Ph
- Thread starter glock26
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Whats your tap pH? Whats in the tank? Are you using co2?
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
BBradbury
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 5,011
Hello glo...
If you're keeping a basic tank with fish from the local pet store, then simply change most of the water every few days. This will maintain a steady pH and this is more important to the health of your fish, then a specific pH. Most fish will easily live in water with a pH of 6 to 8.5 as long as the water chemistry is constant.
B
If you're keeping a basic tank with fish from the local pet store, then simply change most of the water every few days. This will maintain a steady pH and this is more important to the health of your fish, then a specific pH. Most fish will easily live in water with a pH of 6 to 8.5 as long as the water chemistry is constant.
B
smallfry53
Aquarium Advice Freak
I'm with BBradbury. Seems to me the old proverb, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" applies to this situation. I don't see why with the inhabitants of your tank, and your pwc schedule you should have any issues.
Test the tap water for pH, gj/kh if you have soft water then it would explain the drop in pH as soft water pH will crash pretty easy compared to a semi soft, if your tap is 6.0-6.5 you will have to add natural pH boosters like V said, crushed coral in your filter, Texas holey rock and many other ways to boost it and keep it stable, don't use no pH booster chemicals as a stable pH is the most important.
Test tap for as mentioned
Ph
KH (CACO3)
GH
And let us know more from there
is not good for the pH to drop so it's vital to know what the source water is as a pH "crash" will kill your fish KH is calcium which is what stabilizes your pH but can increase it.
Not all fish will be fine in 6.0 that's incorrect as it depends on the fish, a hard water fish will not acclimate well to soft water but a soft water fish will acclimate to harder water as a hard water fish takes up more minerals thus needs harder water and if it's soft theres not enough to absorb with Osmoregulation, where as soft water fish use less and in a hard water tank theres and abundance so they don't have issues acclimating to it.
Edit sorry half asleep, ph at 6 is fine I confused by mistake pH to water harness, but kh is what keeps your pH stable, most if not all fish will be fine in a pH of 6.0
Test tap for as mentioned
Ph
KH (CACO3)
GH
And let us know more from there
is not good for the pH to drop so it's vital to know what the source water is as a pH "crash" will kill your fish KH is calcium which is what stabilizes your pH but can increase it.
Not all fish will be fine in 6.0 that's incorrect as it depends on the fish, a hard water fish will not acclimate well to soft water but a soft water fish will acclimate to harder water as a hard water fish takes up more minerals thus needs harder water and if it's soft theres not enough to absorb with Osmoregulation, where as soft water fish use less and in a hard water tank theres and abundance so they don't have issues acclimating to it.
Edit sorry half asleep, ph at 6 is fine I confused by mistake pH to water harness, but kh is what keeps your pH stable, most if not all fish will be fine in a pH of 6.0
BBradbury
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 5,011
Hello Pot...
i was talking about a basic tank with fish from the local pet store, not a more sensitive species. If the poster is keeping a basic tank like 99 percent of the rest of us, his fish are very likely living in the same water supply as the fish in the store. Adding chemicals to the tank water is never a good idea. This is just something else you have to remember to do and can complicate the hobby.
Keep things simple and you'll be more successful.
B
i was talking about a basic tank with fish from the local pet store, not a more sensitive species. If the poster is keeping a basic tank like 99 percent of the rest of us, his fish are very likely living in the same water supply as the fish in the store. Adding chemicals to the tank water is never a good idea. This is just something else you have to remember to do and can complicate the hobby.
Keep things simple and you'll be more successful.
B
Yeah i edited it, I am half asleep I was confusing pH with water harness, and yeah 2 weeks is a petty long time especially if he has hard water fish sucking up the minerals which will cause the tank to crash, even faster if the ops source water is soft as it is.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would like to add my experience with pH. I have pH of 8.2 out of the tap, my fish rarely ever seen a prolonged, healthy life. Some just never acclimated well (long term), others seemed fine only to never put on weight or grow, some would slowly deteriorate, and others would be just fine. I think keeping a pH far from the extremes of 6.0 - 8.5 is best. I now keep a pH of 7.0 - 7.2 in all of my tanks via tap/RO mix and everything seems healthier. Plants grow nicer, fish are more active, more colorful, grow and put on weight and generally are acting healthier.
