Soft Water

[Seb]

Hiya ,

I was wondering whats the best way for me to soften the water in my tank? Also, does the pH of the water have any effect on the hardness?

I've got a 20gal tank, with a few angel fish and 15 or so neons.

Any ideas guys?

 

[CFC]

Hi seb and welcome to the forum,the easiest way to soften water in a tank your size is to use RO water from the fish shop,this water is totally pure and you have to put the trace mierals back in so you can choose how soft you want it to be,it should cost around 15 pence a litre and of course you would have to buy the minerals which are around a fiver but will last you years.

If you do decide to use the RO water then just replace the water you remove when doing water changes (should be about 8 litres a week in a 20g) with the RO water so that it slowly alters the PH thus preventing the fish from going into shock.

Ph is connected with hardness a low acid PH normally indicates soft water and high alkali PH indicates hard water.

On another note were you warned when you purchased your fish that a 20g tank is too small to house adult angel fish and that when they are big enough they will probably eat your neons.

 

[Seb]

Thanks for the info. about the soft water, I shall go investigate that.

I've had the angels about 3 months now,they were small when I got them, and they're growing reasonably quickly. I didnt realise that they could eat the neons when they reach adulthood. Thats a bit of a bugger really lol . I'll get a larger tank over the Summer, and begin maturing it.

If so what fish do you suggest I add with the angels? I want to go along the Amazonian theme, so I'll do some plant and fish research but if you guys could give me any ideas I'd be greatful.

Realistically, what size tank should I look at getting to house angels? I mean, at the moment I have 3, and I'm not sure whether this is their most preferable number in a tank, for social reasons ~ you know what I mean. So basically what I'm trying to ask is what is the best number of angels to have in a group, and what size tank should these be kept it?!?!

Thanks, Seb

 

[CFC]

You could house a pair of angels in a 30g but no more than this really,the trouble is that angels being cichlids will eventually pair up and spawn and then any other fish including other angels will be seen off and if they have no where to go will be attacked,also IMO angels should always be kept in either a pair or a group of at least 4 so that any aggression wont be focused on just one fish so idealy you want a tank of around 55g.

For suitable tankmates you could try cardinal tetras,they have the same colouring but get a little larger,also you could have hatchet fish corydoras catfish prehaps some hoplo catfish,the list is endless,if you see anything you like and want some info on it just pop back here and someone is sure to help.

 

[smudge]

Definatly don't house the neons with the angels. I learned the hard way... My wife's angels ate 5 of my 6 neons before I figured out where the poor little guys were mysteriously disappearing to. lol

 

[cichlidmaster]

Seb,

You don't say what your ph is currently. It may not need to be lowered. Most times it is more dangerous to mess with the chemical make-up of your water than it is to leave it.

Most aquarium fish offered for sale have already been acclimated to the surrounding water supplies and therefore will show no ill effects from it.

Let us know what the ph is and we can go from there!! Please don't mess with the ph until you let us know the values.

CM

 

[Seb]

Oh yes sorry, its 6.9 so slightly acidic, but I don't know if this is acidic enough for angels or indeed and Amazonian aquarium. What should I be looking at keeping as a steady pH?

Also, what do you think the optimum temp. for the angels should be to the nearest degree?

Thanks, Seb

 

[CFC]

That PH is fine for angels and most amazonian species,a few pieces of bogwood will help to keep the water soft and help the PH to get a little lower with 6.5 being perfect,Angels like to be kept warm so a temperature between 24 and 28 degrees is best.

 

[mrV]

I've got a 20gal tank, with a few angel

You need to buy bigger tank for angels. Tanks size should be atleast 45-50cm high (about 200 liters), angels have quite nice fins as you know.

I have put turf (peat) into the canister filter or into the aquarium (with filter stocking of course). Now im planning to buy another external filter just for using it to filter water through turf.

Im keeping my angels about in 26-27C. (http/kotisivu.mtv3.fi/water_world/kaloista.htm lower part of page)

 

[Seb]

I'm going to have to really consider getting a new tank then, I'm kind of feeling a little guilty. I've got the space, I better find out how much a 50-60g tank will cost and sort out some good dimensions to suite the space I have.

Thanks for the help, just wondering, is the language at "http/kotisivu.mtv3.fi/water_world/kaloista.htm" Finish?

 

[mrV]

is the language at "http/kotisivu.mtv3.fi/water_world/kaloista.htm" Finish?

Öh!? Yes Finnish is my mother language.