Ph and hard water

[angrybeerguy]

I have a ph of 7.6+ and hard well water. Should I worry about it with keeping loaches?

[Doc]

It all depends on which Loaches you intend to or are keeping. Some of the Balitoridae live in hard , alkaline water. Most of the more common loaches in the trade such as Botia prefer softer more acidic conditions. There are also many ways to chemically alter your water supply , some are expensive others are relatively cheap but doing so is an ongoing battle and can become tedious.
Loaches can adapt to parameters at the edges of their physiological range but stressing them too far will result in problems further down the line.

[Diana]

What is the actual KH and GH of your water?
if the KH is high, then altering the pH will be expensive. (Reverse osmosis is the best way, not adding chemicals)
If the GH is high, again RO is the best.

Fish that prefer soft, acidic water actually prefer low TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). There is a test meter for this, but if you look at the GH and KH you can get a pretty good idea how much minerals and salts are in the water. The only way to lower the TDS is to remove the minerals and salts. You cannot make low TDS water by adding more stuff to the water, even if what you add makes the pH more acidic.

As for keeping Loaches, what is the GH and KH? If they are under 10 degrees than the water is probably OK for most Loaches.
A pH of 7.6 does not sound too bad, and it is likely that many Loaches would do fine for you.

[Tinman]

Mine did much better when I added peat moss to soften the water. Do yours have a whitish haze at times? They ussually look much brighter and therefore healthier in softer water. I was there and do adjust with a peat pillow based on tank size. You may soften the water previous to water changes via Diana's wonderful method if you are intrested....It will benefit your loaches I promise.....

[angrybeerguy]

Thanks for all the help. Ive look at petco and petsmart. I cant find peat moss thats safe for the fishes.

[Tinman]

Lowes, Home Depot Canadian Spaghum Peatmoss nothing with fertilizer added or anything like that of couirse....Just peat.

[angrybeerguy]

how much peat per 10 gallons?

[Blue]

how much peat per 10 gallons?

It's really trial and error. The amount depends and you need to watch your pH carefully for swings.

[angrybeerguy]

Dont know if I did the test right but the ph was 7.6 the kh was 8dkh and the gh was 1dgh. The test kit is over 5 years old if it matters. Thanks for the help.

[Diana]

Do not worry about the pH and hardness of this water. The water is not really hard, such a low GH is fine.
For a 10 gallon tank I use a couple of tablespoons of peat moss in a nylon stocking and arrange it in the filter so the water flows through it. After 24-48 hours test the pH, GH and KH again and see if there have been any changes.

If you find the GH drops even more (to 0 degrees) I would add some GH booster to the water. Fish can use the minerals in the water, and 0 degrees of GH suggests no calcium or magnesium in the water. This will not affect the pH.

[angrybeerguy]

Thanks alot are you on fishgeeks also.if so thanks for the fishless cycle article.

[angrybeerguy]

Added the peat moss after 48 hours the ph droped down to 6.8 Have to do the other tests tomorrow