Question about living conditions

[KingJamesIII]

I would like to know what hardness, alkalinity, nitrate and ph levels should be for most livebearer fish? Also what is the avg temperature to keep them comfortable?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Is that a “GloFish” long fin Tetra I see in there with livebearers?

 

[KingJamesIII]

Is that a “GloFish” long fin Tetra I see in there with livebearers?

Yes I just got them a few days ago. I did not know they didn’t belong. Will there be major issues? I also have this guy in here, but the 4 I own have been healthy and happy for 6 months now since I got the tank going..

 

[Munroco]

Either the glofish or the livebearers will probably be suited to your water, but it's unlikely both will be. Livebearers will be more comfortable in water that is 10 GH (general hardness) and over, Softwater fish (like most of the tetras and south American cichlids will do better in water under 10 GH.

I think this is a fairly well explained video.

.

Byron is the guy to explain this but unfortunately he isn't about atm.

 

[KingJamesIII]

Either the glofish or the livebearers will probably be suited to your water, but it's unlikely both will be. Livebearers will be more comfortable in water that is 10 GH (general hardness) and over, Softwater fish (like most of the tetras and south American cichlids will do better in water under 10 GH.

I think this is a fairly well explained video.

.

Byron is the guy to explain this but unfortunately he isn't about atm.

Thanks I’ll check that video out. When you say 10 GH, you mean 10 ppm? Because I have about 70-80 Ppm on general hardness as of now

 

[Lajos_Detari]

70-80 ppm is soft and not suitable for life bearer.
Tetras and Rasboras should be fine.
Your second photo showed Black Skirt Tetras and Harlequin Rasboras which are ok.

10 GH is about 170 ppm if I am not wrong.

Xiphophorus maculatus – Platy — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Trigonostigma heteromorpha – Harlequin (Rasbora heteromorpha) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Black Widow Tetra) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

'.

Characins

www.qianhufish.com

Cyprinids

www.qianhufish.com

 

[KingJamesIII]

70-80 ppm is soft and not suitable for life bearer.
Tetras and Rasboras should be fine.
Your second photo showed Black Skirt Tetras and Harlequin Rasboras which are ok.


10 GH is about 170 ppm if I am not wrong.

Xiphophorus maculatus – Platy — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Trigonostigma heteromorpha – Harlequin (Rasbora heteromorpha) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Black Widow Tetra) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

'.

Characins

www.qianhufish.com

Cyprinids

www.qianhufish.com

What would you recommend I use to increase the hardness? I’m new to this and would like to do this right. Also, thanks for the videos I will watch them all.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

What would you recommend I use to increase the hardness? I’m new to this and would like to do this right. Also, thanks for the videos I will watch them all.

Actually, it's best not to adjust the hardness as you have to do it each time(every week) when you change water. It will be troublesome. Keep fish that are suitable for your tap water.
And you will have to check the GH after each water change.
Also, I prefer soft water fish. There are so many species - South American, Asian fish etc.

But if you really want, you can buy the GH+ booster.
Some people will fix their amount of water change each week to get the same GH.
Example: Change 50% of tank water and add X amount of GH booster.


Here are some articles for your reading about GH and how to adjust it.

Water Parameters: Everything about GH in Shrimp Tank - Shrimp and Snail Breeder

General Hardness (GH or Total Hardness) is an important water parameter to shrimp keeping and breeding. Unfortunately, Carbonate Hardness (KH) and General Hardness (GH) are commonly confused. General Hardness (GH) represents the overall concentration of salts (calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.) but...

aquariumbreeder.com

The Fish Keeper’s Guide to pH, GH, and KH | Water Chemistry 101

This practical guide for beginners explains what these water chemistry terms mean, when you should test for them, and how to raise or lower them if needed.

www.aquariumcoop.com

 

[Colin_T]

Nitrates should be kept as low as possible and under 20ppm at all times.

Common livebearers like mollies, guppies, platies and swordtails need a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 200ppm for guppies, platies and swordtails, and a GH above 250ppm for mollies.

Temperature is anywhere between 18-30C with 24-26C being optimum.

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Most tetras come from water with a pH below 7.0 and a GH below 100ppm.