alder cones for crs

[DoctaQ]

my tap comes out about 9 ph, crazy
im toying with the idea of adding a little neutral regulator since i already have on hand, but the ibgger issue is im scared to do water changes
the ph drops to about 8 over time i know the 1 ph isnt that big a deal but id like to have some control.
so the idea is that my crystals arent doing as good as they could be, i do see bunches of babies but only 2-3 out of 18 adults are berried? is that a bad sign?

im hoping the alder cones could be the answer here. my KH is very low, almost 1, should i buffer first?

 

[pbmax]

I'd say 2-3 berried CRS out of 18 adults in water with a PH of 8+ is outstandingly good, given they're pretty sensitive and generally prefer a PH around 6.4 I'd try the RO water mixing approach first.

I've heard from a number of folks that they've been successful raising CRS in 100% RO water with calcium provided via food, so a low KH isn't a problem from that perspective.

I didn't realize people used alder cones in aquariums... maybe I should start selling!

 

[msjinkzd]

alder cones won't effect hings enough to make a difference. When I kept CRS in my tap water (ph of 8) i often got berried females but very very very few surviving young. Good luck, I would consider using ada amazon soil or ro water.

 

[TwoHobbies]

I'd say 2, or 3 out of 18 berried at that ph is surprisingly good.

Alder cones huh...I don't remember anyone anywhere here in the states saying they help at all. They are however veiwed much differently by many german breeders.

Based on your results so far, I wouldn't be messing with things.

 

[msjinkzd]

i use alder cones to prevent fungus in my breeding (fish) tanks. The don't release enough tannins to do much to water chemistry.

 

[DoctaQ]

will they also pick at the cones like leaf litter? that itself would be worth it

 

[msjinkzd]

yea, they pick at everything

 

[DoctaQ]

i guess im awesome then, cuz i have a decent amount of babies, lots of little ones, less and less older ones. RO is the way to go? should i be worried about my ph crashing if i supplement with alder cones?

 

[pjrichar]

there is guy on here from indiana selling alder cones for $4 for 100 nice deal plus shipping which is cheap that will last you long while... i got 150 from him but i live 15 min from him

 

[msjinkzd]

i guess im awesome then, cuz i have a decent amount of babies, lots of little ones, less and less older ones. RO is the way to go? should i be worried about my ph crashing if i supplement with alder cones?

what is your hardess? that is more telling than the actual pH. with a ph as high as yours, you would probably have to pack the cones so densely that water wouldnt fit to make any major fluctuations.