Im new on here but not really to aquariums. I have had Oscars and South American Chiclids for a while, mainly due to the tap water here has a ph of around 8.0 and they always do quite well in it. I really would like to try a bigger fish. I have had some 10" Oscars but I would really like to venture into something bigger and I love watching the aro's move around when Im at my lfs. My question is will a silver aro adjust and thrive in water with a ph of 8.0?
Aro Question
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Yeah I have read a lot on th web about them. But Im new to the levels of ph in the water. I never really worried about it before with chiclids. How can I lower it that far. I have tried the ph buffers but they only knock i down by a tenth or so then a few days later it is right back where I started.
This.iLoveHebe;3052581; said:
Get a HUGE piece of driftwood for the centerpiece.
Almond leaves work well too.
What's the actual hardness of the water? Or tds count? That would be my concern over ph. You could use an R/O filter system or keptang leaves or driftwood or a combination to lower ph, but I'm not sure it's entirely necessary. Did you ask the lfs if they're treating their water?
Hey brother, where are you in Texas? I began raising my first silver aro in Dallas which had almost nuetral PH. Then, when he was around 12 inches I moved to College Station which has a tap water PH of about 8.5. I dumped container after container of pond water buffer solution to no avail. I finally decided there was nothing I could do except pray to God my fish would survive and add drift wood. In short they all lived and the aro thrived. My point being, I was never able to substantially lower the PH, but that was ok. I think that keeping nutrients (amonia, nitrite and nitrate) low and providing varied, nutritious food is the most important thing.
Good luck!
Good luck!
i have a silver aro that is thriving at 8.7, i have never adjusted my ph except when i first introduce juvi fish that are used to being kept at low ph. what you have to worry about with a high ph is that ammonia is about 100x more potent at a ph of 8.0 rather than 7.0 so massive filtration is a must, and a fully cycled tank is also a must. a fish may survive the cycle process at 7.0, but at 8.0 it just thrashes them (generaly). someone has already stated but i will reiterate, you must have very soft water especially if your ph is high.
ps. i started my aro out in 8.7 at about 4" and it came in a bucket of water that was 6.2. so that is one hell of a jump in a matter of a couple days, and its now 8-9" growing like crazy and healthy as a horse.
