about one minute and not too much longer? And I'm guessing your tap water returns similar results with the test strips? They should give similar readings. If they didn't, and one gave 0 dGh while the other gave > 300 ppm, then one of the 2 test kits is from a bad batch. Yeah this is all you would need to confirm your readings. But I think the rainwater test is ample confirmation that the strips aren't defective and working fine.

I guess this is possible. But to be honest, I run three different ion exchange softeners. One for my household water, one to remove nitrates from my well water for use in aquariums, and one to remove a bit of hardness for aquariums. All of these are regenerated with salt, and my resultant water has 0 Kh. My household water passes through a neutralizer to intentionally boost the Ph so my water doesn't corrode my old copper pipes. Without that, my water sits at about 6.4 Ph after aeration. I'll fully admit, I don't have experience with every softening solution there is (well, I do also run RO/DI), so I could be wrong.

Yeah I just realized this after I posted, and admitted my folly in a follow-up. My only experience is with the typical household softeners that use a standard brine wash regen cycle. In any event, I'd recommend @Dromna verify the results they are seeing by using an Api drop kit or another test method. (Trying to steer us back to the thread's original purpose so I don't accidentally hijack the thread!). 🙂

I had an aquarium that had ZERO snails, even when I intentionally introduce ramshorn snails into it. All my other tanks, overrun with snails. The two fish I had that I think were eating all the snails (well one of them was), kuhli loaches or a clown pleco. I think it was the loaches, but I never verified this. The rest of the fish were tetras and barbs, etc.

@Seattle_Aquarist Hmmm . . . I stand corrected. I guess sodium bicarbonate can be used in water softening as a method as opposed to ion exchange (the typical setup in most households). I wonder if something like an apartment building might go that route. However, in the original test strip scenario. . . I would think if carbonate is being precipitated into the water in such a degree that it swings the Ph that high, the water should be very soft as a result. At least in theory. But, dunno.

I have yet to see a softener influence water Ph to any degree. In my experience, water softener media should only release sodium ions in exchange for Ca and Mg. This is why they are recharged with salt (NaCl), because during the recharge cycle the resin exchanges the hardness it's captured with the sodium ions that it's suddenly overwhelmed by via the brine solution. The dislodged Ca/Mg get flushed down the drain. When the softener goes back into service, the resin does the opposite -- it exchanges a sodium ion for Ca or Mg, which is captured in the resin until it is flushed during the next recharge cycle. The sodium winds in your water, but to a negligible degree. I use softened water in some of my tanks because I have high Gh in my well water. My well water has natural 0 Kh. After running through the softener, the Kh still remains at 0.

A water softener would (or should) result in blue for 'hardness', meaning 0-25ppm. At least this is my experience with those strips on water that has been run through a softener. It is possible to have 'neutralizer' filter (looks just like a water softener, that boosts the Ph. But, these if installed correctly, should give a neutral to slightly basic Ph, something in the 7 - 7.8 range. The will show a super elevated Ph if the media (Calcite) has just been replaced, but this lasts a few hours or so and is typically flushed out in the AM after the first shower of the day. So if there is any any kind of softener or water filter running and the levels are truly as high as strips show, then there is something seriously wrong with them. No one would target those levels intentionally in household water. I would verify your strips results against another test kit, like the API drop tests. I use both the Coop strips and the API kit, and the don't always agree, but their readings should be close enough to one another.

You can get medicated flake food from the Angels Plus online store. They have a decent selection of medicated flake food that target a number of different fish ailments. I've found this to be more effective than dosing the water column or trying to mix meds with my own flake food. They don't have flubendazole specifically, but they have fendendazole, lavemisol, praziquantel, etc.

Still trying (unsuccessfully) to get fry from these guys. I can get them to spawn, but still trying to get the eggs to hatch (and/or not get eaten). Either way, one of my current favorites. Very personable. Very slow, very peaceful. They love to come up to the glass whenever I approach and say 'Hi'.

