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Pea puffer in a pH of 8.4? Or some other options...


Ramie
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Anyone kept a pea puffer in water with a pH of 8.4 and super hard? I have always keep betta...but im worried my current source water parameters are a bit too far out of a bettas range...not 100% sure...some have told me its totally fine and bettas adapt...but the pH is just so high and its very hard...at least 300ppm according to strip tests...i do have a liquid GH test but havent gotten it out yet....long story short... i still prefer to keep a single fish and my tank size has a 10 gallon limit. Would pea puffers do better in water like that then a betta would? Or would either do equally terrible or either adapt fine? Can pea puffers be mentally ok kept alone if their owner gives them a lot of attention? Any other suggestions of a fish that can be kept alone that would like water like that or adapt easily? Someone also suggested to me a paradise fish i believe...any thoughts? (Im apparently very not normal for prefering only a single fish....but i really do...i just have water that would work better for shoaling live bearers...sigh.)

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I haven't personally kept pea puffers (there rare if even available here in Aus last time they were they cost $250 AUD) but I do remember aquarium coop putting up a article on them saying they can be kept from 6.5-8.4 preferred range of 7.2-7.5 but if you keep it healthy in all other ways it would be happy. Also put lots of plants and timber on maybe even some botanicals like almond leaves to slowly soften the pH but it isn't crazy important just an idea they do enjoy that all though. 

no problem with your minerals as the  plants will help eat up the minerals. 

Stability is far FAR more important for fish species then a specific number. The pea puffer would love a plant filled timber and botanical tank for sure!

Giving it it's own 10 gallon kitted out for it and you to spoil and care for it I think it would be living the life.

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3 hours ago, KoolFish97 said:

I haven't personally kept pea puffers (there rare if even available here in Aus last time they were they cost $250 AUD) but I do remember aquarium coop putting up a article on them saying they can be kept from 6.5-8.4 preferred range of 7.2-7.5 but if you keep it healthy in all other ways it would be happy. Also put lots of plants and timber on maybe even some botanicals like almond leaves to slowly soften the pH but it isn't crazy important just an idea they do enjoy that all though. 

no problem with your minerals as the  plants will help eat up the minerals. 

Stability is far FAR more important for fish species then a specific number. The pea puffer would love a plant filled timber and botanical tank for sure!

Giving it it's own 10 gallon kitted out for it and you to spoil and care for it I think it would be living the life.

Very expensive puffer for you all! The whole stability thing is what has got me...im hesitant to try to change my water parameters and risk them becoming unstable...went to petsmart to get driftwood to lower my pH and they told me not to use driftwood etc. or chemicals because it will be at risk to become unstable and 8.4 was fine....but i was also told by a different source that my water is too hard (GH) for a bettas system long term..so thats why i feel like i cant keep betta anymore and looking into other options. I think my KH might be high too though so diftwood etc. might actually not change it much anyway. When you say plants eat minerals...do you mean they lower GH or are we just talking about other minerals?

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In honest truth. No pH is truly stable it always changes as fish breath as minerals dissolve or turn back to rock etc. You absolutely 110% can use driftwood and botanicals. It won't do a whole lot but the tiny tiny bit of softner they output may help bring it down basically a tiny bit more. It won't have a negative impact in the slightest. Timber and leaves are fine pouring in raw acid though I never stand behind like most of the chemicals you can use. 

8.4 it is fine for the pea puffer and I have seen Bettas in higher pH (I've kept mine at 7.4-8 without any issues and what seemed a long happy life) 

pH is a indicator it is not a be all and end all for fish health. Obviously there is exceptions but nearly all fish regularly kept can be very adaptive as long as you meet their needs! I can promise you from doing field research on plants and fish many ecosystems even huge rivers can vary dramatically seasonally even spatially. I have done one river where one creek had 6.1 pH and another was 8.2 pH just upstream and both the exact same type of fish were living in both and everywhere inbetween. 

If the driftwood or botanicals doesn't change it very much then oh well it's just more decorations and fun for the pea puffer or Betta fish they will enjoy it none the less. But any acid they put out will neutralise some of the minerals (as in a acid base reaction) so it may help a little more than you think but not be a problem or be to shocking or negatively affect your fish. 

Plants consume minerals and salts to grow. Therefore if their in your water and growing they will absorb it up be it carbonate or sodium or calcium etc. Only very lightly and over time not immediately but that's a good thing about plants.

Don't panic yourself about numbers or chasing perfect figures. It's not really all that true. It's about general care and about you being in tune with your animals and knowing how to meet their care.

Same as a dog. If you don't have a massive yard but get a larger active dog. You don't have to give it up because you haven't got a huge yard. If you care for and love your dog you'd walk it as much as you could to keep it happy. It's the same with fish. pH isn't perfect. Well make sure everything else is as good as possible and take your time to adapt it and then it will be just as happy. Someone can have the right pH and still hurt/kill their animal because all they cared about was the pH and nothing else.  

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@KoolFish97 im not trying toget a perfect pH..just one a little closer to neutral. And the hardness worries me too. What happened was Seachem told me the pH/GH long term could have been the reason my last fish developed dropsy. So that's what has me worried. Before i just figured if it was stable they would adapt..so i also dont want to make it too unstable....the tank id had running was literally at 8.4 for 11 months..its what it come out of the tap at also...but the only organic thing in it was the fish.....so...i want moss balls and pothos at least this time around...so....would you just throw a betta...which i really would prefer to keep...in it as it is...no chemicals...and just have some extra ogranic life and tannins and just...watch it but it should be fine?

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