# Neon Tetras : 8KH & 8.1 pH.. Yay or Nay?



## Izzy- (Jun 11, 2014)

15 gallon aquarium
pH: 8.1
kH : 8 degrees
heavily planted
good filtration

My harlequin rasboras, which people claim need acidic water are doing fantastic in my other aquariums. But i wasn't too sure how neon tetras would handle my water as they are not as hardy as harlequin rasboras. What do you guys think?

Should i go for it? My pH stays very stable for the most part, tapwater and in tank.


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## Bob Madoran (Dec 22, 2014)

I have never had Tetras before so I could not tell you. But acidic is a ph less than 7, alkaline is a ph more than 7. It's easy to confuse the two, but there is a simply little trick to remember which is which. The word acidic has 6 letters which is less than 7 and alkaline has 8 letters which is more than 7.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Man bred fish has a wider tolerance. I think your rasboras was farmed.

Neons, may be wild caught so I'd say nay. Around 7ph is ideal.


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## vernsker14 (Mar 13, 2014)

My neons are fat and happy at a ph of 8.4


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## vernsker14 (Mar 13, 2014)

If you by them from a LFS that has RO water or a lower ph make sure to acclimate them slowly.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

I vote no.
As OP has already noted,neon's aren't all that hardy to begin with, so keeping them in hard alkaline water prolly ain't gonna do nothing to help em out. 
Guess it comes down to how many are you prepared to lose in the effort.

Bump:


vernsker14 said:


> My neons are fat and happy at a ph of 8.4


 Just a month ago you were losing fish at rapid rate according to previous post's and reported your pH at 7.5
What tank are your neon's in and why the difference in pH from 7.5 which the neon's could handle,to 8.4 which would not be as comfortable for them?


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## vernsker14 (Mar 13, 2014)

Sure I'll bite at this....

The fish death was in my high tech tank that runs compressed CO2 and has lots or driftwood in it. The pH in that tank is around 7.2-7.5 and the fish death was due to columnaris which has now been cured. The illness came in on some rescued fish that I felt I didn't need to quarintine (lesson learned). After running a UV sterilizer for over a month and dosing meds we are looking health again. 

My neons on the other hand are in a low tech tank where the pH is pretty much the same as local tap water. Our water in the palouse is extremely hard and very high pH. one of my LFS uses an RO system and the other does not. Regardless of where I got my fish I acclimate them properly and they thrive.


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## shloken38 (Aug 17, 2012)

I too keep neons in a higher ph....around 7.8. I do a slow, long acclimating process for all of my fish, and have never had an issue. I stopped asking the lfs's in my area what their ph was because every single one always said 7.0. It has to do with the store's stock, I would think.

I actually just upgraded a tank (29 to 55) several weeks ago. I had the ph in the 29 down to around 6.8 - 7.0. But setting up the 55, my tap water is 7.8 - 8.0. I acclimated them over a 24hr period and they are doing great. They are nice and active, schooling, the works.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Well of course they are.
Some species can adapt more easily than other's, but it often pay's to keep many of the tetra species in softer water not withstanding those who may very well be exception's and those who for unknown reason's attempt to get the fishes to conform to what THEY feel the fishes should accept.
I would imagine that the less chemical's and or mineral salt's that planted tank folks often use(ie) excel.glut,metricide,powdered fertz peroxide,would maybe have more of an affect than would a tank sans plant's, where maybe only tap water make up would/could be issue.
In any event,many (including myself) try to keep fishes somewhere in mid ranges suggested by most literature dated,or more recent,than attempting to keep them at upper ranges with respect to Temp,pH,GH.
My two cent's.
Ain't it great?? even the dull and or ignorant get to voice their opinion's through this forum and other's.
Why I remember "Party lines" where you might pick up the phone to call someone , only to discover that a neighbor, or perhaps someone several miles away might already be on the phone speaking to another neighbor and you would have to wait your turn.
These were the day's that the Neon's were considered very hardy fishes before all of the agricultural run off,and increased chemical, pollution in our waterway's got to present condition's.
Don't hurt to try and give fishes a break I don't think, assuming it is their long term health that is of primary concern.
Other folk's are merely fish collector's in my view who stock their tanks through attrition mostly.


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## shloken38 (Aug 17, 2012)

Wow....never seizes to amaze me all the "Planted Tank Gurus" we have here. What exactly makes one a master at anything?

