I just bought a betta. I have had them before at this house using this water without much difficulty. I had one live almost 18 months.

Anyway, I have been doing reading about bettas, and I realize that my ph is too high for them at 8.0

Should I try to adjust it, or is it better to leave it?

I do believe that 8 is indeed too high for your betta, which may, in the long run, shorten his life and leave him susceptible to illness. Is 8 the ph of your tap water? If not, multiple small water changes may be in order. If it is, ph down works real well to lower ph. I have kept bettas for a few years now and I have discovered that mature bettas can sometimes be pretty resilient to ph fluctuations. Betta life spans can be up to 3 years, so 18 months is a bit short if you had him since he was a baby... although, petstores usually have them for a while before you even get them so he may already have been mature when you got him... Good luck with your betta:)
~Stasia

Yes, 8 is the ph of my tap water.

The betta that lived 18 months was a pretty big guy when I got him, so perhaps he was older.

I will go out and get the ph down. Thanks

Is your betta in a bowl or aquarium? Whichever it is, just make sure you follow the directions on the box and adjust accordingly if your betta is in a bowl... (like perhaps a few drops), but anyways, while you're adjusting ph, always test frequently to make sure you aren't going too fast. good luck!

~Stasia

p.s. my betta is happy in his ph of 7.2.. I wouldn't adjust lower than 7 though...

Here is an idea. Would it be OK to get water from my parent's house to use for water changes? Their ph is lower, in the mid 7's. Seeing it is only a 5 gallon tank, I wouldn't need a large container to last me a month. Then over the course of a few changes, I would lower it to the mid-7's and if I used my parent's water on a regular basis, I could keep it there.

Would that be a safer bet than using chemical? I know that I would have to use a dechlorinator with my parent's water, but I use Prime anyway, even with my well water.

Doi I completely forgot about that! I do that when I'm home! except.... for a twenty gal tank, lots of lugging... that's a great idea and so easy, yes, always use a dechlorinator
Good luck to you:)
~Stasia

It wouldn't be really practical with a larger tank, however with the 5 gallon tank, it wouldn't take all that much water. I think I might try this

Thanks for all of your help.