Stocking??

[Guyb93]

Yeah that's why I came here. I wasnt sure if it was over stocked as tetras have a very small bioload. I was gonna suggest chili rasboras if she really wanted to replace them but idk.

Firstly there is a mix of hard and soft water fish so as others suggested to me find out the Gh and stock from there , I wouldn’t add anything to the tank sounds like the bio load is high as is but I’m no expert I rely on information from here way more than I’d admit lol

 

[Demon_Cinders]

The pet store I got them from uses the same water I do. So they are all used to the exact same waterparameters.

 

[kwi]

The pet store I got them from uses the same water I do. So they are all used to the exact same waterparameters.

It's not a case of being used to, a few generations of breeding will not undo evolution.
Yes softwater fish will do better in hard water than hardwater fish in soft water, but it is still not good for them.

 

[Demon_Cinders]

No but the fish arent in pain or unhappy. They're all doing fine.

 

[kwi]

No but the fish arent in pain or unhappy. They're all doing fine.

But they aren't the healthiest they can be..........either a lack of essential minerals, or a build up of mineral deposits around their organs...........

 

[Demon_Cinders]

I'm not really sure what fish your talking about. Gourami can live with platys just fine. And the khuli loaches can live in harder water just as well

 

[Guyb93]

I'm not really sure what fish your talking about. Gourami can live with platys just fine. And the khuli loaches can live in harder water just as well

there talking about that you have soft and hard water fish in the same tank as where the water can’t match both requirements, your platy need things from the water that your gourami don’t need and vice versa

 

[Demon_Cinders]

Like I just said gourami and platy can live perfectly fine with each other. Sure they dont need it doesnt affect them. They can all live perfectly fine with each other.

 

[mcordelia]

I think @essjay has the actual sources for this information, but what I've seen her describe is that they did an experiment in germany somewhere where they kept soft water fish in hard water and then did autopsies on them, and they discovered that the kidneys especially became affected with mineral deposits and began to function less well.

Though fish are not humans, in humans kidney disease can be relatively advanced without any external "symptoms", the person just complains about feeling tired and "not feeling great".

 

[Essjay]

It was Byron that reported the German case. Post #35 in this thread https://www.fishforums.net/threads/my-first-tank.461782/page-3#post-3933897

It has been known for years that some particularly sensitive hard water fish such as mollies suffer from a condition called the shimmies when kept in soft water. Less sensitive hard water fish may not show physical symptoms but they will still be suffering internal problems.

 

[Phreaker]

It was Byron that reported the German case. Post #35 in this thread https://www.fishforums.net/threads/my-first-tank.461782/page-3#post-3933897

It has been known for years that some particularly sensitive hard water fish such as mollies suffer from a condition called the shimmies when kept in soft water. Less sensitive hard water fish may not show physical symptoms but they will still be suffering internal problems.

@Byron Do you have a link to this study?

" Back in the 1980's a study in Germany on the effect of hard water on Paracheirodon axelrodi reported in TFH found that the life span of the fish was related to the GH of the water. In very soft water the fish lived up to a decade, but as the GH was increased, the lifespan decreased."

I highly doubt cardinal tetras can live for a decade.

 

[Essjay]

Byron isn't on the forum at the moment as he's recovering from major surgery.

 

[Essjay]

We do have other members who kept soft fish in hard water and they reported that these fish lived around 18 months. Since they started using RO water to soften the tap water, these same species are now alive after 4 or 5 years and still going strong.


Edit:
here is an example, post #11 https://www.fishforums.net/threads/effect-of-hard-water-on-soft-water-fish.464894/#post-3976105

And that also references another post by Byron #13 https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...i-keep-with-my-angelfish.455202/#post-3845199

 

[mcordelia]

@essjay thank you so much for finding the original discussion on this topic!

 

[Demon_Cinders]

I'm not keeping mollies. And all the fish I have can live in the ph and hardness that I have.