Water parameters in my area range from ph 6 - 8.4. I’m trying to rehome to those with soft water.
High Ph and HITH/ pitting
- Thread starter LBDave
- Start date
Here in Panama, Oscars have become well established in Lake Gatun, a very hard water parameter body of water, where pH often rises above 9.
My guess is, there were 1 or 2 of a spawn many years ago, that survived while 999 or 998 of a spawn perished, and the 2 that did survive passed along the genes that allowed them to breed with others of that hard water while less robust individuals ilk didn't and these have eventually populated the lake.
The P bass here are very also well established, but.....they are however 1/3rd smaller than the true Amazonian Cichla. A plus or minus?
6 were accidentally released in the 1960s, so many that couldn't handle the hard water didn't get to pass on those soft water genes.
In nature this gauntlet of the survival of the fittest is what allow the genetic alteration to happen over time, whereas in a breeders tank,
one that tries to produce as many sellable juvies as possible, and especially a breeder that alters water parameters to match nature, short circuits that tough survival gauntlet (in a way ) not doing any favors to those hobbyists stuck with hard water.
Of course what breeder can afford, or wants to wait that 60 year span that it might take to get that thriving hard water gene pool established fry
It might be interesting for someone ambitious to come along, bring a couple of these hard water type PBass and Oscars back to the US, and market them as hard water tolerant variants.
Profitable?
Will aquarists be willing to pay the premium needed, for something they don't quite understand, or believe in, like the water parameter vulnerability.
I don't think most aquarists get involved enough to spur this type of breeding though I hear some discus breeders do. On a side note Seachem responded and really didn't give me any information. Seemed like I was just talking to an employee who has never had an aquarium.
So I'm shying away from now. Just apprehensive about adding chemicals to adjust. Last thing I want to do is add stress. I'm hoping Luther will work through it like the female did.
I'm not qualified to say that none of my fish have ever gotten Hole in the Head because I use UV sterilizers.
I am qualified to say that there are a number of stressors in a tank environment that produce an eventual health challenge for your stock and though I haven't found a way to remove many of the stressors I have found a way to mitigate impact for biological varieties. Properly sized a UV sterilizer will kill parasites, viruses, fungi and bacteria. That doesn't mean your tank becomes sterile but it does mean that I see very few issues that stem from avoidable pathogens.
There is no downside to their proper use and only two things to keep in mind outside the importance of reading the directions. They are:
- Never energize the lamp outside of its fixture. Direct exposure to UV can cause blindness
- Replace the lamp once a year as effectiveness attenuates over time
Kept both species in hard water, pH 7.8-8.2 across the seasons. No HITH issues. Know many others that have done the same in local tap water. Older mature fish, not just juvies.
Too much focus on pH when it comes to HITH, not enough focus on other potential stressors.
IMO this is well worth a read for anyone interested in HITH, and the various types of water parameters found south of the border.
It should have been made a sticky - hint-hint.
South American habitat-- river types | MonsterFishKeepers.com
It should have been made a sticky - hint-hint.
South American habitat-- river types | MonsterFishKeepers.com
