Ive had a 10 gallon fish tank for about 2 or 3 years now and have never put any fish in it whatsoever because I hadnt been able to regulate the PH level to the proper number. I used a kit as directed and nothing about the water changed even after several months. I was planning to get tropical fish most likely pink or neon tetras which require a PH of about 5 or 6 and are very affected by sudden changed of the levels however the water stayed at 78. I was using tap water but now im wondering if there was some detail that i missed that caused everything to go wrong. When i get the actual fish will changing the water be a problem?

What can I do to fix this?
Also any helpful information about tetras are greatly appreciated

one thing you can get is correct ph it causes the ph to be fish safe all you have to do is drop it in and let it do the work

Water with high alkalinity or buffering capacity is very resistant to change in pH. Your tap water obviously has a lot of dissolved minerals in it I have the same problem in my area.

I resorted to using Reverse Osmosis water in my tanks which is pretty much just purified tap water. This has the pH at about 7 and the buffering capacity is very low after the water is purified so it is much easier to manipulate. You could add bogwood to your tank or a pH lowering product after purification if you decide to go this route. You can buy RO water at grocery stores in those big refillable 5 gallon bottles or get an RO unit. Keep in mind that the pH will also drop from the fish waste with a low buffering capacity.

I honestly think you should just leave your pH alone. If the water is just naturally hard in your area chances are that the water in the dealers tanks is hard also. Its actually worse to go messing around with a pH that the fish are already acclimated to or have been raised inthe whole deal about water hardness and softness is much more important with wildcaught specimens. If you are still worried about it you could always ask the dealer what their water parameters are and try to match theirs. good luck.