Was it my set up I'd also check the hardness with this pH combo and possibly (dep on GH/KH) leave the water the way it is for these fish. Yes wild caught Cardinals rather have a pH of 7 but more often then not what you find in stores now is not wild caught Cardinals and will accept a wider range of water.
That way you'd home your fish in a stable environment rather then a ever changing water which would only stress them out, turn them unhealthy, early death etc.
My drinking water is 6.0 pH if i used siink water instead of 7.7 pH tap water, which is better?
I want to keep cardinals, rummynose, kuhlis, dwarf gouramis
If you've already got a water softener installed in your drinking water (is this out of certain taps in your house? Through the water thing on your refrigerator?) I would use the 6.0 water for those soft water fish.
I would mix a 50/50 mixture of R/O water and water with 7.7pH if I were set on adjusting the water. I would mix this in a seperate tub (rubbermaid) and heat and aerate it 24 hours before using it for water changes which I would perform gradually ,once or twice a week. Will need to keep a mixture of this water on hand for water changes.
I have no first hand expierience with water produced through water softeners but have read that they remove salts(calcium and magnesium) that fish need and that also help keep pH stable and replace them with sodium salts that may or may not be harmful with longterm use.
With pH of 6.0 nitrifying bacteria develop very slowly and below 6.0 you would have no biological filter. Would also expect the water to be quite unstable due to natural acidification as result of decaying organics.
+1 on what 1077 said. I'd actually test this before hand and get a lil cup or something mix 1 cup tap water and 1 cup of wherever your softer water is from, let that sit over night and test it. I'm also pretty sure that with the mixture of these 2 waters 50/50 you will achieve a nice soft, yet stable water. I have a pH 6.8 coming from tap and yes I can only back up what 1077 said this water is anything but stable so if you have the option of mixing it to make it more stable (which is a BIG plus for fish) then do it.
Even a blind dog finds a bone every now and then.:roll:
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