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fish for PH 5.0-5.9

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Rockville, MD, USA
A few months ago, I set up a planted tank with a Red Sea substrate (don't remember exact name). It claimed to keep the ph around 6.0-6.5, well, it did to well of a job. At first I ran out of testing solution, but the plants were all low ph plants and they were doing fine, so I decided to get some Peacock Gudgeons, I acclimated them for a while and put them in the tank, they were fine for a day, but then they died off one by one. Later I got dwarf cories (C. habrosus) convinced that the tank I bought them from wasn't the best of qualities. I drip acclimated them for about an hour and a half, and put them in the tank. they were fine for about a day or so, and then THEY died off. I went to my LFS and had them test my water and the ph was below 6.0 (they couldn't go any lower).

Now for the question: what fish (wild or captive) could survive in my tank's conditions. Hopefully some Apistos or Kribs.

oh, the tank is 10 gallons
 

Gillie

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5 Year Member
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Romeo, Mi.
It would probably be best to find someone with a better low range test or possibly a ph meter to see just how low it really is. How long are running the drip?
 

Bilbo

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Bulls. New Zealand
As above. Get your water tested. Those corys should be fine in low pH, it shouldn't kill them in two days anyway. I have kept bronze ones in my apisto fry tanks at < 5.5pH
Also find out what else is going on with your water parameters. If your pH is dropping that much then its likely that something else is causing it.
 

tjudy

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Stoughton, WI
There are a lot of west African fish that can handle pH that low, but they are not too easy to come by. Parananochromis sp. cichlids, Neolebias sp. tetras, Barbus jae...
 

aquaticclarity

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Richfield, WI
If, and that's a big IF, your pH is stable and not bouncing all over the place then you should be good. But if fish are dropping that quickly there is most likely something else going on as well. What are the nitrate levels? I'm guessing with a pH that low something is rotting in the tank!

But if things are stable I'd go with a few Dicrossus filamentosus in a 10 gallon planted tank. The fish don't get huge, like the lower pH water, are stunning fish, and not expensive or hard to come by most of the time.
 

Mike Wise

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Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I agree with the others. Most inexpensive chemical tests are not very accurate below pH 6. If the pH is stable, then there are many blackwater species of apistos (and other fish) that will love your water.
 
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