Water parameters in my Tropheus 150-gallon... feedback req'd

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BrownBullhead

AC Members
May 16, 2005
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[Canada] Ile-des-Chenes, Manitoba
This post is sort of a "follow-up" to my "What's the pH, gH, and kH of your water?" and "A question re: filtration, water changes, and Tropheus sp." posts...

Approximately 36 hours after yesterday's tank maintenance on the 150-gallon which was consisted of a 50% water change, completed by topping up my "SeaChem Tanganyika Buffer" and "SeaChem Cichlid Salt", my water parameters are as follows:

Please note I utilize a Hagen Master Test Kit which I received about a year ago, new in package. This kit was recommend by Petland as the one they use for customer water tests.

pH = > 8.6 (the chart shows progressively green shades, then blue... mine is purple!)

General Hardness [gH] = 300 mg/L (CaCO3) = 16.8 dH°
Carbonate Hardness [kH] = 500 mg/L (CaCO3) = 28.0 dH°

Nitr*tes are neglible, and don't even colour the test tube enough to match the lowest degree measured by the kit!

My 16 Tropheus Moorii "Nkonde" reside in the 150-gallon as the only residents. I did have 24+ Syno. Petricola (1.5 to 2.0 inches) that were sharing the tank but those have been moved into a 55-gallon and I am selling off quite a few of them anyway...

Assuming I am correct in my "vent" process and I have 9 males and 7 females, would it be reasonable to expect these guys to breed? When I had my Tropheus Black "Kiriza" as the colony in the 150-gallon, also with the Syno Petricola, they were breeding like crazy until I ran afoul in my maintenance and lost 70% of the Tropheus fry. The NKONDE have only had this tank less than two weeks, but would it sound like I am "good to go"? I didn't keep track of the parameters whiel the Kiriza were the ones who lived in the tank, so I am not sure what my conditions were that had them breeding.

I want opinions either way, so have at 'er! :)
 

Harry Tolen

Cichlid Fan
Aug 17, 2000
664
1
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Union, WA, USA
Sounds like a great setup, and your water parameters are great. I assume Nitr*tes means nitrAtes, since there should never be ammonia or nitrItes in any well-established tank, and you seem to know what you are doing.

It sounds as if you were breeding the S. petricola . Any secrets? I have a tank with a colony of T. moorii kaiser and a bunch of S. petricola ; the tropheus breed but the synodontis don't.
 

BrownBullhead

AC Members
May 16, 2005
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[Canada] Ile-des-Chenes, Manitoba
Harry Tolen: No, I was NOT breeding S. Petricola... I got a sweet deal on over two dozen fry in early 2004 so you know... couldn't pass it up. :)

And my Petricola are still two inches or less, no breeding times to occur as of yet... more concerned with producing Tropheus. :) I don't know anyone else in my area with Nkonde so I want to get a second tank going full of fry.
 

BrownBullhead

AC Members
May 16, 2005
97
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[Canada] Ile-des-Chenes, Manitoba
OK... so a week after my last water change (50% on a 150-gallon) my water parameters are as follows:

Nitrite (NO2) = less than 0.1 mg/L
Nitrate (NO3) = less than 5 mg/L
Ammonia (NH3/4) = 0 mg/L

pH High Range = 8.4 to 8.6

Carbonate Hardness [KH] = 420 mg/L (CACO3) = 23.5° dH
General Hardness [GH] = 360 mg/L (CACO3) = 20.2° gH

Carbonate Hardness has decreased about 20%, but General Hardness [GH] has increased about 20% ??? pH is relatively unchanged.

So it would appear my tank is a well-balanced, cycled tank and it would not appear I have any overstocking issues. :)

16 x Tropheus Moorii Nkonde, 4 x Tanganicodus Irsacae, and 1 x Panaque Nigrolineatus. :)

Now, I wonder if I could get away going two weeks between water changes then? OR... perhaps cut back to 25% water change every week instead of the 50% I have been doing?
 
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