Hard Water Area

[JezTaylor]

Hi all,
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. I now have a pretty good idea of how the cycle works, what fish are suitable for my size tank (64l) and what fish are compatible with each other. So here comes my next question...
 
I live in the East of England (Newmarket) which is a notoriously hard water area. Is this likely to effect the fish? Are there certain types of fish that are sensitive to hard water? And is there anything that can be done about it?
 
Thanks

 

[DrRob]

General answer is, yes it will affect the fish, but no more so than putting hard water fish in soft water (although that can, in theory, be worse).
 
Some fish for very soft water environments struggle in hard water, particularly if they're close to wild parentage as many get more resilient the more they are bred in aquariums (or fish farms).
 
As for what can be done about it, you have two simple options, the first is to keep fish that like your water type, and you'll find that there are many fascinating livebearers, central american and african lake fish that really love this water. Also your LFS is likely keeping things simple and running most of it's tanks on the local tap water as well, so what's doing well in there is often stock that will do fine in your tanks. This is where a good local fish shop can be a real gem.
 
The second option is more complicated as it's messing with water. I never advice messing with water unless you absolutely have to (I started when I realised that the farm run off into our local supply made me slightly suspect about even drinking the stuff myself) and that if you do then you have to keep on doing what it is that you're doing, otherwise things will never be stable. If you want to soften water then you're looking at DI/RO sources to get something soft into the mix, then either cutting it back into tap water or using salts to remineralise it to the right degree. It's advanced stuff but it can be done and can be effective.

 

[the_lock_man]

In my tanks, I don't have a single "hardwater" fish, and I live in an area where the tapwater comes through the South Downs, which for those that don't know is a range of chalk hills. My pH and KH are very high. Most fish available in the retailers are mass-bred, rather than wild caught, and are not that sensitive to pH - the exceptions that spring to mind are Discus and German Blue Rams.
 
If your water is very hard, it is very difficult to shift the pH and keep it that way. It can be done in various ways, but these entail a lot of work and expense, for instance using RO water. It's much easier just to work around what you've got.
 
With regards to what fish are suitable, there are loads and loads. Have a look in the Nano Planted Tanks section for a list of fish that are suitable for 40l tanks and smaller, have a look around your LFS and see what you like the look of. I would say you want to be aiming for about 45-50cm worth of adult fish, but if you post a list of what you like in the Tropical Discussion section, you'll get loads of advice as to what works, what doesn't and maybe some alternatives.

 

[Ellieabbott4]

I live just down the road from Newmarket, I'm in haverhill. The fish I've got in my tanks are guppies, cories and shrimps. And they all seem to do well in the water. And yes it is very hard down here but my fish seem ok

 

[JezTaylor]

I live just down the road from Newmarket, I'm in haverhill. The fish I've got in my tanks are guppies, cories and shrimps. And they all seem to do well in the water. And yes it is very hard down here

but my fish seem ok

 
Good to find someone local on here! The Guppies on your signature look fantastic. Where did they come from? My LFS is in Soham, but their Guppies didn't excite me. I looked in Pets at Home in Newmarket and they were pretty much all on the brink of death.

 

[Ellieabbott4]

I've bred all of them myself. I started off with a few females from scotsdales a while ago and have just picked out the best ones each time and kept them breeding. I was lucky that the females i got from scotsdales were alive and healthy, until the two of them had 70 fry between them and then died . Since then I have had lots of guppys born and they have all been healthy and lovely colours. Lots have been passed onto others and I have been told that they are doing well. If your ever down this way then your more than welcome to come and have a look, I've got probably about 100 babies at the moment....they will need rehoming once they are bigger

 

[daveg6529]

I live in a very hard water area (NW London) and my fish don't appear to be affected.
The PH in my tanks remain around the 8.0 mark. I have Tetras, Danios, Platys, Corys and Glass Catfish and 1 Betta who have been together for over a year..

 

[JezTaylor]

I live in a very hard water area (NW London) and my fish don't appear to be affected.
The PH in my tanks remain around the 8.0 mark. I have Tetras, Danios, Platys, Corys and Glass Catfish and 1 Betta who have been together for over a year..

 
How's your betta getting on in that tank? I'm looking to get 2 platies, 6 neons and 6 cories and I can't decide whether to get a betta or a dwarf gourami to go with them.