pH of 8.0, will this be a problem?

[jimbocurtice]

Originally Posted by constanzia

Hey city sara, regarding your stocking list, I will tell you I've kept Cory's (peppered) in 8.2'ish water very succesfully. I've also kept otto's ottocinclus (sp) catfish in the same tank. The real trick is to acclimate them gradually. PH is important but it is much more important to kept your nitrates below 20ppm. As far as some of those tetra's on the list they are much more PH sensitive

The water at my place is liquid rock and the pH is usually 7.8-8.0 and I have had a group of bronze corys plus a group of neon and many other fish that needs soft and acidic water and everyone is well. I think the key is to acclimate them the right way and you should be fine.

[simplicitysarah]

Originally Posted by jimbocurtice

The water at my place is liquid rock and the pH is usually 7.8-8.0 and I have had a group of bronze corys plus a group of neon and many other fish that needs soft and acidic water and everyone is well. I think the key is to acclimate them the right way and you should be fine.

What do you consider the best accumulation? Slow derived?

What kind of peat pellets should I get?! There's so many different kinds! Don't want to buy wrong thing

[Diana]

Fish are best set up according to their GH preference.

Here is how I would handle your water(s):

1) If you want to keep fish that need soft water (low GH) then you will have to use the water with the lowest GH to start with, or else dilute the high GH water with reverse osmosis or distilled. Or find some way to remove the minerals from your tap water. Your tank, for whatever reason, seems to have the best GH for soft water fish. Please describe everything you are doing... SOMEthing is removing the minerals from your water.

2) Sodium exchange water softeners add sodium to the water and removes the calcium and magnesium that plants and fish need. This is not usually a good option for aquariums. I would not use softened water.

3) Well water has lots of minerals. Just keep the right fish:
Asian Rummynose, most Live bearers, many Rainbows and related fish (research Pseudomugil species), and Rift Lake Cichlids and other fish.

Here are some tests to run:
1) Run some tap water into a bucket. Try some softened water in one bucket, and well water in another.
2) Add a generous amount of peat moss to each bucket. Perhaps a cup of peat per gallon.
3) Stir the buckets as often as you can. Several times per day.
4) Test GH, KH and pH after 24 hours. If you have a TDS meter that would be great. (Can be found on line for about $20)

Other test: Put a nylon stocking of peat moss in the tank. In the filter, if you have room, otherwise in a place with high water flow. I cut a knee-hi into 3 bags for small tanks (to 20 gallon), or 2 bags for large tanks (to 45 gallon), and just use 1 bag for most of my tanks (2 bags for my tanks over 45 gallon).

Goal: See if peat moss will do the job for you. If this works, then you will have to prepare the water before every water change by filtering it through peat moss. I do this in garbage cans. I use a knee-hi stocking of peat moss in 20-40 gallons of water, and run a fountain pump to circulate the water overnight. The next day the water is ready. I can reuse the peat moss several times, but it takes longer each time. Keep the peat moss in a stocking, it can clog the pump if it is loose in the garbage can.

Other test:
Get one of the substrates that removes the KH from the water. Oil Dry, Safe-T-Sorb, Turface (any color)
Put this material in a bucket the same as the peat moss test.
Test at 24 hours: Has the KH and pH dropped?

If both peat moss and Safe-T-Sorb do what they are supposed to, then test a combination. Put a cup of each in a gallon of water, and see what that does overnight.

If that works, then you have figured out what you will need to do to prep your water to keep soft water fish.
Fill a bucket or garbage can with water, and filter that water through Safe-T-Sorb and peat moss.

[simplicitysarah]

I have been using the softened water so I can switch to well..
I can test when I get some peat.
I was already considering rainbows.! I will look into other species too

[papwalker]

Wouldn't use the well unless you keep Africans.

Once plants go in stuff will drop. Your total hardness is dropping anyway.
You'll get some bio-acidification slowly happening.
I always get some plants in early to kick things along.

My analysis out of the tap is 3.75 (67 mg CaCO3/L) Sydney water; so yours looks OK at three!

Natural option to reduce pH see...
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/peat-filtration
http://papwalker.blogspot.com.au/201...co-tea_23.html

Normally I don't like to muck around with new tanks. I use Seachem Prime, Stability and Neutral reg as per instructions in a tank that has some filter matrix and driftwood from from a working tank. Seachem tabs for plants.

My 15 gallon had fish in it two days after first water.
10% changes daily for a few weeks. Spawning Corydoras in three weeks.
Ammonia is always N/D
I've tapered off the neutral reg. I'm using my Orinoco tea.
Baby corys are loving it. Need to start selling 'em - no room.

[Magnum26]

I have to disagree with some of you, my water is around the 8 mark and I have corys, neons, rasboras, golden barbs and danios, they are all prefectly healthy and have extended lives for some reasons. My Danios are around 5 years old atm.

Just becuase it's hard water doesn't mean you can't have a fish, just let it get used to it first and make sure you treat the water. Simples.

[papwalker]

Originally Posted by Magnum26

I have to disagree with some of you, my water is around the 8 mark and I have corys, neons, rasboras, golden barbs and danios, they are all prefectly healthy and have extended lives for some reasons. My Danios are around 5 years old atm.

Just becuase it's hard water doesn't mean you can't have a fish, just let it get used to it first and make sure you treat the water. Simples.

Of course you are probably right. Fish from commercial breeders probably haven't seen biotope conditions in the same number of generations humans have seen since we left Africa.

[Magnum26]

Originally Posted by papwalker

Of course you are probably right. Fish from commercial breeders probably haven't seen biotope conditions in the same number of generations humans have seen since we left Africa.

I'm only assuming as my fish are fine. Normally LFS generally use the same water as you would do at home so it's safe to assume the fish would be ok, is basically what I meant.