pip walters
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I have not read the last couple of pages, just logged on, but I just came from a LFS where the fish guy is a biology major at our local university. He happened to be chatting with a different customer about osmotic shock when I came in. I asked his opinion on pH shock being a myth, and he agreed wholeheartedly and said that his biology professors at the university teach that pH shock is a myth and is actually osmotic shock.
It's very "he said she said" but there's at least some other academic professional biologists out there who think the pH argument that is perpetuated by the hobby is not relevant.
Interesting. Osmosis is governed by the dissolved mineral salts in the water. Personally, I would be surprised if this could cause such instant effects as I and newfishmum have experienced, but if so I would expect to see it n species like cardinal tetras that may have been raised and transported in low mineral water ( RO). Also, why would it affect ony certain species (again, in my experience). I never saw this happen when receiving fish into the retail shop I worked in.... only since I have worked with newly imported. Also, it doesn't always happen even with those susceptible species. I am wondering if it is something to do with the pressure in an inflated bag and the use of pure oxygen.... but why only a few species? More research me thinks.