ph level

[lpxaudio]

i want to start a neon tetra tank, thinking of going 10gal. but my water's ph level is a little over 8. will this kill the neons? how can i lower the ph level? and any other tips would be nice, thanks

[Dave66]

i want to start a neon tetra tank, thinking of going 10gal. but my water's ph level is a little over 8. will this kill the neons? how can i lower the ph level? and any other tips would be nice, thanks

That high pH won't immediately kill them, but it'll stress them plenty, and a stressed neon is usually a diseased neon.
There are little canister filters ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]) for a 10. I'd suggest using peat moss designed for aquarium usage in one. The peat will soften and darken the water. I assume the 8+ pH is what comes out of your tap? It'll take some time to determine the ratio, but if you mix your tap with either distilled, reverse osmosis or RO/Dionized water, you'll be able to keep your group of tetras. You'd be aiming for pH 6.8, general hardness 4 or 5 ppm, carbonate hardness 5 to 6 ppm. Temp should be 77 degrees.
Though it sounds complicated mixing tap with distilled, RO, or RO/DI, its what I do, as the water that comes out of my tap is 8.2 and hard as a rock. My ratio is 70 percent RO/DI to 30 percent tap. I store the mixed water in Rubbermaid trash cans so I don't have to mix up some every time I do a partial water change. I always aireate and heat up the water to the tank's temp in the cans when I do a change.

Dave