Anybody have a recommended value for GH in a natives tank? I'm keeping a red eared slider hatchling along with some local darters and a banded sculpin. The turtle needs calcium for growth and development and that has my GH at 200 ppm. I'm concerned that may be too high for the fishy contingent.
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Darters, sculling and GH value?
Started by
Guest_walklong_*
, Jul 14 2013 06:49 PM
6 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Subrosa_*
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Posted 15 July 2013 - 07:35 AM
What is the GH of your local streams? While most fish are very adaptable with proper acclimation, trying to arrive at an optimum value for all NA natives is a fool's errand. Fish living in streams fed by snowmelt, or in cedar swamps hardly would enjoy the conditions in some of the limestone creeks not far from me.
Edited by Subrosa, 15 July 2013 - 07:36 AM.
#3
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 15 July 2013 - 08:48 AM
Do turtles need Ca in their water, and can they actually absorb it from water? I thought they got most (if not all) from food. I'm guessing sculpins shouldn't be bothered by high hardness, since they're evolutionarily a saltwater group.
Edited by gerald, 15 July 2013 - 08:48 AM.
#4
Guest_EricaLyons_*
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Posted 15 July 2013 - 01:30 PM
I have kept Etheostoma spectabile darters in 17 degree of hardness water with no issues. They were very healthy and energetic.
#5
Guest_blakemarkwell_*
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Posted 15 July 2013 - 09:51 PM
Gerald is spot on -- turtles do not get their required calcium from the water column (how do you think all the non-aquatic testudines build their shell?). Even still, I don't think that level of hardness would harm most natives, especially not stream-dwelling darters or sculpins as the KH of most of your local streams in Missouri are between 100-200 ppm (most streams around here in central and northern Illinois have a KH between 180-250 ppm and have darters and sculpins).
#6
Guest_walklong_*
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Posted 16 July 2013 - 06:00 AM
Thank you, all, for the feed back - I agree the stream water is going to be fairly hard: spring fed through our limestone substrate (local well water is hard enough to qualify as an abrasive). My tank water starts at 0 but goes up as the added calcium sources dissolve - he eats some, the rest goes into solution.
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#7
Guest_clemsons2k_*
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Posted 21 July 2013 - 01:05 PM
My local streams are near zero for both GH and KH. So it just depends on your local conditions, like was previously mentioned.
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