Yeah, if you're at 6.0 Ph and have little to no Kh, then adding something to boost the Kh a point or two isn't a terrible idea. In that case, Aragonite sand might work better for you than Fluval Stratum. I have similar water (meaning zero Kh), and CaribSea Aragonite Sand gave me a Ph of around 7.6 if I remember correctly. I don't recall if it contributed much to the Gh.

Aragonite sand is best used with African Cichlids that require/appreciate a much higher Ph. I would say a definite No for tetra species. Fluval Stratum is the appropriate substrate for tetra as it has the opposite affect as Aragonite and will work to reduce the Ph (something tetras appreciate). If you want sand substrate, just use inert sand. Pool filter sand is an inexpensive solution (probably one the best deals out there), and has the look and grain size of Aragonite sand. Seachem Flourite Sand is a more expensive solution, but is very good for live plants. If you put the stratum under the sand, I believe it will eventually make its way to the top, especially if you do any form of gravel vacuuming, disturb the substrate, or have fish that like to dig.

Baby brine shrimp. Micro-worms. Vinegar Eels. Anything like that. They will also forage around for infusoria. If you don't have live foods, frozen baby brine might work. I've never tried feeding them any kid of prepared food (flake, sera micron, golden pearls, repashy) until they are a little older and larger, but I would imagine those might work as well so long as they sink to the bottom and would fit in their mouths. The key is to deliver the food to the bottom of the tank, close to where you see them foraging. The mother will bring them food, or lead them to food, but it's most effective if you get the food to where they tend to hang out. They don't swim up off the bottom much in that first month, so make sure the food sinks to them and is not floating too high up in the water column.

Best advice ever! @TOtrees whole response is quality. But the above snippet is noteworthy. This is especially true when shipping, because you'll lose money on low-cost/low-quantity items. I'm guessing its the same dynamic when selling to stores (something I don't typically do). So breed fish that either have a moderate-to-high price tag per item/pair, or that have a moderate-to-lowish price tag (like $5 per fish) but that customers typically want in schools. And, as @TOtrees and others have mentioned, be prepared to switch up what you breed -- something you love might just not sell well. Something you don't care for as much might wind up being the majority of your sales and helps fund the other things you like breeding more. Why I sell online. Yes, shipping maybe much harder, and has lots of costs and logistics to negotiate, but I just couldn't use the store credit I was racking up any more either. There was literally nothing I wanted to buy, and the rate they would give me for cash wasn't to my liking. Also true as @TOtreespoints out -- At some point your hobby could become a business (meaning hobby-side-hustle). So be prepared to track expenses, cut invoices, pay sales tax, etc. Anyway good luck with all this! It is fun, even the parts that aren't fun. At least, I think so. 😉 I'm also a few years down the road in this aspect of the hobby (not an expert by any means, but just someone who's made some mistakes to learn from, and had some successes as well). So feel free to reach out with any questions. PM me here if you wish.

I'm going to say "it depends". One? Many? I say this because I had one particularly nasty male that killed competing males in a well-planted 125 gallon aquarium. He even attacked many females he wasn't interested in breeding with. On the other hand, if you put like 50+ of them in the tank, they kind of give up being aggressive because the idea of fighting for territory is a lost cause. Sure they'll nip one another, but they won't get nasty and fight for keeps. Ok so none of the above really helps you much! 🙂 Practically, I'd say, probably three or four males with a couple females for each, tops. (Four males could be pushing it, wont know until you try). As @_Eric_ mentioned, the females will also sometimes defend their territory from other females. And if they are spawning, they can get outright blood-thirsty. I'd also say, be prepared that you might lose some of them in their struggle for dominance! Best to introduce them all together, instead of letting one male claim the entire tank, and then 6 months later, introducing a second or third. Since the apistos stay on the bottom lurking around amongst the plants, rocks and wood, treat yourself to some very cool top or mid-tier dwelling dither fish. Without dithers in the tank, some apistos will remain shy and rarely come out of hiding (this is variable from fish to fish). Plus this is an excuse to get something cool like a bunch of coral red pencil fish! And honestly, you might do better with a few different types, instead of all agassizii. Like agassizzi, trifaciata, etc. The aggression will be a little lower. The fish might compete for the prime real estate. But they won't regard each other as a threat to their lineage.