One thing I've learned in this hobby is to take everyone's advise with a grain of salt. If you really delve into the research as I have done, you will get such a wide range of parameters, opinions, "facts" etc. Google a fish, any fish, and check out 10 websites about how to care for that fish. As a beginner it can be overwhelming...ph range for fish X is 6.5-7.5, no wait, this site says 7.0-8.0.

I've spent countless hours reading about the hobby, even now when I've been pretty successful for some years. I am no master by any means, but I feel I have a good grip on how to handle most situations. It took me several months to pull the trigger and upgrade my tank. Why? Because I had all the parameters where I needed them, which if you read, were the "correct" parameters for the fish in the tank. I did not want to disturb the balance I had in that tank....it took a lot of work and time to get it there. On the same token, a tank double the size would be even better for its inhabitants. The bigger the better, right? Folks on here scold others for having a 10 gallon tank sometimes. "What should I put in my 10 gallon"-------"You should really consider getting a bigger tank". Not all people have the means to do that. Does that mean they shouldn't bother getting into the hobby?

I love this website and appreciate all the advise that I received from all different members. I'm actually friends with some of the folks on here from past and present. But some folks need to relax. If you disagree with someone, fine. This IS a forum for people to voice their opinions and share their experiences to try and help others. But to say that people are dull and ignorant or just a "fish collector" is ignorant in itself. Try encouraging people to do more research so they can do the right thing and be successful. Help them out. Is that so hard? Instead, someone bashes someone else over the head for not doing things the way they would do it, because their way is the right way.....or so they think.

Apologies to the OP for going off on this tangent. But there was something in the thread that needed to be addressed. I definitely don't appreciate when someone takes shots the way they do. If anyone has any other issues, feel free to PM me.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

How about looking into fish that thrive in your water?

Asian Rummynose handle somewhat harder, alkaline water quite well. 
Small relatives of Rainbow Fish (Pseudomugils) may- do some research about which species. 
Most live bearers are great in harder, alkaline water.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

All I meant is that even the dull and the ignorant have a right to be heard and to voice their opinion's.
I am sometimes considered dull and ignorant but my dog's love me.
As to the rest of my views as posted,,I'll stand by em as being just what I said they are ..my views.
Oddly enough,,they are often shared by other's.
Have a coke,relax.


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## Clear Water (Sep 20, 2014)

Go for the neons. There all coming from over seas and there tank raised. A good breeder measures his succeed by the 1000's per month and most dealer stock them in hard water around here. Also you could try to buffer your ph and try to get up to your ph. But I don't think you'll have any problems.


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## Okedokey (Sep 2, 2014)

i think the hardness and ph is too high. Remember, 8 is 10time more alkaline than 7.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Clear Water said:


> Go for the neons. There all coming from over seas and there tank raised. A good breeder measures his succeed by the 1000's per month and most dealer stock them in hard water around here. Also you could try to buffer your ph and try to get up to your ph. But I don't think you'll have any problems.


 
Is part of the problem.
As you say, they are bred for number's as opposed to quality or attempting to create stronger fish.
Ditto for fancy guppies,platy's,mollies nowday's.


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## PerfectDepth (Dec 3, 2014)

I've always heard that neons are not very hardy fish, but I've had nothing but great luck with them. They are just small fish, so you can't expect them to not be easily stressed. It's possible I've just always had captive-bred neons from good stock. Some might say that since they don't breed in my water it isn't ideal (Baseline pH of 7.8, kH around 7). I don't know, they still appear very healthy and live a full lifespan regardless. 8 dkH might be a bit high, I'm not really sure, but I wouldn't be afraid to try it. I think they would be fine as long as they are healthy to start with.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Okedokey said:


> i think the hardness and ph is too high. Remember, 8 is 10time more alkaline than 7.



+one, PH is logarithimc scale
8.4 pH is ten X more alkaline than 7.4
I can keep the neon's at 7.4 fairly well for over time,,my water in the tank drift's downward toward's pH 7.2
If I had pH of 8.0 or above,I might not want to subject fishes that thrive in more neutral environment to such extreme difference.


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## ReaxHeat (3 mo ago)

roadmaster said:


> Is part of the problem.
> As you say, they are bred for number's as opposed to quality or attempting to create stronger fish.
> Ditto for fancy guppies,platy's,mollies nowday's.


Lol I am, 7.8 out the tap breeding fancy guppies, pea puffers, chili rasbora, scarlet badis, multiple types of Cory, and now neon green tetra


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