Breeding temperatures
- Thread starter PlecoLad-UK
- Start date
So generally nothing special then Joby? Bob is that to simulate the 'wet season'? Have you ever had a problem with it getting to cold?
Another thing to ask. All my tanks are RO only. I have a water softener on all the taps at home so soft water but outrageous nitrates. Is it still worth a go do you think? They are around 50-80ppm at least.
I use a heater and a thermo filter the thermo filter is set at 25 the heater at 30+ I turn the heater off and once it has been at around 25 for a day I dump the cold neat RO in it will then drop to about 23 for around 2 or 3 hours and the thermo filter will bring it back up and keep it at 25
Is your water a product of RO or some other form of softening? be very carfull de ionised water is going to do wounders for your PH and KH.
regards Bob
The water i use at the moment is RO from a RO man. Just need to go to work to get it making it a pain to do daily changes. I'm thinking of using the softened water for my new L183s so it hasn't had anythig in yet. I also have a drinking tap that goes through a filter under the sink. Is that a better option?
If it is a carbon Block yes
get an RO Unit they cost bugger all as will an HMA unit
Regards Bob
I'll check, needs replacing anyway! Can always cut it open and see if it's carbon. All else fails i do have the good old hose pipe. Just rock hard chalky water 
ro is only cheap if you are not on a water meter perhaps? I am lucky i dont have one
so i use RO but i also add some treated tap water or filtered water or re-mineralise.
regarding temp, some tanks are at 27 others up to 30, depends on the hypan.
so i use RO but i also add some treated tap water or filtered water or re-mineralise.
regarding temp, some tanks are at 27 others up to 30, depends on the hypan.
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It's a difficult. Basically my hole house is softened water so may harm fish? What if I baught a brita filter? Aren't they carbon blocks?
Basically I it's a hassle to go to work to get enough water to do daily changes so I need to use tapwater just worried it will go wrong when the hole house runs on a water softener
Nope nothing special, I have no idea what the TDS is as never taken a reading or anything else, I guess they are just happy with what they get from me
Hi all,
If you put salt in it?, it is exchanging Ca2+ ions for Na+ ions, and is definitely unsuitable for your Plecs (or nearly all other fish). It also isn't very good for your health if you drink it.
You can use KCl (potassium chloride) to re-charge (instead of salt), this is a better option but you still create "soft" water with high TDS, rather than soft water with low conductivity that you want.
Our tap water is very similar, but it comes from a deep limestone aquifer so it doesn't contain high levels of NO3.
Have you thought about rain water?
cheers Darrel
You need to find out what your water softener does first.
If you put salt in it?, it is exchanging Ca2+ ions for Na+ ions, and is definitely unsuitable for your Plecs (or nearly all other fish). It also isn't very good for your health if you drink it.
You can use KCl (potassium chloride) to re-charge (instead of salt), this is a better option but you still create "soft" water with high TDS, rather than soft water with low conductivity that you want.
Our tap water is very similar, but it comes from a deep limestone aquifer so it doesn't contain high levels of NO3.
Have you thought about rain water?
cheers Darrel