The new house is 45 minutes away. The ph tested at 7.4 and the gh was moderate. The house that I live in now is off of a well and the ph fluctuates depending on the weather. I have been using distilled water for the water changes because of this. Whenever I start a new tank I use the water from another tank and use distilled to top it off. I use Hydro sponges, Aqua Clear and the SecondNature canister filters. All of the tanks have gravel except a couple of the fry tanks. Jose, why would I not use a dechlorinator to remove the chlorine from the water? I had planned on using a 30 gal barrel with a 330 Magnun filter half filled with peat to soften the water for changes (after I was settled in). Francine in MD Fish - photography - genealogy ________________________________________________________________ Get FREE voicemail, fax and email at http://voicemail.excite.com Talk online at http://voicechat.excite.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com. For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help, email apisto-request@listbox.com. Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing List Archives"!