Anyway, to wrap up my comments on this thread . . . . I personally use RO water and like using it. It adds some work to the general upkeep of an aquarium, but in some scenarios it's worth it, and in others it's unnecessary. RO units aren't cheap and their upkeep is a longer-term expense as you exhaust and replace DI resin, carbon filters, sediment filters, purchase re-mineralizers, etc. In my opinion, Bulk Reef Supply is the place to go for RO equipment, supplies and accessories. They also have a very deep catalog of YouTube videos on the topic of RO -- what the different options are, how to set it all up, how it works (the concepts or RO/DI), and even do tests and show data of various configurations. I only ask a lot of questions to try to help you come to a decision about whether or not RO is worth it for you. If you want to give RO a try and getting a unit won't make you miss next month's rent or mortgage payment, then go for it. Everything is worth trying and experiencing first-hand, even if in the end you decide, 'Meh, on second thought this isn't for me.'

God, colors are so subjective! I have such a hard time with these charts. (The API nitrate chart is near impossible for me to interpret). I'd call your Kh reading "medium" according to how I my eyes/brain perceive those colors. Ph looks in the range of 7.6-8.0 to me. Gh does look pretty negligible. I'd try using the API drop kit for Gh/Kh just to confirm your observations. I like the COOP strips, but if I'm in doubt I'll take a second reading with another product (something like drops if I tested with strips, and vice versa).

I would ignore TDS as a meaningful total measure. My water has near 0 Kh, 3 Gh and a TDS of a bazillion! (Ok, my TDS is close to 400). So what's that TDS number tell me? Pretty much nothing. A lot of "something" is dissolved in my water. I have Crystal Red caridina shrimp living in my water, and people claim they need a TDS of 100-140. I guess nobody notified my shrimp that they should be dead. What does your Ph measure right now? If it's not out of the ballpark for goldfish, you'll be fine. Fish can be pretty adaptable. I wouldn't go crazy chasing numbers (says they guy who made 15 gallons of RO water today alone!).

I aerate the 5G buckets the day I plan on using them. This is also when I mix remineralizes into them. Sometimes I do them the night before. Other times a few hours before. Sometimes I keep the buckets sealed. Other time, I leave the open (I'm one lid short!). There is no science behind it. But the tanks I use it in, I generally want to lower the Ph and make them relatively mineral free. When I used a 40g brute can, I did leave a constantly running air stone in it. This was when I was remineralizing it all the time to target a specific Kh/Gh for my planted aquarium. I don't believe that Equilibrium has anything in it that will add Kh and influence the Ph of an aquarium. At least according to Seachem. I have never seen it have an appreciable affect on Ph. In my experience is just adds minerals meant to targeting a Gh boost. Two explanations from Seachem. They seem contradictory, but they're not. (TLDR: Does it add anything to increase the Kh/Ph of water? No. If I add it to RO water will it affect the Ph? Yes. Anything added to RO water will have an impact on its chemistry). https://seachem.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008453074-FAQ-Will-Seachem-Equilibrium-affect-my-pH-GH-or-KH-#:~:text=Equilibrium™ is intended to,or pH of an aquarium. https://seachem.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008604593-FAQ-I-added-Seachem-Equilibrium-to-my-RO-DI-water-and-the-pH-changed-What-s-going-on-

