Water pH

8.0 should be fine for most things. Many fish today are raised in conditions that aren't normally found in their natural habitat. Particularely, I'd try to stick with mega-store fish, such as Petsmarts, Petcos, etc. Alot of their employees don't know stuff, but some do, and can be a great help. Otherwise it depends on what you get. If you do need to lower it, the easiest way would be to invest $100 in an R.O. machine or buy it by the gallon at Cub or another grocery store. We can help you out more with that if that's what you decide to do.

co2 injection was all i needed to use to bring the ph down from around 8 to about 7. the diy is easy enough to do and it will make your tank plant ready in acase you decide to go that route.

What fish?

It really depends on what fish you plant to keep. Some fish really require lower pH, most do not. Some will love that pH and hardness.

Best to find out what the store has in their tanks and how they get there. Some local stores here in Houston mix RO water for the tanks, others use tap water ~7.6. Some suggest water softener pillows and chemicals but that is a losing battle.

In my tanks, all planted, I use CO2 for the plants and it lowers the pH some. I start at 8.2 and get to 7.6 with CO2. This matches most of the local shops and so it is fine.