First Tank: Hard Water Dilema

[Fisherman_Sam]

Hi to all you fish keeping fanatics,

I'm new to all this and have been trying to do as much research as possible before I start up my first tank. I have to admit it's pretty intimidating at first to take in all the information; I feel like I need to go do a degree in chemistry and biology!

From what I have read I thought I would buy the biggest tank I could accommodate, which is a 48 x 24 x 18 approx 340l (should be delivered in a couple of weeks). At first I thought this would give me loads of options as to which fish I could keep, but I have just tested my water and it seems to have a gH of 22. The pH doesn't seem to be too bad at what looks to me between 7.0 & 7.5

I do have a couple of pieces of oak bog wood which I bought today. Which I have read can soften the water, but I’m not sure how effective this is as a long-term solution.

I really liked the idea of a well planted peaceful community tank with fish of varying size and colour and perhaps a few shrimp as well. If you have any advice as to what I am able to keep with these parameters I would be really grateful.

Cheers,

Sam

 

[onidrase]

Aim for fish that are bred in your area, if they were born in hard water, they're not going to mind being in hard water. Most captively bred fish are very forgiving and tolerant of a wide range of water perimeters. It's the wild caught fish with a soft water preference that might have issues.

 

[ainsy]

If you want to alter the chemistry of your water you can spend a fortune on adding chemicals.

I found that an RO unit, although was a more expensive initial investment, eventually paid for itself in chemicals that I didn't have to add.