New tank, high PH, what kind of fish?...

[KrispyCam]

Hello all! First off I wanna say that this has got to be the MOST informative board on aquariums. I'm really glad I joined, I've learned alot just by reading all these posts. So now it's time to post my very first message...

I've just started cycling my FW 29gal tank (using the fishless method). It won't be ready for awhile but I started giving some thought as to what type of fish I can put in there.

The tap water in my apartment is moderately hard (9dH) and my Ph slightly high (btwn 7.5 and 8.0). My question is am I limited to certain types of fishes with these readings? If so, can anyone recommend fish that are happy in hard water with high pH? Or will most fish adapt okay to this environment?

I've grown a fondness for tiger barbs and gouramis... will they survive okay in this water?

Any info would be helpful, thanks.
KC

[loganj]

Your pH is a little high for barbs although they might adapt with careful acclimation. Tiger barbs are known fin nippers and should only be kept with fish that can get away from them. Keeping the barbs in a group of about 5-6 seems to mitigate the problem as they stay busy chasing each other.
I think most of the gouramis would do OK...also with careful acclimation. Although (according to my references) the pH you listed is within the acceptable range for gouramis, they will most likely be kept at or near 7.0 at the LFS hence the need for slow acclimation. Be warned that the larger gouramis can sometimes be very aggressive...especially if you have two males.
Since you already have moderately hard water, have you thought about some of the smaller varieties of african cichlids? They thrive in very hard water with pH about 8.2.
Another option, if you decide you want to keep fish that do better in softer, more acidic water, is to mix distilled or RO/DI water with your tap water to get the desired hardness and pH.

[KrispyCam]

Loganj thanks for the reply...

quick question... what do you mean by this?

they might adapt with careful acclimation

how would I go about carefully acclimating the fish to the water without stressing them? (I'm a newbie, forgive my ignorance )

[loganj]

You need to introduce them to the new pH slowly so they can adjust. Find out what the pH is at the store where you buy them. Take the fish home as quickly as possible so they won't be cooped up in the bag for long. If they have to spend a long time in the bag, they can produce ammonia and the pH can drop. With a large difference in pH, I'd dump the fish into a large bowl, and slowly add water from the tank. Maybe even drip it in with a piece of airline. You might want to add some ammo lock just in case. Ammonia is not toxic at a pH of under 7.0. As the pH rises above 7.0, the toxicity of the ammonia rises exponentially. Anyway, acclimate them over a period of 3-4 hrs. Might be a little overkill, bit that's better than fishkill. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.