I'm a fan of Anna K. over War and Peace, but his collections of novellas are amongst his best work in my opinion-- Death of Ivan Illyich, The Kreutzer Sonatta, Master and Man, etc. Been a long time since I've ready any of his stuff. I was getting an advanced degree in Literature many-a-moons-ago and adjunct taught Lit for a few years. tolstoy21 was a completely random handle I picked at some point in the 90s for some forum because the screen name I preferred was taken. I was like hmmmm . . . what else can I use? One of Tolstoy's work's was sitting next to me and I was like, sure, I'll use that (had to append some numbers to it to get a unique name). For whatever reason, it's stuck since then! But back to the topic at hand . . . if you can find an RO membrane with a higher rejection rate, yeah, try that. Let us know how it works. In my experience, the stuff at Bulk Reef Supply for RO stuff is top-notch. Their explanatory videos are great.

I inquired as to where you got water from because RO/DI units create a lot of waste water. For every gallon of water you make, 4 gallons of waste water go down the drain. So if you make 30 gallons of water, then 120 gallons of that water is "waste" and goes down the drain. So if you pay a water bill, just factor that in. My recommendation would be to double-stack RO membranes in what's called a 'water saver mode'. This method takes the high TDS waste water and runs it through a second RO/DI membrane to give it a second pass at cleaning. The bonus of this is reduced waste water (as you are able to reclaim some waste water as usable). The other major bonus is it increases the output of a 100 GPD unit to something close to 200 GPD. See the linked video below. I would also suggest, if you have the room, to just make your water ahead of time in a brute trash can and to keep it heated and aerated and ready to go for bulk water changes. (I used to keep my RO water in a 40g Brute can). Or you can always make it in a bunch of 5 gallon lidded buckets and just store that for future use (I do this now as I use less RO water then in the past). I also mix in my remineralizers in the buckets instead of in the tank itself. I rarely put straight RO water into an aquarium except for a few species who come from environments with no mineral content in their water and appreciate a rock-bottom Ph. But even these I let sit a day or so and bring up to temp. I use Seachem Equilibrium and Alkaline/Acid buffer to get the Gh and Kh/Ph where I want it. Those are my preferences because I find them super easy to use and have never had problems using them. I won't claim its the best or worst or anything in between. it's simply what I use as it has worked for me. There are a good number of products out there to achieve this objective, so just try some till you find the one that meets your specific needs. Since you're on municipal water, you'll definitely want a carbon block stage in your unit.

RO water has no buffers or anything. Its TDS will be zero. meaning all the minerals and buffers will have been stripped from it. It's 100% neutral, which is why it is easily influenced and can have its Ph drop drastically when acidified by any type of organic waste or CO2. But, uninfluenced RO water will have a Ph of 7. In reality, in an aquarium, RO water will not remain 'uninfluenced' long, and is more likely to plummet than it is to raise. Ph is regulated through the introduction of Kh into the water.

Do you need more than 100 GPD? That's a lot of RO water. Most units made for aquariums come in 100 GPD or 150 GPD. More importantly, do you have well water or pay for municipal/city water? You probably only need a 4-stage, with the stages being RO membrane, sediment filter, carbon filter and a mixed-bed DI resin filter. I've been running RO for a while, so fee free to ask as many questions as you want. In general, an RO unit will strip everything from the water, so you'll have to build the KH and GH back up to the levels you desire. There are many products on the market for this. It's good to have a way to stage and mix water before you use it in your aquarium, holding it for a day or so before use.

You might want to try to just wait and see what they do in the current params. I've bred cacatuoides in similar Gh. Leaves in the tank are always a good idea with apistos because as they break down they will acidify the water a tad and lower the Ph a little. More importantly they are beneficial to the health of the aquarium and will foster micro-organisms that the new born fry can feed on. A lot of apistos in the wild live in areas with dense leaf litter and twigs etc. This is probably meaningless to the generations of tank-bred species in the hobby, but leaf litter certainly won't hurt. Indian almond leaves work well. But so do oak leaves (which can be found for free in many locations in the US).