A species list would help sort this out, although I don't think I would go so far as to say it's "wrong". Depending on the species of course.
On Hardness Testing .....
- Thread starter DeathStalker
- Start date
You can get swimming pool test kits that measure Hardness, pH, alkalinity, and a few other parameters on a single strip, at any pool store or even big box hardware stores.
Or you can visit your local water companies web site, and look under "water quality or water consumer confidence reports".
They usually (if the town is large enough) have a very detailed report about your tap water with all the above parameters and more. This kind of report will tell you the type fish that can easily be kept in your area.
I believe it is always easier to keep species that match your water, rather than trying to match your water, to a certain type fish
The link below is from my former city, as an example
http://city.milwaukee.gov/waterConsumerConfidenceReport#.WID_UHeZPq0
Or you can visit your local water companies web site, and look under "water quality or water consumer confidence reports".
They usually (if the town is large enough) have a very detailed report about your tap water with all the above parameters and more. This kind of report will tell you the type fish that can easily be kept in your area.
I believe it is always easier to keep species that match your water, rather than trying to match your water, to a certain type fish
The link below is from my former city, as an example
http://city.milwaukee.gov/waterConsumerConfidenceReport#.WID_UHeZPq0
Your right, poor choice of words on my part. I was making an assumtion that he was keeping South Americans with Africans in the proper conditions for Africans but not for South American species.
It does appear that way. Depending on his starting water conditions and species selection, it's possible that he's not in bad shape. Although I could never bring myself to mix Africans and south Americans. Just seems wrong.
API kit ordered - will post results when it arrives.
BIG-G, in reading up on the species I have, nothing stands out and says "danger"/"wrong" - there are no extremes involved. The *only* difference in what I have now, is the substrate that has raised the ph.
BIG-G, in reading up on the species I have, nothing stands out and says "danger"/"wrong" - there are no extremes involved. The *only* difference in what I have now, is the substrate that has raised the ph.
It is likely that the raise in ph is due to crushed coral in the substrate. African cichlids like very hard and alkaline water so many "African cichlid" substrates contain crushed coral which add to the kh and raises the ph due to leaching CCaO2. The end result is hard water with a high ph. Also, ph is generally much less important to fish than hardness. Fish use the dissolved minerals for many bodily functions. A fish that comes from hard water uses a lot of minerals vs a fish that comes from soft water.
