Although there are some fish that prefer water that is on the acidic side, from what I understand it is usually only important to recreate that for breeding purposes. If the water in your LFS is has a different pH for some reason (different water system for example), you can slowly drip tank water into the holding bag for about an hour to help the fish get used to difference.
That is the same understanding that I have. Appropriate pH is necessary for the fish to want to breed. Else, they won't be interested. I had some Neon Tetras that usually like the pH to be as high as 7.0. My tank reads about 7.8. They did just fine. They died because of Ich medication. But if I never would have used the med, they'd probably still be alive. The fish will adapt to the pH.
The test kit is correct with the orange hue as well. I had the same experience as you did with the blue color first, then the orange. Mine turns a slight orange (sorta like watered down Tang, haha).
Ok, thank you. I have no interest at this time to breed fish, I dont have a big enough tank for that (20 gallon long), I just want to stock it with the Danios, guaramis, paradise fish, a couple of catfish. Nothing crazy, I dont want to over-stock.