I would like to point out the comment that was made that it is, and I am just paraphrasing here, "most likely the fish are living in the same water type as the LFS". While this is likely true, the fish I generally see are FAR from "living" at the store. They are always crammed in small tanks, constantly being stressed out by people, water changes, nets, and they just got in from a worldwide voyage. They are far from healthy and far from acclimated to the stores water parameters. They were likely raised over seas in low pH water, and are not adapted to live out the rest of their lives in a high pH environment.
My local fish stores are basically big box stores or corporations, with a few others that really specialize in reptiles and fish come second. Even stores that specialize in fish are still running into a few of those problems I mentioned. But that is the case for many of us and we try our best to adapt but in the end, fish that come from sources like that usually don't live out healthy lives in our tanks, despite giving them the best water quality we can.
I'm not saying that is the case for all fish or all people keeping fish, but a large chunk of us have this problem, and it is why I aim to lower my tank's pH, kH and gH to the levels recommended for each species I plan to keep.
Basic fish usually seem to do okay, but I think saying a pH from 6.0 to 8.5 is a little drastic, that is a huge difference, 6.0 is over 300x more acidic than 8.5. Overall I agree that a stable pH is the best thing and that if it ain't broke don't fix it, if you have fish actively living out a healthy life, I think you shouldn't worry about changing things. If you are going to change something, do it slowly so as to allow for your fish to slowly acclimate to the change.
Edit: I just realized how long this post is, sorry everyone!
I would like to point out the comment that was made that it is, and I am just paraphrasing here, "most likely the fish are living in the same water type as the LFS". While this is likely true, the fish I generally see are FAR from "living" at the store. They are always crammed in small tanks, constantly being stressed out by people, water changes, nets, and they just got in from a worldwide voyage. They are far from healthy and far from acclimated to the stores water parameters. They were likely raised over seas in low pH water, and are not adapted to live out the rest of their lives in a high pH environment.
My local fish stores are basically big box stores or corporations, with a few others that really specialize in reptiles and fish come second. Even stores that specialize in fish are still running into a few of those problems I mentioned. But that is the case for many of us and we try our best to adapt but in the end, fish that come from sources like that usually don't live out healthy lives in our tanks, despite giving them the best water quality we can.
I'm not saying that is the case for all fish or all people keeping fish, but a large chunk of us have this problem, and it is why I aim to lower my tank's pH, kH and gH to the levels recommended for each species I plan to keep.
Basic fish usually seem to do okay, but I think saying a pH from 6.0 to 8.5 is a little drastic, that is a huge difference, 6.0 is over 300x more acidic than 8.5. Overall I agree that a stable pH is the best thing and that if it ain't broke don't fix it, if you have fish actively living out a healthy life, I think you shouldn't worry about changing things. If you are going to change something, do it slowly so as to allow for your fish to slowly acclimate to the change.
Edit: I just realized how long this post is, sorry everyone!
Have to correct you on one thing, a pH of 6 is acidic anything greater than 7 is alkaline 7 is neutral, you can't have a fish that requires a pH of 8 in a tank with a pH of 6 or visa versa, but the rest of the post is spot on.
"One very important thing to know about the pH scale is that it is logarithmic. For example, a pH level of 5 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 6, and a pH of 4 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 6.
So if your fish thrives in a pH of 7 but the water in your aquarium measures 8, your water is 10 times more alkaline than what it should be. If the pH is 9, then your fish are living in water 100 times more alkaline than recommended for optimal health. So it is easy to see why even a small change in required pH can be stressful - and potentially fatal - to your fish."
