Do some tail types have more fin issues when kept in alkaline water than others?

[Akeath]

I heard somewhere that Crowntails and Halfmoons have problems with their fin rays being damaged or curling when kept in water with a high pH. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

If it is, is this just a cosmetic thing or does it actually hurt the Betta? And what tail types can tolerate alkaline water best, and which have the most trouble with it?

[Mo]

It doesn't hurt the Betta, I've found plakats are most immune to this while halfmoon, and crowntails have extremely delicate fins, and do not handle hard, alkaline water very well

[zombiegirl]

From what I understand, it's purely a cosmetic thing. Our water has high pH and we have a CT, a HM and a DT. Our CT has some curling from the water but is otherwise healthy. We haven't had our HM long enough for me to tell if it's effecting him or not. Our DT's fins are fine.

[aokashi]

It's not Alkaline water but hard water I thought...?

[Mo]

Alkaline is hard water. Alkaline is just another word for it. There is also acidic water which is soft water

[Alcemistnv]

Oh, I'm afraid then, for myself, then. I have hard water with a softener for the house, but there are periods of having no softener. Also, I go to college and I have no idea about the water level there -.-

Oh I think a dragon betta sounds awesome right now

[bahamut285]

Originally Posted by Mo

Alkaline is hard water. Alkaline is just another word for it. There is also acidic water which is soft water

No, this isn't true at all. Soft water has a tendency to be more unstable than hard water. It has nothing to do with the pH. You can have low pH hard water and high pH soft water.

The word alkaline is just a misnomer for basic (high pH) water.

[aokashi]

Originally Posted by bahamut285

No, this isn't true at all. Soft water has a tendency to be more unstable than hard water. It has nothing to do with the pH. You can have low pH hard water and high pH soft water.

The word alkaline is just a misnomer for basic (high pH) water.

I thought that was the case, but was too noob in terms of water to say :P

[Olympia]

Yep. pH is the ratio of hydroxide to hydrogen. It actually stands for "power of hydrogen" (but in Latin originally lol).
That's why water, H2O in itself is neutral. It has one hydrogen, H+ and one hydroxide, OH-. In equal ratio, so they neutralize each other. Acidic or basic (I find is a better term) water occurs when there is no perfect balance, meaning almost always. Acid from more H+ and base from more OH-. Basic water, for reasons I'm not sure of, is sometimes called alkaline.
Hardness is the measure of minerals. Most often the minerals are calcium and magnesium (though others such as sodium also count towards hardness). Calcium and magnesium are both alkaline earth metals, hence the word "alkalinity." Much more appropriate in this case I believe.
Most often hard water will be basic, as the negative OH ions can more easily pair up with positive metal ions, you do get cases of soft basic water in nature.
WOAH CHEMISTRY LESSON. -smashes head against wall-
My water is at 13dH and pH of 7.5 and my CT is fine. Usually fry are much more likely to get curling as their fins are still less developped. But, my CT got fin rot, in like January, and only about 1cm of his tail has grown back. x.x Soft acidic water is more natural to them and helps their fins regrow better.
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