Angelfish in high pH?

hello everyone! I started cycling a 45 gallon tall aquarium and the ph is very high (was 8.5, now is 8.0). I noticed that it was also very high in my established Betta tank, around 8.5 also. The 45 gallon tank's ph has gone down a little and is at 8.0 partially due to driftwood, partially due to me dosing Seachem acid buffer. the tap water is at 8.5 also so when i am doing water changes, will that bring the ph back up and will i have to continually dose acid buffer? this could be a problem for be as i want Corydoras and shrimp and they might not react well to it. My second question is if anyone has had luck keeping angelfish in high ph conditions or if proper acclimation can adjust them. if so how to acclimate them properly (I want black angelfish). let me know about things I can do (not r.o., too expensive)

 

Captive bred angelfish will do fine in that pH. So will most commonly sold corydoras species.

 

Captive bred angelfish will do fine in that pH. So will most commonly sold corydoras species.

won't it hurt them because they don't have scales?

 

I have corys (trilineatus), neocaridina shrimp, and an angelfish all apparently thriving in 8.2 pH water.

 

I have corys (trilineatus), neocaridina shrimp, and an angelfish all apparently thriving in 8.2 pH water.

do you dose any buffers to bring ph down? mine is even higher than that for the most part.

 

won't it hurt them because they don't have scales?

pH is a property of the water, not something in the water itself so theoretically it can't hurt them because they don't have scales.

 

pH is a property of the water, not something in the water itself so theoretically it can't hurt them because they don't have scales.

sorry, I was wondering if adding acid buffer would hurt them

 

sorry, I was wondering if adding acid buffer would hurt them

Not directly but if you use one I doubt the ph will remain stable, which will cause them to be stressed and because of that it may weaken their immune system.

 

Not directly but if you use one I doubt the ph will remain stable, which will cause them to be stressed and because of that it may weaken their immune system.

so should i just leave it alone at the high ph?

 

do you dose any buffers to bring ph down? mine is even higher than that for the most part.

No, I don't, and I wouldn't recommend it either. Unstable water parameters can cause more harm than leaving it alone at slightly less than "ideal" conditions.

 

so should i just leave it alone at the high ph?

Just leave it. A stable pH is much more important than the right pH. I have all sorts of low ph fish in my tank and my pH is 8.2

 

Just leave it. A stable pH is much more important than the right pH. I have all sorts of low ph fish in my tank and my pH is 8.2

thank you for the input! disappointed that i spent 9 dollars on a bottle of it. oh well, mistakes will be made.

 

thank you for the input! disappointed that i spent 9 dollars on a bottle of it. oh well, mistakes will be made.

If it hasn't been opened maybe you could return it.

 

If it hasn't been opened maybe you could return it.

I already used it sadly

 

Like everyone else has said or hinted at, chasing the numbers is (no offense intended) fool's folly. You want your water parameters to be a stable as possible, and just as has already been said, most fish will adapt to "less than optimal" pH.

 

I have a recuse angel. I took him from someone who was getting ready to flush him/her (5 gallon tank and they couldn't understand why the angel picked on the smaller fish ).

I have very high ph because I well water.

My brat angel and he is a brat, is doing great a year later. He/she, a koi I think, has nice shinny scales, growing like crazy and thinks he/she is the king/queen of the tank.

In short, don't worry too much about ph. Like mongo said, worry more about things like ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Keep those things in proper proportions and your angel will do great.