Bounce some ideas for my new tank

[Bhuggins]

Thanks for the site! I’ll check it out. What I’m basically doing is finding fish I like, putting them on a list for more research. I’m creating a spreadsheet with parameter so I can sort through fish that require similar parameters. It’ll be nice to use one source to get the parameters as I’ve noticed a every site is different

 

[dmpfishlover]

Thanks for the site! I’ll check it out. What I’m basically doing is finding fish I like, putting them on a list for more research. I’m creating a spreadsheet with parameter so I can sort through fish that require similar parameters. It’ll be nice to use one source to get the parameters as I’ve noticed a every site is different

I did the same thing... Seriouslyfish was very helpful.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the site! I’ll check it out. What I’m basically doing is finding fish I like, putting them on a list for more research. I’m creating a spreadsheet with parameter so I can sort through fish that require similar parameters. It’ll be nice to use one source to get the parameters as I’ve noticed a every site is different

Most of the parameter ranges are best guesses, though the guesses have scientific understanding behind them. Understanding of the physiology of fish, how water parameters affect their daily functions, how the species has changed as it evolved, etc., are what I mean by scientific understanding.

Fish in their natural tropical habitats tend to have quite specific and generally unchanging parameters. The GH, pH and temperature of the water the fish live in varies minimally during the year. Night temperatures of the air lower by a few degrees, but the water temperatures even less; this is due to the organic debris covering the substrate and surrounding forest, because decomposing organics create heat, and this process is continual 24/7. The GH is most water courses will be near-zero and not deviate more than a degree or two throughout the year, if even that. During the rainy season the water temperature may cool by a very few degrees, so there is a basic uniformity not only daily but annually. Rains do not bring a significant change in pH because pure water falling as rain is nature's gratest solvent, assimilating CO2 which is plentiful in the air and becoming acidic by the time it reaches the surface.

Fish therefore do not have to deal with radically changing parameters. The species Pristella maxillaris has a wide range when it comes to GH and pH: soft to slightly hard (hardness from zero to 30/35 dGH), acidic to basic (pH up to 8.0) water, temperature 24-28C/74-82F. But this does not mean that individual fish will manage such substantive changes. This species inhabits a wide geographic area in South America: basins of the Amazon and Orinoco, and coastal river drainages of the Guianas. It can be found in calm coastal waters and in densely vegetated swamps inland. The GH and pH can be significantly different among these habitats, but they are geographically distinct and the fish living in one will never be exposed to the other. Most other species are more restricted due to their very limited geographic ranges.

So the ranges given on Seriously Fish are those within which the species should have the least difficulty. But one very general observation can be made: all fish in Amazon waters--with some exceptions--will be designed by natural evolution to function with the least effort in very soft and acidic water.