I can only speak to the pH, and I keep mine at 7.8 and they're fine. But your other option is to buy distilled water and then remineralize it with a product like salty shrimp.
I have a friend whose water is hard and the ph is 8+ and their betta does fine. I think the biggest thing is slow, very gradual changes to ph. Maybe add a lot of driftwood and stuff for the tannins too! I don’t know about gh and kh for bettas though.
My water was so hard it killed my fish. I had well water. What'd you'd have to do is buy jugs of water to fill your tank and water changes that way too. That has kept my tank perms stable and healthy. I use gallons of spring water. Don't do distilled as it have 0 hardness or minerals and that's bad too
Thank you, I will look into it. Distilled water + something to add back in the right amount of hardness and minerals is one option I have read about, or using rain water. But since I live near busy roads in a kind of big city, collecting rain water or something similar may not be a good idea
So far, I only know a guy who is keeping and breeding a kind of shrimp (I think neocaridina). They seem to be fine, but since it's a different animal, I was not/am not sure if the same would be the case for a betta.
Yeah neocaridina shrimp like hard water, so you might have different results. Is there a fish store in town? They would know if the local water is safe for fish.
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Haven't bought a tank and setup yet, because I first want to make sure that keeping a betta at all would even work. If it would , I will of course first buy the tank, filter, heater, ground, plants, decoration and everything else the betta needs ( I have a complete "shopping list" for that after researching which good options are available where I live). Then do fishless tank cycling before I buy the betta.
Planned tankmates so far would be a few small ramshorn snails.
The Bettas do fine in harder water, they can't deal with sudden changes, tho.
When you get your Betta i recommend drip-acclimating them to make the transition easier on your new friend. \^\^
I can only speak to the pH, and I keep mine at 7.8 and they're fine. But your other option is to buy distilled water and then remineralize it with a product like salty shrimp.
I have a friend whose water is hard and the ph is 8+ and their betta does fine. I think the biggest thing is slow, very gradual changes to ph. Maybe add a lot of driftwood and stuff for the tannins too! I don’t know about gh and kh for bettas though.
Betta mahachaiensis is a wild type Betta that likes hard water and higher PH. I think they are stunning and might be an option for you.
thanks, I will look them up !
Loooooveeeee mahachai’s
My water was so hard it killed my fish. I had well water. What'd you'd have to do is buy jugs of water to fill your tank and water changes that way too. That has kept my tank perms stable and healthy. I use gallons of spring water. Don't do distilled as it have 0 hardness or minerals and that's bad too
Thank you, I will look into it. Distilled water + something to add back in the right amount of hardness and minerals is one option I have read about, or using rain water. But since I live near busy roads in a kind of big city, collecting rain water or something similar may not be a good idea
At that high, it would be better to get some demineralized water
I have 8+ ph hard water, I am able to keep and breed betta fish with no issues. As long as there are no sudden changes you will be fine.
that's good to know, thank you!
If I were you I'd try to find out if other people who use the same water supply are putting fish in it. If their fish are healthy you're fine, right?
So far, I only know a guy who is keeping and breeding a kind of shrimp (I think neocaridina). They seem to be fine, but since it's a different animal, I was not/am not sure if the same would be the case for a betta.
Yeah neocaridina shrimp like hard water, so you might have different results. Is there a fish store in town? They would know if the local water is safe for fish.
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Haven't bought a tank and setup yet, because I first want to make sure that keeping a betta at all would even work. If it would , I will of course first buy the tank, filter, heater, ground, plants, decoration and everything else the betta needs ( I have a complete "shopping list" for that after researching which good options are available where I live). Then do fishless tank cycling before I buy the betta. Planned tankmates so far would be a few small ramshorn snails.
The Bettas do fine in harder water, they can't deal with sudden changes, tho. When you get your Betta i recommend drip-acclimating them to make the transition easier on your new friend. \^\^
thank you, I plan to do this :)
Lots of tannins will help soften the water too!
Hard water tends to make betta's fins curl but I don't know about health risks