Cardinal Tetras and hard water

[leafs]

I was wondering if you can keep Cardinal Tetras in water with a ph around 7.5? I've read that they prefer acidic water.

Thanks.

 

[WILDER]

http/species.fishindex.com/species_684pa...nal_tetras.html

 

[leafs]

Can they survive in harder water?

 

[CathyG]

If you buy them from a fish store local to you, they would have aleady been acclimatised to similar water. Best check to be sure, though. If you are buying them from a remote supplier, take care to acclimatise them slowly - a couple of hours would be good - by floating the bag and periodically adding a small amount of tank water to the bag.

Mine were fine in pH of 7.8. I have chosen to soften the water recently, though, by using reverse osmosis at approx 50% volume, but only because limescale nearly killed a three month old cannister filter. Good luck, they are lovely fish!

 

[leafs]

If you buy them from a fish store local to you, they would have aleady been acclimatised to similar water. Best check to be sure, though. If you are buying them from a remote supplier, take care to acclimatise them slowly - a couple of hours would be good - by floating the bag and periodically adding a small amount of tank water to the bag.

Mine were fine in pH of 7.8. I have chosen to soften the water recently, though, by using reverse osmosis at approx 50% volume, but only because limescale nearly killed a three month old cannister filter. Good luck, they are lovely fish!

Thanks for the input. I purchased 10 from a local dealer and I'm sure their water is similar to mine. I let the bag sit in the tank for about an 40 min and I slowly added some tank water in the bag. They seem fine so far. They are beautiful, aren't they.

 

[CathyG]

Good luck with them!

 

[northpaul]

my water is c**p as well but have 6 no problems

 

[leafs]

my water is c**p as well but have 6 no problems

Do you know if the ph in a tank should flucuate? Mine always seems to be around 7.4. I guess it's a good thing that it doesn't change. More stable. :

 

[northpaul]

yes the ph is stable but thinking off using some ro water on changes

 

[freddyk]

Absolutely, the cardinals will be fine. My PH is 8 and all the fish listed do very well.

The problem is that fish profiles list the parameters of the biotope of the fish. People then just assume this is the requirements of the fish and use it as advice. In truth, most fish will do very well in all sorts of water, and it has been shown over and over that fish will readily adapt to any perameters not too far off.

 

[leafs]

Absolutely, the cardinals will be fine. My PH is 8 and all the fish listed do very well.

The problem is that fish profiles list the parameters of the biotope of the fish. People then just assume this is the requirements of the fish and use it as advice. In truth, most fish will do very well in all sorts of water, and it has been shown over and over that fish will readily adapt to any perameters not too far off.

I asked the lfs what their ph was and they said that the Cardinals were in a tank with a ph of around 7.5. They said that most of their tanks are around that ph and all their fish are slowly acclimatised to their ph. I'm relieved because I really don't want to start messing with ph. Thanks for your help.

 

[Bignose]

If the LFS acclimated them, they should be fine. But, cardinals are pretty much 100% wild caught, unlike neons. So, the higher pH is more stressful on cardinals than on the neons that are bred in Florida's hard alkaline water, for example. However, so long as the pH remains stable, they should probably be fine.