So far, so good

[Melfice]

Hello all:

I wanted to share my good luck with my new Emperor Tetra's & German Blue Rams. My local fish store had a shipment of Emperor's. From the research on the internet, I hear they can be hard to keep. So far, after one month, they are doing great. Two of my females were diseased and did not make it. The males are very strong fish and seem very healthy (Females are more likely to get ill from the limited ex I have so far). Emperor's are beautiful fish indeed.

Emperor Tetra

Now, my PH level I thought would be an issue for the Tetra's and my German Blue Rams.

German Rams

My PH is 8.0 and the info I read online, both fish might not make it (or get ill fast etc). German Blue Rams can be difficult to keep. My LFS buys the Rams locally and are used to the water cont. in my area. So, after one month with my Rams, they are very healthy and stong. I take a risk and it paid off so far.

This makes me think about PH levels in general. I do a 20-25% water change weekly and the water tests fine. Maybe the PH is not a huge issue if you have a clean running tank.

Anyways, I wanted to share my luck so far and I'll have pictures soon I hope. If you have Emperor's/German Rams and highier PH, share your stories too

 

[yhbae]

Many will tell you the same thing - stability is more important than nailing the "right" pH. Most species are capable of adopting to the new pH as long as you introduce the change gradually. As long as the pH is not far off from the native environment, it is ok in almost all cases.

But don't try to raise African lake species in pH 6.0...

 

[Melfice]

Many will tell you the same thing - stability is more important than nailing the "right" pH. Most species are capable of adopting to the new pH as long as you introduce the change gradually. As long as the pH is not far off from the native environment, it is ok in almost all cases.

But don't try to raise African lake species in pH 6.0...

I was going to try and lower the PH levels, but people told me it's a bad idea. I'm very happy we have the internet. Because most of my LFS tell me different lol "Oh you need this treatment here. You'll be fine" Thanks for the reply.

 

[abstract]

Many will tell you the same thing - stability is more important than nailing the "right" pH. Most species are capable of adopting to the new pH as long as you introduce the change gradually. As long as the pH is not far off from the native environment, it is ok in almost all cases.

But don't try to raise African lake species in pH 6.0... 

I was going to try and lower the PH levels, but people told me it's a bad idea. I'm very happy we have the internet. Because most of my LFS tell me different lol "Oh you need this treatment here. You'll be fine" Thanks for the reply.

my tap water pH is around 7.6-7.8 ....tank holds steady at around 7.4-7.6 and my blue rams are thriving. I think people generally think it is a bad idea using chemicals to lower the ph, but you could always throw in some peat moss (start with small amounts until you figure out how much you should use) at water changes to help lower that pH...never lower it more than .1 or .2 per day though - that's exactly the type of thing that could kill one of these fish.

 

[Melfice]

Many will tell you the same thing - stability is more important than nailing the "right" pH. Most species are capable of adopting to the new pH as long as you introduce the change gradually. As long as the pH is not far off from the native environment, it is ok in almost all cases.

But don't try to raise African lake species in pH 6.0...  

I was going to try and lower the PH levels, but people told me it's a bad idea. I'm very happy we have the internet. Because most of my LFS tell me different lol "Oh you need this treatment here. You'll be fine" Thanks for the reply.

my tap water pH is around 7.6-7.8 ....tank holds steady at around 7.4-7.6 and my blue rams are thriving. I think people generally think it is a bad idea using chemicals to lower the ph, but you could always throw in some peat moss (start with small amounts until you figure out how much you should use) at water changes to help lower that pH...never lower it more than .1 or .2 per day though - that's exactly the type of thing that could kill one of these fish.

Thanks for the info