Tiger Barbs... need slightly acidic water?

[DrDanke]

I knew it stated that Tiger Barbs require slightly acidic water, but what happens if they are in slightly basic water like my tap water is? Will they die? Should I get a test kit and some PH UP and add a couple drops of that a day till the PH is slightly acidic? Or should my PH already been more acidic when I put the fish in?

 

[OrionGirl]

No, do not mess with your water. Instead, acclimate the fish to your water conditions. This is done by placing the fish, and the water from the LFS, into a container. Every 15 minutes, add a cup of water from your tank. When you fill the container, remove half the wateer, and repeat. Do this a total of 3 times, over the course of several hours. Then net/remove the fish from the container and release them into your tank.

This gives them the chance to get used to your tank conditions, which is infinitely easier than changing the water conditions. The so-called instand fix additives seldom work for long, and most often result in yo-yoing conditions that are very bad for the fish.

 

[aquariumfishguy]

I agree with OG. Dont try "fixing" the pH of your water. It almost always fails and doesnt help in the long run. Fish can tolerate a slightly different pH but cannot handle severe swings in the pH.

 

[DrDanke]

Thank you Thank you !!! It's really possible that the huge aquatic store already used the same tap water as I use. I just can't see them testing every one of the thousand freshwater tanks they have and making PH adjustments based on the fish species... Odds are that they are in the same PH water as they were in the store. They currently seem very happy in my tank and didn't hesitate for one second attacking the food that I put in there (omega tropical flakes), same stuff the store said they were raised on...