Hard water schoolers...

[mollymom]

Hi AA members!
I need some help, hopefully in the month of July (or when my plants are big enough) I'm gonna get CPD's add some guppies, 4 (5?) Panda Corys, 2 sailfin mollys, and yet I'm looking for another SMALL schooling fish, that is colorful.
There are many options BUT where I need help is my water chemistry...

pH: 8.1 (VERY steady)
hardness: 300 ppm
nitrate: 35 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
ammonia: 0

So really I'm only wondering about the pH and the hardness...I don't want to adjust my pH chemically OR naturally since it's stubbornly steady. Any small schooler for my water conditions (that does not need Blackwater Extract)???

Any help appreciated!!!

 

[Oohitsae]

Most fish can adapt to different water parameters than their designed for really easily. As long as parameters are stable, they generally do well and thrive in tons of different parameters.

I'd go with neon tetras myself since you said you want color in there, rummynose tetras are awesome too but not as colorful

 

[mollymom]

Okay, I do love neons. Would Chili Rasboras be okay? I was also thinking maybe, Lake Inle Danio (Danio erythromicron), or Boraras maculata.

Right now this is what my stock WOULD look like:
15 Celestial Pearl Danios
5 male fancy guppies
12 neon tetras
5 panda corys
2 sailfin lyretail mollies (1 is around 5 in. INCLUDING the lyretail tail, and one is a LARGE fry and slightly stunted, still growing...so around an inch)

This would be in a 50 gallon, medium planted (yet will be heavily planted), hexagon/corner tank. Also, I have a penn-plaxx canister 700 filter (up to 65 gallons), with spraybar. Does this look like a good stock?

 

[hecurcia]

A bit high for neon tetras ( pH).

 

[mollymom]

Yeah, that's what I was wonderin' about. It seems as though the fish will adapt to most water parameters, as Oohitsae, was saying, though.

 

[mollymom]

Thanks everyone! I'm gonna be getting:
15 Celestial Pearl Danios
10 Neon Tetras
4 Panda Corys
4 guppies
2 lyretail-sailfin mollies