I have just got hold of a pair of young kribnesis cichlids hopefully they will breed.I know that water hardness can determine gender of the fry now my water is hard a ph of 7.6 .Now I can use peat in my filter to alter the water hardnes but then when I do a water change harder water will be going back into the aquarium and will take some for the new water to become softer will make the ph unstable.
using peat to soften water
- Thread starter bathawk
- Start date
I have the same ph 7.8 so if they are Kribensis Pulcher no need to add peat. They will spawn in 7.8 ph. I personally had multiple pairs spawn.
Peat will slightly soften water, but to significantly make a difference a few handfuls in a filter will "not" really do it. It may also slightly lower pH, but the alkalinity of your tap water will determine crash, or not.
High alkalinity, no crash, low down she goes.
But...one of things peat does do well, is a add tannins to the water which are anti bacterial and create that black water, tea like quality that is part of a kribensis natural habitat.
If you add enough to create that brown color, you then know you have added enough.
I use leaf litter to help soft water species like Killi's breed, soaking leaves, and covering the bottom of the tank with them.
below the color I like to achieve.
High alkalinity, no crash, low down she goes.
But...one of things peat does do well, is a add tannins to the water which are anti bacterial and create that black water, tea like quality that is part of a kribensis natural habitat.
If you add enough to create that brown color, you then know you have added enough.
I use leaf litter to help soft water species like Killi's breed, soaking leaves, and covering the bottom of the tank with them.
below the color I like to achieve.
A few years back had a couple generations of Pulcher fry I estimate around 200. Gave a few to a lfs and kept the others. Still have 4 females and 1 male but they are in a community aquarium so fry won't survive and eggs will be eaten by my Raphael Catfish. Gave up on breeding them due to them being easy to get for the lfs's.