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  1. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Yeah, I see what you mean. In this instance, there wouldn't really need to be any flow (although there will be) then, just a clean surface so as not to hinder the exchanges of gases. I was't sure what plant it had, as I was used to seeing red Lotus plants, which get quite big iirc. Yours looks...
  2. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Yeah I get it, it's a bit of a scary step for me as well ^^' Ah right, thanks ! Emersed, that's the one ^^ I like the Nymphae as well, though it might get too big for this tank. I might look into plants like the Nymphoides taiwan, although it's not very accurate as far as the biotope is...
  3. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Hello, I should have said "a lot of people" and not "everyone", but this is what I commonly read or have been asked on different forums when discussing this project. Maybe it's because having a true soft water aquarium is not a widespred practice. When researching, I haven't been able to find...
  4. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Hello everyone, Just wanted to give you guys an update on how the project is advancing. For the current tank, I've done a (little) bit of gardening, as I had hair algae on some of my Valisneria. So tried to take out just the strands that were affected, but as all of the plants were so...
  5. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Thanks for your replies. Yeah, my thinking was that the Corys would like the the length of my 54L more, and the Apistos seem pretty friendly with each other. I mean, they chase each other around at times, but nothing too serious / agressive. But in the long term, it would make more sense to...
  6. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Hello everyone, So the Apisto project is evolving slightly. I was planning on getting a bigger tank (150-200 L) soonish to house my pygmy corys (+ other cat fish), but some unforeseen events are currently taking up the budget I had assigned for this. However, I would still really like to house...
  7. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Hello everyone, So I received my package from Wio yesterday, and had a little play with the rocks I received today. Here's what the initial "rockscape" would look like : There would be fine sand + botanicals in the front, with little tufts of grass-like plants between the rocks. And either...
  8. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Yeah, sorry I hadn't displayed my location under my profite pic, yet... And it's always interesting to know how things are done in other places around the world. But I guess I won't have to deal with this sort of thing, then. I'll try to get in the habit of checking EC anyway, just as a good...
  9. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Good to know about buying fish online ! I've never done it, so didn't know they've put any additives in the water. Will have to keep it in mind if I ever decide to do this. And if I ever do, I will most likely use your method, then
  10. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    No wrries. I'll lower the GH gradually anyway, so I can stay at around 3 to 4 and see how they react. If I need to, I'll still be able to go lower. If not, I'll stay at that level. As far as Ph and aquasoil are concerned, I just see the latter as a way to make sure the former stays constant...
  11. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Oh yeah, don't worry I'm not aiming for 6.500000 Ph, I just meant that the aquasoil I use should buffer the Ph to around 6.5. Ah ok, got it. Even so, I usually have a nice acclimation period for any new fish I add. I let the bag sit in the tank for a while untill temps match. Then I do 1 to 2...
  12. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    I did not knows that glass had any effect on te results, thanks for the info ! Next time, I'll test in a plastic container, then From What I read, borellii are found in waters ranging from 5 to 8 in Ph. So I was thinking that 6.5 would be a good middle ground. But maybe I'm wrong ? That and...
  13. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Dear god, I didn't think it was this involved of a process with a digital PH-meter ! I honestly thought it would be quicker than test kits, like the EC-meter, wich apparently doesn't need recalibrating (but maybe I'm wrong about that, too). Thing is; I'll need to check the PH (or KH/GH) at some...
  14. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Yeah, it's true that their products are a bit pricey, but I've been interested in the company for a while and wanted to try it out on this tank. I will try to find materials in nature and/or via private sellers for my future "big" tank to lower costs, though. Hi Darrel, Thanks for your input ...
  15. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Hello, The wheels are in motion, as I've just ordered the substrate and stones from Wio. As a reminder, here is what I ordered (clickable links below) : - Everglades RiverBed - Druid Boulder Set: Box - up to 60cm I think this'll be enough stones, and with my 2 "big" roots, I think the hardscape...
  16. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    All right, I thought as much about the corys but wasn't 100% sure, thanks ! I'll keep my parameters as is for the time being though, as, like I said, I still have a few shrimp in the tank and I do they would like soft water all that much. They will go elsewhere when I rescape this one, though...
  17. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Well, I just checked my parameters and here's the results : Ph - 6.5 (roughly, only have the 3.0-10 Ph test, as that's all that was available at the store) Kh - 0 Gh - 5 I ended up doing a 5L water change, but I don't think I'll go any power untill I rescape the tank as I still have some...
  18. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    By 100%, I meant that I didn't mix any tap water into the mix. But I did not know that it wasn't considered "soft water" if Gh was more than 1 ? Allright, so a little bit of botanicals/leaf litter should be fine then. In any case, I'll always have the option of adding more in the future...
  19. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Thanks to both of you for your replies. After doing some more research, I see that A. borellii are found in waters with PH ranging from 5.0 to 8.0. So I think I'll go for the middle ground, which would mean that I can keep using aquasoil. @MacZ Don't worry, I know about the effect of tap water...
  20. Yoannikko

    My Apistogramma borellii

    Thanks for your reply ! For the substrate, I was thinking of going with aquasoil in order to lower the PH. But maybe the leaf litter will be enough ? Have to check the parameters of my tap water now. And will inert sand provide enough nutrients for plants ? Because I still want some aquatic...
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