Siren questions

[sirbio1]

Hi all:
This is my first posting. I'm looking forward to learning some useful info. I have been caring for what I believe is an adult female lesser siren for about 9 months. She seems to be thriving. She came from an waters with relatively low pH (6.0-6.5). The aquarium water she is in now is somewhat higher (7.2-7.8). I keep trying to bring it down slowly but just can't seem to at the rate I'm adding the pH conditioner. It doesn't seem to bother her though. Can someone give me some advice? And what about other water quality parameters like hardness, alkalinity, and nitrate/nitrite? Thanks.

Sirbio1

 

[Jennewt]

Welcome to the forum. Tomorrow I will move this thread to the Newt and Sal Help forum, as it is primarily a help question, not an introduction.

What kind of product are you using to adjust the pH? Buffering products are OK, but the "pH down" type products don't work and can cause dangerous, rapid swings in pH. Most likely, you shouldn't be trying to adjust the pH this way.

If the siren came from water with low pH, the water was probably rather soft. Low pH, soft water, and low alkalinity tend to go hand-in-hand. You might want to think about using rainwater, rather than tap water. Or mix your tap water half and half with distilled water. Another way to adjust pH downward is to use peat moss.

The other parameters commonly tested are ammonia (should be zero), nitrite (should be zero), and nitrate (should be in the range of 10-50 ppm).

 

[Ed]

I wouldn't adjust it downward. Lesser sirens have a wide range and are very hardy. At work we had one live for more than 14 years (after being wc as an adult) in water with a pH of 7.2 and a moderate hardness.

Ed

 

[sirbio1]

siren questions

Thanks Jennewt and Ed. I agree that from what I've seen, these are very hardy little animals.