recently planted tank ph question

[ViolentJayne]

Hello , Im new here . I have had a 30 gallon freshwater tank with nothing but an ACF in it for years . Im sorry to say the poor frog was sadly neglected .. the water was always a nightmare and cleaning was even worse . Recently I discovered plant aquariums and fell in LOVE I am in the process of transforming My Aquarium to planted now The tank is well cycled and I have 0 ammonia . I added some cambomba and anacharais a month ago and they are doing great ! I plan to order more plants online as My local pet shops have almost nothing . I also added 10 tetras ( I know with an ACF ? ) but I wanted more life in general in the tank trying to go very natural and so far she hasnt shown interest in eating them . they are calm and dont tend to school in fear often . I have 2 mystery snails and 4 misc snails as well as a few ghost shrimp My ACF does snack on . the bottom is pea/river gravel with a small beach of sand in one corner . My question is even with the 0 amonnia and a 25 % water change yesterday My ph is still reading slightly acidic . I only have a stupid strip kit for the ph and as far as i can tell its between 6.2 and 6.8 . the fish seem to be hanging near the top today but dont seem distressed . is this a tollerable ph ? should I increase ? can I increase with salt ? I do have aquarium salts . I could do another 25 % water change ? Ive had this ACF for 6 years and now that I realize how badly I was caring for her I want to give her the best life possible for the rest of her life

details the tank has been sat up for about 4 years plants added 4-5 weeks ago

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Vio...

Your water is acidic, but aquatic plants prefer this type of water chemistry to a higher pH. Most fish you get at the pet store are adaptable and should do fine. I would add more floating plants like Anacharis and possibly some Hornwort and Pennywort. A stable water chemistry is preferable to a particular chemistry. So, I wouldn't try to make any changes. Stick with the large, frequent water changes and your fish and plants should be fine.

B