# fish that like high ph



## garyg

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could suggest some additions to my 30 gallon tank - my water is about 7.8 ph and I hate to start adding stuff to lower it and "screw everything up". I currently have 4 tiger barbs, 3 scissortails, 2 black skirt tetras, 2 paradise fish, a red tail shark, a platy, and a cory. Any ideas of fish that would get along and like the high ph would be appreciated. thanks!


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## Osiris

mainly ones that appecriate higher ph levels are the african cichlids..but ur ph levels aren't high enough for them..perhaps some from teh western river systems u could do but they'd prolly kill all ur fish...


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## scuba_steve

i disagree as long as you go with malawi cichlids, but your tank is too small for most and they will kill everything you have. most africans are not wild caught and have been introduced to a wider range of ph than in their natural habitat. these fish can handle ph even in the nuetral range without any problems. a consistant ph is far more important. wild caught fish on the other hand have a harder time adapting.

i know bristlenose plecos handle high ph very well and stay pretty small, they dont become poop machines quite as bad as other plecos and will keep your aquarium algae free.
my water is naturally 7.8 and i have no prob keeping tetras, barbs, and cories. i do raise it for my africans though despite what i just said about it not being nessecary


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## Osiris

yea true but like any fish it's health will be superb in his ideal water conditions..i u could prolly get away with lake victoria ones..


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## malawi4me2

A pH of 7.8 isn't really _that_ high. Most captive bred (or fairly hardy) aquarium fish should do fine. My pH from the tap is around 6.8, so I have to raise it for my Malawi cichlids, but it should be suitable for the Apisto. tank that I am planning. You're pretty much stocked for the 30g, although adding a couple more Tiger Barbs, and a few more cories would be a good idea. 
Malawi/Tanganyika cichlids thrive in high pH (8.0-8.4), but are not compatible with the fish that you already have. If you're planning on completely re-doing the tank with different fish, many of the Tanganyika cichlids are small enough to happily be kept in your 30g.


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## Osiris

ya but aren't lake tang. more like 8.4-8.9? ph levels


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## garyg

thanks for the ideas so far - I had thought about adding a couple of angelfish, but I read on another post that the tigers may nip at them and wasn't sure they would do good in the higher ph either (I've seen sites that list the upper end of their preferred ph to be 7.5). Any thoughts from others on how the angels and barbs would get along??


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## scuba_steve

lake tanganyikan fish thrive in a ph of 8.6-9.2, when i was refering to africans i was speaking of malawi mbuna, for a tang, 7.8 would most likely be to drastic of a difference, afterall every incrument of ph over 7 increases the alkalinity by 10x or below 7 acidity by 10x. that would be almost 100x less basic than their natural habitat! 30g is to small for almost all mbuna, except for a few exceptions. shellies are awsome though, never kept them, but i want to setup a tank for them one day soon. but back to your question, angels are normally a fish that likes neutral soft waters, and yes they would be terrorized probally to death by your barbs and your red tail. they like gentle tankmates. imo if you returned those 2 types angels look great with cories. trust me, once you get cichlids (angels being one of them) you will never get any other type of freshwater fish other than more cichlids!


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## Larry-T

7.8 isn't that high and pH is a highly overrated factor. Unless you're trying to spawn discus or recently imported Amazon basin fish, I think just about everything in the fish store will easily tolerate your water.


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## Osiris

lol. u know what would look is some yellow labs and socolofi's with black sand bottem and 50/50 lighting with holey rock in there, o baby would that look good....hmm don't mind me i have like 5 tanks to aquascape


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## Lisachromis

All I might add to that mix is another tiger barb and a few more cories to keep the lone cory company. Beyond that, I think your tank is pretty much maxed out. Your pH is fine for these guys. Do watch out for the redtail shark later on though. They tend to become aggressive as they mature.


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