Soft Water Fish

[H11Z3]

My water is quite acidic and I was wanting help on what fish to select I'm not quite sure how acidic the water is, I might go get a water test soon, so if you guys have any ideas that would be great or any ideas on turning my water to more neutral

 

[Essjay]

Please don't alter the pH, instead choose fish which like your water.
Acidic water usually goes with soft water, and it would be helpful if you could find out how hard your water is as well as the pH. There are many fish suitable for soft, acidic water - most of the fish from south America and Asia, for example. Soft acidic water just means to avoid fish such as the common livebearers, most rainbowfish, and Rift Lake cichlids as they need hard to very hard water and pH above 7.

 

[Anonymous Fox]

Tetras, Barbs, Gouramis, Corydoras catfish, Rasboras, and Angelfish
Those are all the ones i can name off of the top of my head. But the list goes on

 

[H11Z3]

What fish would do well in a 180ltr

 

[Essjay]

I have a 180 litre tank and currently have pearl gouramis, harlequin rasboras, espe's rasboras and a few old fish the last of their shoals. These fish need floating plants in the tank, something else to bear in mind.


Have you set up the tank yet? If not, do you know about cycling - the process of growing good bacteria or establishing a good number of live plants before getting fish?

 

[H11Z3]

yes all set up and aqua_scaped i dont have plants yet but it coming around and i have already checked what plants would do best but i couldn't quite find out what fish and my plant selection is (Amazon Swords Anubias java moss)

 

[Essjay]

Amazon swords will take up a lot of the ammonia made by the future fish, though anubias and java moss being slow growing will remove less. I would also think about getting some floating plants such as water sprite or Amazon frogbit or water lettuce as many fish like to have something over their heads. Amazon swords are greedy root feeders so you will need some root tablet fertiliser for them. If they are available in South Africa, Seachem Flourish root tabs are one of the better brands. Don't forget that anubias plants need to be attached to decor rather than planted in the substrate.

Once the plants arrive and are in the tank, take a photo. This will remind you what they looked like as soon as they were planted. Wait a couple of weeks then compare the tank to the photo. If the plants are sending out new growth, it will be OK to get the first batch of fish. Test for ammonia and nitrite every day after getting fish, hopefully they will stay at zero. If they do, wait a couple of weeks, then get the next fish, testing daily after they are added.

There will be a gap between planting the tank and it being ready for fish, time to find out your hardness (GH) and pH, then decide on your fish list.

 

[H11Z3]

ok well the tank have been up for a year with a pleco in it sadley my gravel is pea gravel but i do have some seachem aqua soil (black) thats been in there for 2 months it in the scape surrounded by rocks if you want i can send a photo of the tank

 

[Essjay]

I hadn't realised there was already a fish in the tank!

The tank will have some bacteria already but if you add more fish there won't be enough, they will have to catch up. The plants will remove ammonia, but I would wait until they are actively growing before getting more fish - you don't want to get fish then find the plants are dying and adding more ammonia.

I use plain sand rather than a special plant substrate but from what I understand these substrates tend to become inert after a year or so. If yours is just 2 months old, it could well be enough at the moment, but you will probably need root tabs later.
I need to leave it to members who have used this plant substrate to say if it's enough for amazon swords at the moment.

 

[H11Z3]

ok so is the pleco fine in there or does something need to happen like using prime or stability and my filter has a lot of filter floss in it i have had previous fish before but they where not doing so good in the tank assuming because of the water it is bore hole-water but it has copper pipes leading to be acidic and i am getting plants before i get more fish i just want to know what fish would be good with the water

 

[Byron]

We need to know the water data, specifically the GH (general or total hardness) and pH of your tap water. If you aree on city water, check with the water provider, they may have this data posted on their website, or they should be able to tell you if you call them.

As to the pleco, do you know the species? Some remain fair4ly small, in the 3-4 inch range, but some get considerably larger, up to a foot and more.

As to the substrate, pea gravel will work for many fish, but not substrate fish like Corydoras for example, so this limits those fish. The "plant" substrate might be best removed, these can have issues for fish too.

 

[H11Z3]

if my memory serves me correctly it only grows 15cm (5 inches) and i dont live in a city and im planning to move to sand and im getting plants before i get fish the soil should be covered for the pleco ik the gravel is not the best but i got drift wood in there so it should be ok and for corys not planning on getting them yet

 

[Byron]

if my memory serves me correctly it only grows 15cm (5 inches) and i dont live in a city and im planning to move to sand and im getting plants before i get fish the soil should be covered for the pleco ik the gravel is not the best but i got drift wood in there so it should be ok and for corys not planning on getting them yet

I would suggest that if you think you will change the substrate, in part or totally, do it now before fish and plants are added. The "soil" can be problematic and frankly is probably not benefiting (or will not benefit) plants anyway. Plants grow just as well in any substrate that is not too large...and pea gravel is on the borderline here. Inert sand is best overall, plants and fish, so it leaves all options open to you.

You do need to pin down the GH and pH of your source water. Do you have a local fish store that will test these? If they do, make sure you write down the numbers for each, and the unit they use for GH as this can vary.

 

[H11Z3]

i do have a fish store that can test my water

as for the pea gravel for some reason sand is quite expensive here same as drift wood but i did find this one place that sells it for a cheaper price and i think i can order it how ever my tank is quite big (180ltr) its taller and longer like a rectangle i can send measurements if needed.

also what the problem with the soil because if i move it will make that murky black stuff and im not sure if it safe to remove

 

[itiwhetu]

Is it soil or peat you have in your tank. The other thing to consider is heat some fish do better in warm tanks than others. Soft acidic tanks are the easiest ones to keep as long as you think about things.