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Keeping Cardinals

BarryH

Member
Joined
25 Feb 2017
Messages
608
Location
Derbyshire
I'd like to keep Cardinals but the water in my area "Slightly Hard" sounds a bit to hard for them from reading what I can on Google.

Is there anything I can do to lower the pH of the water either once it's in the tank or before I add it? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Or have I got it wrong and pH is nothing to do with hardness?
 
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Hi
Lots of the fish in shops are now tank raised and adapted to various water parameters.Cardinals are pretty hardy fish.Ive kept them in hard water so U should be ok with the water U have.There are few ways to lower Ph but depending on your experience its more likely to do more harm than good tampering with the water parameters to get specific values.All U need is regular waterchanges and clean water in the aquarium to keep them.
Regards Konsa
 
I live in berkshire with very hard water. I currently keep cardinals and they have outlasted many other species in my tank. I dont try to alter my water in anyway to suit my aquarium. I just stick to what works with my water, luckily the cardinals have been a success as they are stunning fish when coloured up nicely


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Indeed....you don't need to adjust your tap water.
Cardinals with do well in hard water......if your interested in breeding them you will have to alter the water chemistry, to suit their breeding requirements!
Incidentally I have had a few Tetra fry " not Cardinals/Neon's" appear occasionally in a heavily planted tank, so it is possible to rear some species in harder waters!
hoggie
 
Rather than start a new thread and as I now have a question along the same lines, what do UKAPS members with small fish (Cardinals, Neons ETC) in planted tanks feed them on?

As I only have tanks with large fancy goldfish, the only food regime I am used to is feeding pellets, peas and other greens along with the occasional frozen blood worm treat.
 
Hilari mini pellets,King British Flake,Dajana Flora flake and live b/shrimp ,occasional frozen cube Looking at Fish Science foods.Quite a lot of the more difficult tetras ,once they become settled and from a good source of course become quite adapted and hardy
 
Thanks for the help. I use the Hikari brand for my fancy goldfish, any recommendation which of their products to go for with the Cardinals?
 
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The micro pellets as part of your proposed tetra food, hikari seem to have a decent reputation for quality and quite a range for different fish Discus,Koi and many more
 
I believe the term "slightly hard water" or "hard water" is subjective.
I have kept cardinal's in 12 dgh and pH of 7.6 from the tap, and maybe lost two out of a bakers dozen.(
Not sure I would attempt them with water much harder.
We may be able to keep many species in water's that are a bit out of the norm or suggested parameter's, but mileage will vary in my opinion.
Add to maybe just barely able to keep them,the sharp increase in Total dissolved solid's from mineral salt's we add (sometimes daily),and possible CO2 level's close to too much for them,and some may last longer than other's.
Goes without saying that good stock,steady or stable parameter's will yield the most favorable result's.
Always easier to keep soft water fishes in soft water if it is truly the fishes welfare that is of interest.
 
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