Is this hole in the head???

[Rocksor]

I have thought about trying to soften my water in the past but I've always heard that it is preferable to maintain a stable Ph rather than chasing a number. Granted, perhaps my water is too hard to properly care for certain species?

I may try to add some wood in my sump to see if it would help soften the water some but I'm just not sure how much that would help considering the large water changes.

My ph currently sits at 7.6

Add as much wood as you want but if your KH is 8 degrees or higher, your fish would have to be swimming in wood in order to soften the water.