HELP! - First aquarium - water chemistry problem!

[HALOphax]

Hey guys,

Me and my girlfriend just bought a 20 Gallon Aqarium last night, and spent all night setting it up :)

Today we went out to buy the TEST KIT to help us get the correct water conditions, and maintain them after we get our lil fishies!

After 14 hours of having water in our tank, and our filter running...here are our results...

Water Temp: 78
Water PH: 7.3
Nitrates: 0 (good)
Ammonia: 0.06 (low)
General Hardness: 2.24 dH LOW - SOFT
Carbonate Hardess: 30 mg/L (LOW)

From the results, our first thoughts were : "yo, our water seems to be a bit soft...i think we should get a solution that will make it harder`. After looking into it, most of the research says that hardening the water will slightly RAISE PH, because soft water is usually a sign of low PH (not the case in our situation)

We plan to buy tropical fish (tetras), which can apparently thrive in slightly soft water.

What do we do...I dont want to mess with our PH...that seams VERY important...but I dont want to harm our fish by having water that is too soft!

Thanks for any help!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

They will be just fine. Fish are extremely adaptable and will do just fine in your water. Since this is your first tank I'd recommend you read up on "Fishless cycling." That will help you get a good start in this hobby and will help prevent fish loss or disease.

[Northernguy]

Welcome to the wonderful AC!
Here is a bit of reading so you can learn how to cycle your tank.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ead.php?t=5640
There is also a free E-book I strongly recomend you read.It is important.
Your ph is not a huge concern as long as it is stable.
We will help you through the cycle stage but knowing what we are talking about is important.

[Glub]

As far as I'm aware, water hardness is probably the least important measurement to your fish.

High and/or unstable pH will be more likely to harm your fish than soft water IMO.