how much baking soda should I put my in my snail for my mystery snails?
2007-01-15 15:50:21 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
I regularly use baking soda in most of my african cichlid tanks since these particular fish thrive in high pH/high alkaline conditions. Most of the people advising against the use baking soda in their responses to your question don't know what they're talking about and/or never actually used in an aquarium.
Baking soda acts as a buffer in an aquarium environment and increases pH and the carbonate hardness of the water which helps prevent or slow the decrease of pH. Probably not advisable for aquatic life with low pH requirements, though.
Not sure if snails require or would benefit from baking soda or not. How much to use depends on what the KH/pH parameters of your source water are and what your target KH/pH levels are.
2007-01-16 03:38:09 · answer #1 · answered by Kay B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Baking soda is a completely harmless way of RAISING the PH. Adding it will raise it to about 8.3 and then neutralize there.
The biggest affect Baking soda has on the water is the increase of the KH (carbonate hardness), whiich it does exceptionally well.
It is true that for most fish you don't want this, but if you keep fish meant for more alkaline water, like the cichlids from lake Tanganyika, Baking soda is the perfect solution - cheaper and more reliable then store bought products.
Apple Snails can grow fragile and weak if the water is too acid, and they actually do best in neutral to slightly alkaline water. If your PH is very low (closer to 6 then 7) baking soda might be a viable solution. Before you use it, make sure you test the water so you know the carbonate hardness of your tank as it is, and use it slowly and carefully so as not to go overboard, testing PH and KH regularly. If you have any delicate fish that need more acid water then you will have to choose to cator to one type or the other.
2007-01-15 23:34:30 · answer #2 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Baking soda raises PH and Kh. I run a 50 gallon saltwater setup and shoot for a PH of 8.2 to 8.4 baking soda is very helpfull. You definitely need a reliable means of testing the PH of your water, but here is how I do it:
1. measure PH and determine I want to raise it
2. remove 1 cup of water from my tank
3. dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in the cup I removed
4. return the water to the tank
5. wait 24 hours and test again
NOTE: Remember that fish and inverts are very sensitive to changes in PH, I do not suggest altering the PH more then 0.5 in any 24 hour period, 0.2 in 24 hours might be a good goal.
Good luck!
2007-01-18 04:41:39 · answer #3 · answered by Saltwater Fish Guy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is commonly used to increase the pH and total alkalinity of the water for pools and spas. Sodium bicarbonate can be added as a simple solution for restoring the pH balance of water that has a high level of chlorine. It is, however, poorly soluble in water. Therefore, I would not use it in an aquarium. Too, you need to know what the existing PH level is using a PH testing kit--either drops or strips. A neutral PH of 7 is best.
2007-01-15 15:58:31 · answer #4 · answered by HoneyBunny 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
what kind of fish do you have? seeing as different fish need different pH, 7 is not the best for fish like oscars or on the opposite, tetras. when you find out what your fish need as a pH you can either naturally change it ( this can take a while) or go to a petstore and get either pH 7.2 ( or the lower or higher versions) this is the quickest simplelest way~
2007-01-16 02:04:53 · answer #5 · answered by Twilite 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do NOT use baking soda. Period.
If you need to lower the PH in your tank, get destilled water( one dollar for one gallon) which is the quickest and safest way. What PH is your tap water? What PH is your tank water at?
Good luck.
2007-01-15 16:03:54 · answer #6 · answered by poecilia.r.lvr 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Kay B well said you should get voted best answer for this question you beat me to it isnt it a shame that some of these people have no clue about fish and they think they know something they probally have guppies in a coffe cup
2007-01-17 06:11:26 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
baking soda in your fish tank?!? are you nuts? you're gonna kill your fish or anything you have in there! if you are wanting to fix the ph in your tank, go to petsmart or a pet store and buy ph balancer, it's really cheap.
2007-01-15 15:57:10 · answer #8 · answered by justanormalguy 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I have never heard of putting it in a tank, but it would lower the acid as that is why folks take it for an upset stomach.
2007-01-15 15:54:53 · answer #9 · answered by gramma 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