Calling Michiganders or other high Ph regions

naturegrl

naturegrl

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Sep 29, 2008
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So as Michigan folks know, our Ph is very high here. Around 8.3.

Has anyone had any luck keeping German Blue Rams or cardinal tetras in your tanks without adjusting the ph?

I am looking to stock my cycled and moderately planted 55 gal with these fish but I'm afraid to try because they are typically soft water fish and I really don't want to start messing around with adjusting the ph. I also don't want to get into the whole RO thing.

One of the LFS here have them but they use a RO system.

I would love to hear your experiences with these fish or possible suggestions for other fish that are colorful (why I liked the cardinals) or fun and full of personality (like the rams)

I am waiting to make sure my suspicions of a problem in the tank is nothing, then I am going to trade in a few fish that I have and here is what will be left:

1 Dwarf Gourami
1 spotted cory
1 gold nugget pleco
and maybe 2 black phantom tetras

I want to stear clear of nippers!

Thanks for your input!

Tina
 
I know folks around me who keep both species with no problems; our tap pH is generally around 8.0. I'd fill out the tetra and cory schools for starters. How about sailfin mollies? They're pretty and love nice hard basic water like yours. If your temps aren't too high you could also try some pretty minnows, like white clouds or red-bellied dace.
 
I think cardinals would be fine, but, if your LFS keeps them in RO water, I'd acclimate them very slowly to avoid shock -- as in drip acclimation. :idea:
 
white clouds got neons/cardinals beat any day, but yeah depends on temp of your tank. I also have ph that is very high 7.8+, and I want to get a pair of rams. I was thinking about adding them to a 29 gallon planted tank and fill 1/3 of it with distilled or r/o water to lower the ph. I know they can do fine in a higher ph but I hear you can't breed them in very hard water. Cardinals either way are fragile fish at first, and find a good stock of them is key. goodluck
 
It's not the pH which would be a problem. It's the hard water usually associated with these pHs. pH is not a very important factor.
 
my Ph is about 8.4. my water is so hard you could walk on it.
I just spent $100 on an RO system from Ebay (100 GPD) and have no problems.

I have discus and cardinals as well as rummynose in this water..
if you really want them just spend a few extra $$$ and get an R/O.
 
It's not the pH which would be a problem. It's the hard water usually associated with these pHs. pH is not a very important factor.

To clarify; the water here is very hard. Michigan is a major site of glacial deposit.

Thanks for the posts so far. A couple of things for me to consider. I would really like to avoid RO though. Just hoping to find someone here that has had success with these fish in these perameters. BTW I keep my tank around 82 degrees hoping to discourage parasites and disease.
 
That temperature will discourage some protozoan parasites, but make many bacterial conditions worse. There is no ideal temperature for that purpose.

Cardinals - if captive bred - can live for years in liquid rock, but you'd never breed them. Rams, on the other hand, may last but will never display their full potential with regard to colour. And are unlikely to breed, like the cardies.

You could try peat filtration; depending on your exact water chemistry you might get a significant effect.
 
The Zigman said:
my Ph is about 8.4. my water is so hard you could walk on it.
I just spent $100 on an RO system from Ebay (100 GPD) and have no problems.

I have discus and cardinals as well as rummynose in this water..
if you really want them just spend a few extra $$$ and get an R/O.
Click to expand...

You should try that trick and call yourself Obama. It'll work for you.

You keep your discus and cardinals in the RO water or in the tap? or a mixture of both? I keep resisting the urge to buy Discus as well as the urge to go to the dark side and go with SW. I do have a 75g planted tank with just 30 neons in it right now.
 
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