Advice on Ph

[Coralocean]

I have been researching this topic for days. My water has a Ph of 8.2 and I am getting conflicting information on the web. I plan on having Tetras in my 29 gal tank. Some say the fish will acclimate to the ph and others say the fish will die.

I am pretty sure the water is hard as it leaves deposits instantly on anything not wiped down. Some say hardness doesn't matter (not keeping exotic fish) and Tetras are pretty hardy. Some say it matters a lot.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
(API Master Test Kit used)
-Coral

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Cor...

Unfortunately, the pH of your tap water is generally too basic for Tetras. They require more acidic water, up to a neutral pH that's 7. If you're purchasing your fish from a local pet store, then the store is very likely getting their water from the same source as you and the Tetras have gotten used to the higher pH. I would choose another small fish, like Guppies. Or, go for a larger tank, that's easier to take care of anyway and get some very hardy fish like Platys or Danios.

B

 

[TMaier]

Try using a 50/50 mix of RO/Di water. It will also help with the hardness. Check with you lfs and see how their tetras are doing in local water.

 

[V227]

Coral
I agree with B, hard water is generally not good for Tetra keeping, especially for the fragile, popular ones like Neon and Cardinal Tetras. The water in my area is very similar to yours and dispite this handicap, I have successfully kept a variety of Tetras. My very favorite, Buenos Aires Tetra, practically bulletproof, a non stop, hyperactive plant eating terror. The BlackSkirt Tetra, tenacious eater and cheap, Columbian Tetra, beautiful blue and red coloration and the Diamond Tetra. I'll throw in Silver Dollar fish in the mix, but your 29 gal. Tank is much too small for SD' s. As a matter of fact all the listed Tetras grow to at least 2", the Buenos Aires grow to 3". Still small enough for your tank but might eventually get cramped. Adding driftwood to your tank will likely lower the ph a bit. Hard water isn't always a bad thing. It buffers against PH crashes and if at some point you have to medicate your tank, the higher general hardness actually stabilizes the med dosage.

 

[Coralocean]

Thank you all for the input! It sounds like neon Tetras are out but the Black Skirts and White skirts I do like. The lfs uses RO water and wants to sell me softening pillows and "instant" bacteria. We have Petco and Petsmart I can ask them if they know what ph is (lol). Eventually I will get a larger tank, long term goal is Discus 100+ gal tank and a RO unit in the house. Everyone complains about the water here, in this area we are not getting it from Lake Michigan, but limestone wells. Sorry for the ramble.

 

[Potluck]

Thank you all for the input! It sounds like neon Tetras are out but the Black Skirts and White skirts I do like. The lfs uses RO water and wants to sell me softening pillows and "instant" bacteria. We have Petco and Petsmart I can ask them if they know what ph is (lol). Eventually I will get a larger tank, long term goal is Discus 100+ gal tank and a RO unit in the house. Everyone complains about the water here, in this area we are not getting it from Lake Michigan, but limestone wells. Sorry for the ramble.

Don't go to petsmart or petco for your fish please I beg of you, I would stay away from Buenos Aires tetras SORRY B lol, they bullied all the other fish in my tank but black skirts are beautiful as well as white skirts, one you go ro/di you can keep any fish your heart desires just have to remineralize to what the fish require.

Don't add chemicals to lower pH use drift wood, almond leaves, aquarium safe peat in the filter or ro/di mix if 50/50 or 60/40, as chemicals lower buy once the chemical is depleted you get a huge pH spike which will kill your fish.

 

[flitabout]

I am gonna be the opposite here I have kept cardinals and neons in stupid high ph. They have been working on our water lately and the ph has been coming down I was literally giddy when I checked my tap after a year and found out it was only 8. It's a pain but super slow acclimation will make it work. I dripped mine for about 6 hours.

 

[Angellove78]

I have neon tetras, live in the woods (country) vary hard water (a well) my ph is 8. It's your call. Mine do just fine.

 

[ZxC]

Here is my experience with tetra/any fish in high pH. I think we all can agree here there are some of us that are successful, and some of us that have not been successful (as seen in this thread).

Can tetras be kept at pH's >8.0? Yes... But is that water suited for all of the fish you purchased from that group? No.... are all tetra from the same species equally hardy? No....

From my experience keeping softer water fish in hard water can be done, you just have to expect a few to wither away and seemingly die for no reason. When I kept them at pH 8.2, I would say 3/4 did fine, not spectacular, but fine, another 1/8 died prematurely, and the last 1/8 lived on, but you could tell they were in rough shape.

A big part of this scenario is the quality originally purchased. If you got them from big box stores that had poorly trained employees, your chances of success are limited. Get them from a good LFS, or a breeder, even better. Just know that there will be a few that just never do very well, despite the rest of your parameters being perfect.

 

[Delapool]

That has been my experience - if the tank is running el smicko all is fine at higher ph. Get something a bit off and they don’t like it for my water. Given up on tetras as nice as they are.

 

[Coralocean]

Thank you all for the replies, I appreciate it!!

As much as I hate to lug water around I think I am going to mix 50/50 tap and distilled, do a bunch of testing and tweak it as needed (no chemicals), then stay with that recipe until I get an RO unit. This is why I did not start with a huge tank (long term goal Discus).

Once it's cycled I'm going to get a school of black & white fin tetras, maybe a bristle nose pleco. Not going to stock it to the hilt- then see what happens. Never had a bristle nose before but had plecos, one survived a disaster.

Went on vacation and a relative fed fish for me and on their last visit they accidentally hit the button on the power strip. Came home to rotten dead stinky fish in a cloud- but the pleco was still swimming around! Saved him and he lived another several years eventually murdered by a my son's oscar. He had character I still miss Bruce.

 

[flitabout]

I have done the water lugging at a rate of 15g a week. It sucked but it was worth it!

 

[Potluck]

I actually read an article yesterday about hard water fish cannot live in soft water where as soft water fish have no issues acclimating to harder water due to a hard water fish needs alot of minerals in the water to survive and in a soft water setting they won't have enough of those said minerals and die off, where as in hard water a soft water fish only needs so much therefor they will not run out and will be fine if acclimated correctly

 

[Coralocean]

I tested the water from the upstairs tap it's equipped with a PUR water filter, the kind that screws on the faucet and I get a ph of 7.4. Better than 8.2!

 

[TurbosMom]

i have very high ph- almost as high as yours. i add tannin water to my aquarium.

 

[TurbosMom]

that's a great idea! why didn't i ever think of that lol