Interesting note on the pH range/tolerance of C. shufeldtii

[YuccaPatrol]

I was reading some old scientific papers from the 1940's last night. One of them looked at reproduction in the wild. It commented that ovigerous (egg-carrying) females were found in waters that ranged from pH 5.4 to pH 7.4.

Although I certainly don't suggest keeping them at incredibly low pH, this paper does suggest that they may be more tolerant of pH swings than we might expect.

This is good news to me, because although I initially tried to match the pH of the stream where I collected the C. diminutus, I've had a hard time maintaining the low pH (6.2) of their native stream. I've allowed the pH in my tanks to creep up from 6.4 to just under 7.0 and they are having success reproducing.

[lampeye]

What I've read of their ecology suggests that, as well - it seems they thrive best in temporarily flooded pools and oxbows. The water chemistry values would change rapidly in such habitats.