Wet Spot question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Below is a snippet about the rive Atabapo,
just so you are not only atking my word for it.
Because this species is a fairly new addition to the aquarium hobby, expecting it to adapt to normal conditions of even pH 7 and moderate hardness, may lead to illness and loss.


The Rio Atabapo is a blackwater river with naturally
very low, acidic pH levels, typically ranging from 3.5 to 6.0, and very soft water with extremely low hardness, often described as having "hardly detectable" or 0-4 dH (GH) hardness.
So would leaves and distilled water help?
 
DI / RO will help.
Leaf litter and tannin producers will also help, but only if you alkalinity allows.
As an experiment, over time I added almond leaves to try and lower the pH. in my tank.
After I reached a bushel of leaves, and my pH barely dropped only a tenthn I gave up realizing the alkalinity of my tap water had so much buffering capacity , it could not counteract the tannic acids the leaf litter produced.
Below when I post the experiment

That said a combnation of DI water and leaf litter may provide the softening, and antibacterial tannins these pilke cichlids have evolved to live healthily in.

You may need to start experimenting of the shipping order, with tap water and DI blending, and testing pH to see what gives you the pH that matches some where close to the Atabapo range.
And the testing DI/tap water blends for water changes needed to maintain that stability.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com