PH up/down products

[Saltair]

Do API's PH adjustment chemicals work instantly or over a "long" period, i.e. 12 -24 hours?

 

[mudraker]

They make your ph yoyo in short periods of time, stressing out your fish.

Why do you want or need to adjust your ph?

 

[fort384]

They will instantly adjust the pH of your tank (or close to instantly... as soon as the chemical reaches equilibrium in the water). Almost no one needs to alter their pH. Trying to get it to what you think is "perfect" usually causes more problems than it solves. Almost all fish can survive in a wide range of pH values. What they cannot survive are wild swings in pH. The key is consistency over time, which is next to impossible if you are performing regular partial water changes (which you should do) and adding pH altering chemicals.

 

[Saltair]

I was wondering how you would match the PH of new water to the tank water when doing water changes. I was wondering about bringing the tank closer the the stores to lessen the shock on the neons that keep dying.

 

[mudraker]

Oh, you posted the thread on dying neons.

Altering your ph can be an exercise in futility, and more stressful on the fish than adjusting to one stable ph that is different than where they came from.

I think the place sold you unhealthy fish to begin with, regardless of how they looked in their tanks.

 

[jsoong]

pH UP/DOWN alters the pH almost instantly, but the problem is they don't KEEP the pH at that level for any length of time ... so over the day, the pH goes up & down ... much more stressful than just letting the fish acclimatize to a new but stable pH.

To alter the pH (or to doctor the water in any way), you need to have a good understanding of buffers, buffering capacity, acid/base balance ... etc. 99% of the people don't need to do that. Much easier to stay with what you get out of the tap.

 

[BillD]

CO2 injected tanks have daily pH swings, which is harmless to the fish because the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) of the water doesn't really change. TDS difference is far more likely to affect a fish than a difference in pH. Still, palying with pH is rarely necessary with water hardness (again TDS) being a factor in keeping sensitive soft water fish such as some apistos. It is as already mentioned best to live with the water you have , unless you have a real burning desire to play water chemist.