aquarium setup guide
| pH | hardness | temperature | salt | aquascaping | |
| Rainforest Fishes (South American and West African cichlids; bettas and gouramis; tetras, barbs, danios, rasboras; etc.) |
6.0 to 7.0 | soft to moderate | 76° to 82°F | no salt needed | plants; driftwood; inert rocks (quartz, slate, granite, onyx, etc.), gravel, and sand |
| African Rift Lake Fishes (cichlids and other fishes from the rift Lakes) |
7.5 to 8.5 | hard to very hard | 74° to 80°F | Rift Lake salts (if needed to increase hardness and pH) |
soluble rocks, gravel, and sand (dolomite, limestone, coral rock, lace rock, tufa rock) |
| Central American Fishes (Central American cichlids, livebearers, cave tetras, catfish, etc.) |
7.0 to 8.0 | moderate to hard | 74° to 82°F | many species are salt-tolerant | plants; driftwood; all rocks, gravel, and sand (soluble and non-soluble) |
| Brakish Fishes (monos, scats, some puffers, mollies, gobies, etc.) |
7.8 to 8.0 | moderately hard | 74° to 82°F | specific gravity 1.001 to 1.012 | self tolerant plants (anubias, Java fern, mangrove); driftwood; all rocks, gravel, and sand |
| Marine Fishes (all coral reef fishes) |
8.3 | moderately hard | 76° to 84°F | specific gravity 1.025 | live rock; macroalgae; soluble rocks, gravel, and sand |
