ScotJudd
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well done Nicki. A simple question with an assortment of answers and opinions.
I too had questions about Ph,Gh and Kh.
My basic understanding is that Ph is a measure of acidity/alkalinity with 7 being neutral. Some fish like acid < 7 and some like alkali > 7. Most will adapt quite well to any reasonable Ph but they do like it fairly constant.
Kh, carbonate hardness, is sometimes referred to as alkalinity. This is not to be confused with the Ph alkalinity but rather the buffering capacity of the water to resist swings of Ph, mainly towards an acid crash. A higher Kh does make the water a higher Ph, i.e. more alkali but also makes the water Ph more stable.
Gh is the general hardness, i.e. A measure of the dissolved minerals in the water. This does not affect the Ph to any great degree but some fish prefer a higher Gh and some a lower Gh. Again, most fish will adapt as long as the Gh doesn't swing wildly.
So back to your question - do you need to check Gh and Ph? I would say no, but if you have problems with acid water then I would check Kh. My Kh was at zero and I raised it to 6 to make my Ph more stable. My Gh was at zero and I raised it to 6, personal choice, to suit my fish.
I check Ph regularly and Gh/Kh prior to weekly water changes.
In all cases, stability is what I aim for.
Hope that helped a bit.
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
I too had questions about Ph,Gh and Kh.
My basic understanding is that Ph is a measure of acidity/alkalinity with 7 being neutral. Some fish like acid < 7 and some like alkali > 7. Most will adapt quite well to any reasonable Ph but they do like it fairly constant.
Kh, carbonate hardness, is sometimes referred to as alkalinity. This is not to be confused with the Ph alkalinity but rather the buffering capacity of the water to resist swings of Ph, mainly towards an acid crash. A higher Kh does make the water a higher Ph, i.e. more alkali but also makes the water Ph more stable.
Gh is the general hardness, i.e. A measure of the dissolved minerals in the water. This does not affect the Ph to any great degree but some fish prefer a higher Gh and some a lower Gh. Again, most fish will adapt as long as the Gh doesn't swing wildly.
So back to your question - do you need to check Gh and Ph? I would say no, but if you have problems with acid water then I would check Kh. My Kh was at zero and I raised it to 6 to make my Ph more stable. My Gh was at zero and I raised it to 6, personal choice, to suit my fish.
I check Ph regularly and Gh/Kh prior to weekly water changes.
In all cases, stability is what I aim for.
Hope that helped a bit.
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice