Water Softening and Lowering pH

["Dom" <djhignett@hotmail.com>]

Hello All,

I live in Chester UK, and my water is fairly hard, dH9, and my pH tap is at
pH7.3. It has been suggested to me to use Oak leaves, or using peat.  HOw do
I use these Oak leaves, do i add them direct to the tank from the garden
after a quick wash? Well, if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
I keep dwarf pikes including notopthalmus, so it would be very helpful. I am
also looking for more dwarf pikes, help??? Thankyou for your advice in
advance

Regards

Dom
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>
To: <apisto@majordomo.pobox.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2000 1:59 AM
Subject: Re: Opal borellii... or false fish


>
>
> George and Carol Richter wrote:
>
> > And that is the rub Mike.  Some would say that what you call
"improvements" are actually
> > bastardizations - crimes against nature if you will.  Hell, some of
these folks would
> > actually like to make it illegal.
>
> Personally I prefer wild populations of fish to man-made forms, but I must
admit some
> domestic forms are really spectacular (yes, even I keep A. cacatuoides
[Orange]). But I will
> be the last to say my preferences are better than anyone else's. Actually
my wife & I joke
> that if we find some product we really like, it will be discontinued
tomorrow!
>
> > I cannot remember the details and it was one of those crazy Killie guys
that actually
> > did it.  He created a far more colorful fish through selective breeding
and realizing
> > that he had lost the original strain, ditched his improved fish without
passing it to
> > someone who would appreciate it, and went back to breeding the original
strain - sicko.
> > I guess I have to admit that I am into experimentation.
> >
> > If I could produce a "better" fish through whatever means, I would.
Problem is that
> > hybridization almost never does.  They usually do not look better and
almost always are
> > infertile.
>
> I remember having a "mongrel" strain of Aphyosemeon gardneri that were ver
y pretty, very
> healthy, and extremely productive. A killi friend couldn't stand it and
finally traded me
> some A. striatum and A. walkeri as long as I gave him all my gardneri. He
couldn't stand
> seeing mixed populations of the same species. I personally tend to buy
only fish from known
> populations right now, but this is my preference. I don't want others feel
they have to
> follow my lead. There are many avenues to enjoying this hobby. Mine takes
a more taxonomic
> bent (That's why I have a lot or rare "ugly" apistos.).
>
> > False fish?  come on, that is a ridiculous term.  What is it, a reptile.
Let's get real
> > folks.  We like wild fish for many reasons - challenge, natural beauty,
you name it.
> > But almost all of us like really gorgeous fish.  Does how they got that
way really
> > matter?
>
> You'll have to excuse Colin's use of the term  "False Fish". A better term
might have been
> "hybridized fish" or "bastardized fish". You might like to know that
French is his native
> tongue, and I must admit his English vocabulary is much superior to my
German (to say
> nothing of my nearly non-existent French). I think most of us knew what he
meant to say. As
> my English 101 professor used to say, "Any English that you can understand
is good English.
> It might not be proper English, but is good English".
>
> > I think the one thing we can all agree on is we would REALLY like to
know what we have.
>
> Me too, and it's getting more difficult where apistos are concerned. Come
to the ASG meeting
> and see my slides. Not much talking, but you'll see more forms of apistos
than you can
> believe exist - and I don't have photos of all the forms that I know
about! The more forms
> we discover the more complicated the genus becomes!
>
> Mike Wise
>
>
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Archives"!
>
>
>
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>


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