Please help!

[Pisces11]

So here's my problem.

I'm new to keeping tanks and am very wary to use chemicals. I live in a rural area and my well water hardness is off the charts. This alone wouldn't be a problem but my ph is way too high because of it. My LFS insisted I buy PH to maintain fish health and it did nothing. The only advice the bottle/directions/website give me are repeat dose but don't exceed a change in ph more then .5 a day. I don't want to keep dumping chems in my tank, but minerals in my water neutralize anything I put In. Please any advice is welcome

 

[Maxw47]

I wouldn't recommend trying to change your ph in any way, especially with chemicals. What is your pH?

 

[Pisces11]

It's 8.4 and I wouldn't except I'm keeping piranha. I have come to love the cubby guys and I just want them healthy as possible

 

[Maxw47]

It's 8.4 and I wouldn't except I'm keeping piranha. I have come to love the cubby guys and I just want them healthy as possible

What size tank? Have they been in this pH for a while? If they are adjusted to these water conditions I would leave them be. It's better steady than changing. Also, well water has a lot of buffers that keep the pH from changing. So it isn't very easy. Do you have a water softener? I live on well water and we have a sodium water softener. Very bad for aquariums. I use re constituted RO now.

 

[Pisces11]

No, no water softener. I have four juveniles in a 90 gallon. They are growing super fast and seem healthy. Only one thing bugs me and I'm not sure if its what the species does on it's on, or if there is a problem. When they are "resting" sometimes it seems like they are floating funny. Not sideways but almost diagonal. No signs of disease or lethargy tho.

 

[Maxw47]

Hmm. Sounds weird haha. How long have you had em? I wouldn't worry about the pH. If they are living fine in it and adapted then its more stress on them to change it.

 

[Pisces11]

Haha I know! I can't find any info on it either! Lol they swim fine usually anyways. Maybe I'm being paranoid haha. But thanks for the advice! I will leave it be

 

[Pisces11]

I've had them about 3 months

 

[Maxw47]

Yeah they should be fine. Fish stores just wanna make money haha

 

[Rivercats]

Your smart not to use chemicals especially for trying to change ph. Those chemicals are temporary fixes and you have to keep using them so stores/manufacturers make more money. As already stated if the fish are acclimated to your water and ph then don't fix what isn't broken.

As for the fish many fish have distinctive resting positions so if all do it most likely it is very normal. Many don't know loaches rest on their sides so when you see them and not know this is normal people often think they are dead until they touch them.

 

[Pisces11]

Haha thank you so much! That definitely puts my mind at ease. Like I said I'm new to this but hope to aspire to become a pro aquarist some day!

 

[foshizzle11]

ya, I thought we had to get our pH closer to 7 as well but the fish just adapt to the pH generally. One thing that does help is a good piece of driftwood. This can help soften the water and reduce the pH.

 

[Pisces11]

I was thinking about that! It's just so expensive to buy at the store. I wish I new of a place to collect it safely from nature. I wouldn't know what I was looking for tho I'm afraid