Couldn't post the picture of it that's off http://m.liveaquaria.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=61
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yea I knew that.... Should have drank my coffee before typing that. My bad, I had it backwards, darn! My mistake for typing too fast, I will go back and fix that.
Z×C
Don't apologize, your point of view is appreciated. My tap water is like yours, about 8.0 - 8.2. I keep several varieties of fish that typically should be swimming in soft, neutral to slightly acidic water. They are usually long lived, colorful, and attain normal size.
The fish seen at big box stores are not only swimming in your local tap water, but also in what ever disease preventative medications the store manager selects. Not a good situation. Although a lot of ornamental fish are bred in Asia, possibly in soft water, a substantial percentage are shipped to Florida fish farms " middlemen", where they are acclimated into holding ponds. I believe Florida to have hard water, due to the statewide limestone deposits. Point being, most box store fish are already acclimated to hard water.
Not all 8.2 tap water is equal. I live in the country, right next to the crystal clear, mineral rich reservoir were my tap comes from. I'm very lucky regarding water quality. Perhaps your water source is lacking. Either way I'm glad your water mixing system is working.
Don't apologize, your point of view is appreciated. My tap water is like yours, about 8.0 - 8.2. I keep several varieties of fish that typically should be swimming in soft, neutral to slightly acidic water. They are usually long lived, colorful, and attain normal size.
The fish seen at big box stores are not only swimming in your local tap water, but also in what ever disease preventative medications the store manager selects. Not a good situation. Although a lot of ornamental fish are bred in Asia, possibly in soft water, a substantial percentage are shipped to Florida fish farms " middlemen", where they are acclimated into holding ponds. I believe Florida to have hard water, due to the statewide limestone deposits. Point being, most box store fish are already acclimated to hard water.
Not all 8.2 tap water is equal. I live in the country, right next to the crystal clear, mineral rich reservoir were my tap comes from. I'm very lucky regarding water quality. Perhaps your water source is lacking. Either way I'm glad your water mixing system is working.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm glad you bring this up, because this is another issue we are all facing. What works for one person is not always going to work for the next person. We ask for advice, people recommend or share their opinions/experience, but who knows if it will work for the next person or not. My tap water is completely different than possibly my neighbor who uses well water and forgot to mention that etc. etc. I ask the guy at the store if they are keeping these fish in regular tap water, he says yes but who knows if he really knows what water this specific species of fish is in. Maybe our waters are IDENTICAL in every way, but I have driftwood or a hardscape that buffers pH, our tank water will respond differently despite having the exact same tap water.
This is partly why I recommend and look for the highest quality, preferably locally bred fish/shrimp etc. so they truly are locally adapted to water that is at least similar to my tap water, and can give me the best chance for success. My location is tough to do that, but I have noticed a difference in higher quality stock. Once you have gone through a tank or two and a few species of fish, you can dial in what works for YOU, and continue emulating that into the future.
Like my rainbows like medium hard water from what I read on the care sheet with a kh of at least 9 with pH of 7.1-7.8 I'm at 7.3-7.4 (really need to get a pH pen) kh is 6-6.5, I'm. Not sure if this will affect them but all my rainbows like different water parameters so it's a catch 22, my tetras like it right where is at, I'm guessing this is why most hobbyists do 1-2 species not 5 they seem super happy, very energetic, but On the topic of the Op, tap water values would be great also maybe a list of the fish in the tank.
smallfry53
Aquarium Advice Freak
Unless the OP goes the RO route (for most folks isn't realistic), the only way to maintain a stable ph is to just do consistent pwcs (which glock26 is). Also the fish glock has aren't super demanding (and I believe actually prefer slightly acid water), which is why I said to keep on keepin' on.
Oops sorry didn't see the post about the fish, it's a simple test of the tap water to check for pH and kh, doesn't matter how demanding the fish are a pH crash will kill them. If the tap. Is 6.0-6.5 the op is fine and just needs to do a water change weekly or twice weekly not bi weekly.
smallfry53
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hmmm I was reading that wrong myself. By biweekly I was thinking twice a week.... 
