just a thought

[icka]

ok, i have kept a weird collection of fish... when researched it is said for a few of them that they need a neutral- 6.0 ph and soft water. I live in central Indiana. For those of you who do not the tap water is the hardest possible on all test strips and has a ph of 8.4, i acclimated all the fish with the drip system and everyone lives and thrives... So i am curious as to why there is the need to get excited about these two items? It is for my knowledge. There has to be something i am missing. Because according to most experts the fish should not be thriving in my tanks. Am i that lucky? someone help me understand
Thanks

 

[beviking]

Most fish are said to "prefer" or even "require" soft/hard water based on their origin. This isn't a hardfast rule for most fish. Most fish can adjust if given time. For some fish, they can adjust only so far and only for so long. I don't know of any source that has information on how long or how much of a difference a given species can handle. Some species can handle wide swings indefinitely, some very little. Again, as for concrete proof of which is which, I think all we have is the collective experience of hobbyist for most species. I'm sure there is literature on studies done on specific species, but they're likely commercial food fish and the like.
HTH

 

[OrionGirl]

A couple more important considerations: First, locally raised fish are already acclimated to your water conditions, so shouldn't have problems. Fish can't detect pH--they detect the molecules in the water that dictate pH, and react to those (there's a great post by RTR covering this topic).

Second, many fish are very adaptable, but their eggs are not. So, the juvenile and adult fish will thrive if other parameters are within spec, but they won't breed successfully. The egg membranes react to different water parameters--in hard water, many soft water species eggs either won't harden enough, or harden too much, killing the fry. So, it depends on definition of thrive--for many, successful reproduction is the benchmark for thriving. For others, it's a long life and healthy appearance/behavior.