I'm ready to start breeding angels. I'm going to get a 30 gallon tank running soon. I have have everything in place to set it up. I was wondering if there is anything special I should do when I get the tank running or should I just set it up like any other tank.
If you want to blend some R/O in it, it won't hurt....other than that, same as usual, remember to acclimate the new pair to the water....
Quote from: Mugwump on November 07, 2012, 07:52:03 AM
If you want to blend some R/O in it....
Or clean rain water if you don't have RO. These days, most good LFS have RO at a reasonable price.
Dennis
what ratio would you use for RO?
You need to know what your tap water parameters are and go from there.
My Ohio well water is so hard I use a 19:1 ratio in my 20 gallon longs - 19 parts RO/Rain water to 1 part tap/well water. The softer your tap water is, the less RO you would use.
Dennis
If someone doesn't have R/O...Wally World sells the machine water for about 28cents a gallon..take your own jugs.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
Quote from: Mugwump on November 07, 2012, 09:26:58 AM
.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
WOW! That just went right over my head..... explain please.
Dennis
Quote from: BallAquatics on November 07, 2012, 09:54:58 AM
Quote from: Mugwump on November 07, 2012, 09:26:58 AM
.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
WOW! That just went right over my head..... explain please.
Dennis
Puttin R/O in buckets or jugs won't keep as well as tap water....R/O doesn't have any chlorine,etc to combat bacteria....by itself....even if you aerate it, I'd use in a day or so...I guess it 's better said to not bring home 30 gal jugs of R/O or filtered water and keep it sitting around for a week....
I see. My first though would be that since RO is free of nutrients, contaminates, minerals and microbes, if stored properly, it would last virtually forever.
Dennis
what if you use a water distributor like Culligans? ? Will that water last longer seeing as it's sealed when you get it?
What PH do you try to get for breeding?
Sealed should alright...but expensive....aged tap is cheaper....test your water out of the tap, PH,etc...then aerate it 24hrs and check again after it's degased....PH in 7's is fine...remember stable PH is what you're looking for....Angels will adapt.....
QuoteQuote from: Mugwump on Today at 07:26:58 AM
.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
WOW! That just went right over my head..... explain please.
Dennis
Posted by: Mugwump
? on: Today at 07:26:58 AM ?
Insert Quote
If someone doesn't have R/O...Wally World sells the machine water for about 28cents a gallon..take your own jugs.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
I don't know about that, but very pure water will be much more aggressive in attacking (dissolving) anything metalic it comes in contact with.
Very pure water also has virtually no buffering. You could probably change the pH by spitting in it.
I would guess that any bacteria that grow in there will will produce metabolic acids and lower the pH (more acidic).
Quote from: BillT on November 07, 2012, 06:38:02 PM
QuoteQuote from: Mugwump on Today at 07:26:58 AM
.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
WOW! That just went right over my head..... explain please.
Dennis
Posted by: Mugwump
? on: Today at 07:26:58 AM ?
Insert Quote
If someone doesn't have R/O...Wally World sells the machine water for about 28cents a gallon..take your own jugs.....R/O doesn't store long because it's so pure....nothing in it to combat bacteria breakdown..
I don't know about that, but very pure water will be much more aggressive in attacking (dissolving) anything metalic it comes in contact with.
Very pure water also has virtually no buffering. You could probably change the pH by spitting in it.
I would guess that any bacteria that grow in there will will produce metabolic acids and lower the pH (more acidic).
Exactly....
if it isn't sealed, it makes contact with air....doesn't take long to sour...your jugs would also need to be almost sterile before filling, not much chance of that either....stuff in the air, dirty hands, an unclean jug,etc...boomba...if you use it fairly quickly it goes into the tank bio system and is absorbed nicely...no problems....
LOL, I'm glad I use rain water and that it works so well for me.
Every time I have checked about getting an RO system, the manufacturer says it will be very costly to operate due to my very hard well water. With all this talk about RO being hard to store, it's just all the more reason to stay away from it.
Dennis
Quote from: BallAquatics on November 07, 2012, 08:16:28 PM
LOL, I'm glad I use rain water and that it works so well for me.
Every time I have checked about getting an RO system, the manufacturer says it will be very costly to operate due to my very hard well water. With all this talk about RO being hard to store, it's just all the more reason to stay away from it.
Dennis
I think most folks blend their R/O which makes it very storable...plus, the R/O is 'ready to use'..no need to store it.....look into renting a unit to try, they're cheap and then you'll get a better idea...try for at least a 100gpd unit.....
How do you collect the rain water? Is there anything you need to do to use the water?
In years past, I just collected it in buckets set out in the rain. Several years ago I found myself needing larger quantities so I started collecting from the roof of the fish room. It is diverted into 5 rubber maid trash cans and then pumped and filtered into the fish room.
(http://www.ballaquatics.com/images/rain/800x600_Rain_Collection_010.JPG)
If you are located in a big city or other area of high air pollution, rain may not be an option for you. Here's a link to an article by the Skepitical Aquarist about using rain to soften hard water. He raises the point that since there is no money to be made from recommending the use of rain it is frowned upon by most hobby professionals. Perhaps the rain barrel manufactures and organic gardeners can change some of this??
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/rainwater (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/rainwater)
Dennis
I got the tank set up and ready to go. I Just used aged tap water. I was going to do the RO but I would have to go buy water for that tank all the time. I have my platies in there for now. when I figure out who I want to breed I'll take them out. I need to get some plants for it. and breeding slate. good thing the GCCA swap is almost here.
I added the finishing touches to the tank. Now I need to decide what I want to put in there. I have a marble and zebra pair that have spawned for me a couple of times in a community tank. I'm sure that they will do it again for me. I also have a chocolate smokey male and if the philippine blue is a female I would like to breed them. I'm not to sure about her. It might be a him. It was posturing with the other males in the tank. I know that the smokey is a male I seen his daddy parts.
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y461/b125killer/IMAG0735.jpg)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y461/b125killer/IMAG0309.jpg)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y461/b125killer/IMAG0505.jpg)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y461/b125killer/IMAG0615-1.jpg)
Sweet set up!!!!!!!!!
thanks Jo
So do you use gravel in most of your breeding tanks?
This is the first one I set up to breed angels.
Well it is beautiful! I'm a little pea green. ;)