Is this water quality okay for Bichir?

[Cond8r]

Hello, co-hobbyist is getting two Bichir for this tank; I'd like to know if this coloration is an indicator of good water parameters. We have Mollies, Guppies, and Platys as test fish here and it may have a slight tint of green and orange from placing a Spirulina tablet and a boiled Katapata leaf yesterday. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Midwater]

Colour is not much of an indication. Some test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH would be useful.

 

[Cond8r]

Colour is not much of an indication. Some test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH would be useful.

Understood, thank you

 

[duanes]

Color of water has very little bearing on whats healthy for fish, in the river above, I collected loads of heathy speccies.
Below in the clear water
river, there were none.

As it turned out, there was a pig farm upstream, and hundreds of yards down stream, the water was contaminated with deletaroius nutrients, and the only thing alive was algae.

In places where I normally find fish, water may be brown, but nitrates are nonexistant, like the tests below.


Tests above and below pH is left (8.2) red, nitrates right, undetectable, yellow


Another way of testing is with strips, the top square (below left) , measures for nitrate, and is white, 2nd square red fot pH. the others measure water hardness.
I A/B them to check for accuracy with the liquid tests, when colleccting in the field.

 

[Cond8r]

Thank you so much for this very in-depth reply! I'll show this to my partner.

We'll be using pH strips from here on out.

 

[duanes]

While pH is a good parameter to check, it may be advisable to note where the bichirs you are accessing come from.
Bichirs that come from the Congo are evolved to live in fairly soft neutral, to low pH waters.

Bichirs that come from Lake Turkana have totally opposite water needs.
Lke Turkana , is sometimes considered a saline water body, pH averages above 8 to almost 10, and is one of the most allkaline lakes in the world.

Luckily most bichirs are very adaptable, and due to their ability to use atmospheric oxygen tolerate high nutrient loads many fish can't.