That's it, I give up regarding PH

Snagrio said:
So, what should I really do in the end? I have two completely different trains of thought going on.

I either stay the course and get the fish I planned on from the start and hope for the best with not messing around with water PH as fish here should be used to the conditions (even wild caughts as they've been in holding tanks that undoubtedly weren't conditioned) and survived.

Or I have to completely rethink the entire plan and change out most if not all the planned species as they're all South American-based that prefer soft, low PH conditions.

The one advantage I have is that the water is actually very soft from a GH standpoint (completely zero), it's just the KH that's so high (literally the opposite end at 240 ppm). So that might make a difference even with the PH at 8.0? I don't know, I'm still relatively new to all this chemistry mumbo jumbo.
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I would go with the first option, but I would only get wild caught if I couldn’t track down captives. There’s lots of reliable online sources. I currently have 3 WC fish and they’re doing great and I don’t worry about PH at all
 
I've flip flopped over going with online so many times, both with costs (shipping) and logistics (it's February and exceptionally cold this year). From my calculations, with a large batch of shoaling fish like tetras, it would be more cost-effective to go with online but there's always that risk of getting sick/dead/defective fish because you can't see what you're buying.

Again, I just don't know what's the best course of action. Part of me yesterday was so fed up with the delays that I even considered just buying the ich-infested black neons since I already had a QT and bought medicine. Ultimately didn't because knowingly buying parasite-ridden fish is just foolish but that's how antsy I've gotten with how long actually getting to the most fun part of this hobby has been taking.
 
Snagrio said:
I've flip flopped over going with online so many times, both with costs (shipping) and logistics (it's February and exceptionally cold this year). From my calculations, with a large batch of shoaling fish like tetras, it would be more cost-effective to go with online but there's always that risk of getting sick/dead/defective fish because you can't see what you're buying.

Again, I just don't know what's the best course of action. Part of me yesterday was so fed up with the delays that I even considered just buying the ich-infested black neons since I already had a QT and bought medicine. Ultimately didn't because knowingly buying parasite-ridden fish is just foolish but that's how antsy I've gotten with how long actually getting to the most fun part of this hobby has been taking.
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If you go online, live aquaria does a 14 day ,guarantee on all fish, wetspot doesn’t but their fish are always very healthy and shipping isn’t bad. But I live in AZ, so while I can say that over the summer when it’s 115 I haven’t had any issues online ordering, I can’t say how it would go with sub freezing temps though
 
Live Aquaria has had next to nothing in stock for some time, and while The Wet Spot has a mind-boggling selection, that flat $40 shipping is pretty steep.

Aqua Huna has been on my eye for bulk buys regarding tetras and cories. Cheaper than going to a store and very reasonable shipping price. Perhaps more of a gamble considering it's more of a wholesale place but it might be worth it.

Aquatic Arts or Ebay is looking like my choice for dwarf cichlids as they have a number of tank-raised species. The former is in a state adjacent to me so the shipping shouldn't be too bad and I've heard much about how their quality has improved over the years.
 
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Snagrio said:
Live Aquaria has had next to nothing in stock for some time, and while The Wet Spot has a mind-boggling selection, that flat $40 shipping is pretty steep.

Aqua Huna has been on my eye for bulk buys regarding tetras and cories. Cheaper than going to a store and very reasonable shipping price. Perhaps more of a gamble considering it's more of a wholesale place but it might be worth it.

Aquatic Arts or Ebay is looking like my choice for dwarf cichlids as they have a number of tank-raised species. The former is in a state adjacent to me so the shipping shouldn't be too bad and I've heard much about how their quality has improved over the years.
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eBay has been ok for me, I’m just very careful about the sellers rating. I haven’t tried the others but if you do order, you should post about it. I’m always looking for new reliable sources
 
I have always said that if I could do it then I would order liveaquaria fish without hesitation. Especially the DD section, check it out and see if there is something you like, maybe the prices are high but I bet they are high quality fish.
 
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Lalo J. said:
I have always said that if I could do it then I would order liveaquaria fish without hesitation. Especially the DD section, check it out and see if there is something you like, maybe the prices are high but I bet they are high quality fish.
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+1 on divers den
 
I need to check it more frequently. Most of the time it seems to be mostly discus and giant predatory oddballs.
 
Tetras and Apistogrammas appear regularly, there are always interesting fish although I agree that most are large fish, I have this screenshot from a while ago:
Screenshot_20200924_170412.jpg
 
Snagrio said:
I need to check it more frequently. Most of the time it seems to be mostly discus and giant predatory oddballs.
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You just gotta check frequently, predator oddballs are kinda my thing, but I’ve seen all types of smaller community fish and smaller cichlids as well
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