You can have live bearers just fine, they love hard basic water. There are also some rainbow fish that do as well.

With live bearers you will want to be careful with the sexes. If you have even a single female, you'll have a constant stream of fry. Unless you have a means of control it can get out of hand quick (think rabbits here). Even so, getting females from the store usually are already preggo

EDIT: Using fish or creatures for controlling algae isn't a good idea. Most are not very good at it, and even so they'll only eat specific kinds not all. That said, snails do best in basic water, acidic water will erode their shells.

 

Agree. I would also ask about the hardness. Presumably the water is medium hard or harder with that high a pH, but this is not necessarily so, and the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) is also important as they are somewhat connected to the pH.

As the well water is not municipal, you will have to test it yourself (rather than ask the water supply folks). Will the fish store test hardness? That would save you buying the two kits and only using them once. If they will, get the GH and KH and ask them to give you the numbers, not something vague like "hard" which tells us little if anything. Degrees of GH is significant as it affects fish, as does pH.

If you want to read more background on hardness and pH, here's my article:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/water-hardness-ph-freshwater-aquarium-73276/

So to the fish; there is some adaptability but this is limited and it can have detrimental effects long-term. You can read more in my article on stress:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/stress-freshwater-aquarium-fish-98852/

Before deciding if it is feasible to adjust the water, or necessary, we should get those numbers so we will know what will be required. But in the interim, you can browse our profiles [second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page] for fish that prefer hard water and some that will manage depending how hard it turns out to be. There are rainbowfish (though only 3 species so far) under Atherinids, some small fish under Cyprinids, a few under Characins, some cichlids, and some under Catfish. Then of course all the livebearers. And finally, in a large tank, rift lake cichlids.

Byron.

 

We have a softener but i turn it off for aquarium water, Then the hardness both GH and KH is very hard, 300 or so. The PH does not budge so i guess thats sort of a good thing.

 

Well turns out i just checked my tanks water and the ph from an api test kit (liquid kind) says its 7.0!!!!!

My water from the tap is 8.3!!

Could the plants and the fish and the co2 really lower it that much? When the KH and GH are super high??

If its going to be lowered that much, i guess i can't keep High PH fish! how do i keep cichlids in 7.0 water. PH is really frustrating me.

 

Here are some rainbowfish profiles.. These are beautiful fish, and unlike chichlids they are not overdone, something new, since you used the phrase "stuck with chichlids".
According to the pages they are all fine in 40 gallons or less, and some of them are stunningly coloured. They like groups and show their best colours when there is females and at least 2 males, this will make the males colour up to compete with each other..
I want some of these if I ever get a large enough tank.

Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris) - Seriously Fish
Banded Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia trifasciata) - Seriously Fish
Lake Tebera Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi) - Seriously Fish
Red Rainbowfish (Glossolepis incisus) - Seriously Fish
New Guinea Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia affinis) - Seriously Fish
Boeseman's rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) - Seriously Fish

 

Ill start over with numbers,

Tap water before tank
KH 212 ppm
GH 300 ppm
PH 8.0

Tap water in tank
KH 300 ppm
GH 300 ppm
PH 7.0

 

Ill start over with numbers,

Tap water before tank
KH 212 ppm
GH 300 ppm
PH 8.0

Tap water in tank
KH 300 ppm
GH 300 ppm
PH 7.0

Something is not making sense here. You mentioned CO2, are you adding diffused CO2?

And on the API pH test, which range kit are you using? They make a high pH, normal and (I think) low pH, maybe not the latter. Using the high and the normal for example will result in different numbers, so it is important to know which kit applies and stay with that for both tap and tank to ensure reliable numbers. And shake the tap water briskly for a couople minutes to out-gas the CO2.

 

Are you planning on using a CO2 system for your new tank?
If not I'm guessing it's pH will be 8 as well.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

Nope no CO2 for the cichlids. I do want them, the electric yellow ones. The GH and PH of my water is perfect for them so I'm told

If its the co2 causing the PH drop i doubt the ph will budge on my new tank correct?

 

Yeah the GH is high, So if i removed the the co2 the ph would go back up correct?

So is it best to keep it in there or remove it?

Also, High KH means high PH right? Is it possible to have high KH and low ph?

I know its possible to have high PH and low kh.

 

Well you have to decide- if you put no CO2 you can have chiclids or rainbowfish, maybe a bottom dweller, not sure.
If you hook up your new tank with CO2 you'll have lower pH and a few more options fish wise.

For your current tank, keep the CO2 in, the pH raising suddenly would be bad for the fish.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

Ok will do, since its a DIY co2 with a yeast bottle ill monitor it a lot to make sure the PH isn't moving much. and lower the amount of water for each water change since I'm putting high ph in.

I did take a cup of water out of the tank and let it sit for an hour and sure enough 8.2 ph again. the CO2 keeps in around 7.2

 

The GH, KH and pH are usually related, but they are distinct and one being high or low does not mean the others cannot be different. The article I linked prevously should explain this.

What is the purpose of the CO2? To grow plants faster, or lower the pH for fish? If the latter, you also need to deal with the GH as this is just as important as pH for fish.

 

The Co2 was for the plants, I didn't know it affected PH so much. The plants are growing like mad now that i put it in. Before they were sick and brown. If the CO2 thing stops will my ph go up way to fast and kill the fish and the shrimp? Should i keep an eye on it? Or take it out and pray the rise in PH won't hurt the fish. Everytime I do a water change i am adding 8.2 PH water in the 7.2 ph tank. But i only do like 10 percent every other week, The nitrate levels stay so low with all them plants.

Our other betta lived two years through the cycle and not checking anything, maybe ignorance is bliss.

 

What fish do you have in the tank?
It may be best to keep the CO2 going if you have low pH fish.

 

Just a betta and ghost shrimp and snails.... But won't the weekly water changes with high PH make the ph fluctuate to much?

They would all live in 8.2 water wouldn't they?

 

They should be fine in that pH.
You have to adjust slowly, but I can't tell you how to do that, because I don't know.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

I think what I'm going to do is just let it run out, The PH should return slowly. It will take longer for the PH to rise back then what it was when i put the fish into the tank. they went from 7.0 to 8.2 quick. I did do it slowly, but still that took only like an hour. I think this will go up way more slowly then that. And my betta is healthy as a horse, or so he acts.