I’ve been doing a little casual research (albeit less than text book) on how long it might take for a species of fish (and the bacteria species it has evolved resistance to, (or not)) looking at history to make adjustments to naturally, and to drastic changes in pH when circumstances force them over time to evolve.
Many aquarists claim, a few years of aquarium breeding may be sufficient to acclimate even some of the most sensitive species to do so.
I’m a little skeptical of those claims, especially because some successful and serious breeders, cater to natural water parameters, where the cichlids they breed, originate.
Living in Panama is a good place to contemplate this natural adjustment, because some of the same species that live in the mineral rich, high pH water here, live in totally opposite water parameters, just across the border in Colombia.
Panama and Colombia are only separated by the Serrania del Darien, Sapo, and Pirre mountain ranges which isolate the two countries and their species at an altitude of 1800 meters, well above where low land species such as tropical cichlids usually traverse.
And the Panamanian mountain range(s) according to geologic theories, only arose from the sea, about 2.5 to 3 million years ago separating the similar species variants from each other.
On the Panamanian side, much the water is mineral rich, with pH at times, above 8, when ancient coral reefs were pushed up from below the sea.
On the Colombian side, pH can drop to as low as 4, and hardly reaches much above 7. And in the much older Andes, rains have long since eroded those coral skeletons away.
Yet similar species are found across both their countries borders.
Andinoacara coeruleopunctus (the smitten image of Andinoacara pulcher) inhabits the high pH, mineral rich waters of Costa Rica, and Panama, and is the only representative of the Andinoacara genus found this far north.
Yet the S American species, Andinoacar pulcher, rivulatus, stalsbergi, biseratus, latifrons, sapyensus, and blombergi are all found west of the Andes far south of the Darien Gap, in drastically different and neutral, water parameters of S America.
Very similarly, only one Geophagine, G crassilabrus is common in Panama, while a few other Geophagines of the red hump clade (G pelligrini, and G steindachneri) are found west and north of the Andes, in neutral parameter conditions, and a host of other Geophagines reside on the east side of the Andes, in markedly soft, low pH water parameters
But not only cichlids.
Whip tail Armored Catfish such as Sturisoma panamense are found in higher pH waters of Panama, while many others of the genus are only common in low pH waters of northern South America.
Other armored catfish of the genus Chaetostoma, are mainly found in South America, yet only species fischeri from that genus is a common rubber lip pleco in areas of Panama bordering the Darien.
That mountain range appeared between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, separating fish on either side of the geological divide, allowing millions of years and many generation of survival of the fittest to adapt, selectively breed and weed out the best or worst suited individuals for each countries water parameter conditions.
Many aquarists claim, a few years of aquarium breeding may be sufficient to acclimate even some of the most sensitive species to do so.
I’m a little skeptical of those claims, especially because some successful and serious breeders, cater to natural water parameters, where the cichlids they breed, originate.
Living in Panama is a good place to contemplate this natural adjustment, because some of the same species that live in the mineral rich, high pH water here, live in totally opposite water parameters, just across the border in Colombia.
Panama and Colombia are only separated by the Serrania del Darien, Sapo, and Pirre mountain ranges which isolate the two countries and their species at an altitude of 1800 meters, well above where low land species such as tropical cichlids usually traverse.
And the Panamanian mountain range(s) according to geologic theories, only arose from the sea, about 2.5 to 3 million years ago separating the similar species variants from each other.
On the Panamanian side, much the water is mineral rich, with pH at times, above 8, when ancient coral reefs were pushed up from below the sea.
On the Colombian side, pH can drop to as low as 4, and hardly reaches much above 7. And in the much older Andes, rains have long since eroded those coral skeletons away.
Yet similar species are found across both their countries borders.
Andinoacara coeruleopunctus (the smitten image of Andinoacara pulcher) inhabits the high pH, mineral rich waters of Costa Rica, and Panama, and is the only representative of the Andinoacara genus found this far north.
Yet the S American species, Andinoacar pulcher, rivulatus, stalsbergi, biseratus, latifrons, sapyensus, and blombergi are all found west of the Andes far south of the Darien Gap, in drastically different and neutral, water parameters of S America.
Very similarly, only one Geophagine, G crassilabrus is common in Panama, while a few other Geophagines of the red hump clade (G pelligrini, and G steindachneri) are found west and north of the Andes, in neutral parameter conditions, and a host of other Geophagines reside on the east side of the Andes, in markedly soft, low pH water parameters
But not only cichlids.
Whip tail Armored Catfish such as Sturisoma panamense are found in higher pH waters of Panama, while many others of the genus are only common in low pH waters of northern South America.
Other armored catfish of the genus Chaetostoma, are mainly found in South America, yet only species fischeri from that genus is a common rubber lip pleco in areas of Panama bordering the Darien.
That mountain range appeared between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, separating fish on either side of the geological divide, allowing millions of years and many generation of survival of the fittest to adapt, selectively breed and weed out the best or worst suited individuals for each countries water parameter conditions.
