High PH community tank

[jeffro426]

My local water is pretty hard 7.8 to 8.0, but my wife wants to try her hand at a tank but i want to set her up with something that will survive harder conditions. She really likes the neon tetras but will they survive higer PH ratings? I really dont want to spend a fortune on chemicals and doodads that will lower my PH. We have a 55 Mbuna tank and they love the water, but im not sure how others will hold up. Were looking at sizes between 20-40 gallons...any community fish you recomend??

[travelinman1969]

Neons won't like the high ph, and unless you can bring it down, don't do it. There are a lot of chiclids that love high ph. She might like the colors chilclids give out. I'm not an expert on em but I believe the africans like the high ph?? Maybe someone can clarify that. Neons like a ph around 7.0. I get bottled water for all my fish, which is usually around 6.8. It costs a bit more but is worth it. I do it for my 150. Try to get your ph to 7.2 - 7.0, if you want neons. 6.8 is where mine are at and love it.

[aquariumfishguy]

While neons COULD survive in that pH, it would be harder to acclimate the fish than anything. I wouldn't try this unless you get some more experience behind your belt. Lucky for me, my pH is 7.2 so it allows for just about any fish I want :)

Livebearers are fish known for liking a slightly higher pH. Swordtails, Platies, Guppies, Mollies, etc...

[PumaWard]

My pH is 7.8 and I have neons. They are doing fine and spawn on a regular basis though no fry come of it. Acclimation should be down over a period of at least 1 hour by adding one cup of your tank water to the bag every 5-10 minutes.

[JSchmidt]

Our water is rather alkaline - pH is about 7.6-7.8 - and I'm able to keep a variety of tetra species, angels, and other fish that natively live in neutral or acidic water.

IME, finding healthy stock is the problem, not pH.

Good luck!

Jim

[NatakuTseng]

I have the same water conditions pretty much as Puma....seeing as how she is my sister and all. I keep German Blue rams in it, 7.4-7.6, both pairs are in excellent health, and spawn every 5 days or so, and they supposidly need water with a pH around 6. I don't jump on that bandwagon though. The neons would be fine....oh yeah, while Puma keeps neons, I keep their cousins with my rams, Cardinals, they too are in great health and are uneffected by the alkaline pH.

[valerie]

I keep rams and cardinals and my ph is 7.8. I also keep various othre tetras and rasboras and angelfish.

I think i'm able to do this because my LFS acclimates most of their fish to our local tap water and makes sure they are ok with it before selling.

[Kanstar]

cleveland water is 8.0-8.3, I'm made about this b/c I want to make a oscar tank and breed them but chemcials are expensive for a teenager with a crappy job...but i did learn to use peat to make water more acidic so maybe i should start this now, trial and error ya know.

[travelinman1969]

Look at an R/O system if you want to really maintain those numbers. I'm moving in a couple of weeks and will invest in one. We have the same water here Kanstar. Really hard.

[Kanstar]

I heard R/O systems are expensie..also my buddy has one thats under his kitchen sink and only gives out 2 qts of water before dying for 3 to 4 hours, making it a pain in the butt to get needed water for a 44 gallon that did 13.2 gallons (or 30%) water change.

[travelinman1969]

Sure beats the alternatives. Sounds like he needs a bigger R/O.

[DanL]

jeffro426

I would check with your local fish store and see what the water params are...

in most case the fish that they get in they acclimate to their water params. then if you buy your fish locally and your water matches your LFS you shouldnt have anything to worry about...

[somefinnfishy]

Originally posted by DanL
jeffro426

I would check with your local fish store and see what the water params are...

in most case the fish that they get in they acclimate to their water params. then if you buy your fish locally and your water matches your LFS you shouldnt have anything to worry about...
I totaly agree
I work in a 400 tank 20,000 gallon fish room and we use city tap water at a 7.9 and 14/13 gh kh only wild caught SA fish and discus are kept on RO and the wild caught stuff aclimates from RO with 4- 30% water changes.
Anotherthing to consider is a lot of our fish have been breed hundreds of generations from the wild.
IMO a constant PH is more important than the number
BTW the blue ram in my avitar is in 8.0 14-16 kh/gh

[Kanstar]

dude, i think i just might buy some peat for a job like this, it sounds like a better (and cheaper) plan.