proper pH levels?

Question

for bala shark ,gold fantail,reed tip shark, molly, tetras, betta, and pictus catffish yeas all in same tank whats the average pH lvl to maintain

Answer 1

The best PH level to maintain is the one you already have. These fish are quite tolerant of a wide range and messing with it tends to cause unstable water, especially if you try to use those lousy quick fix bottled solutions they sell at the store.

That said, mollys and goldfish tend toward higher PH water then the rest of your fish so you couldn't cator to them all anyway.

Answer 2

As far as I am aware none of those are overly sensitive to PH. Most captive fish have adapted to a wide range of PH, with the exception of a few breeds and a few breeds that only have a problem with PH if you want them to breed (discus for one).
I found after trying to change the PH when I first began having aquariums that it is very expensive and very hard to keep it where you want it. I always got what is called PH bounce. The PH would suddenly bounce several levels back where it wanted to be. Buffers did not seem to help much.
I feel that a constant PH is much healthier than continually raising or lowering it. Doing so puts great stress on your fish, allowing the opportunity for disease to strike. They are better off with a steady PH. I never asked, but I bet the fish stores do not mess with PH.
Most of the time I have been involved with aquariums I have lived in the city. My PH was 8 to 8.5, sometimes as high as 9.
I have always had healthy tanks with lots of new fry. I have been doing this for about 15 years now.
I would worry more about water changes, temperature, and your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels than PH.

Answer 3

Whatever comes out of your tap!

Honestly most fish will survive in a very wide range oh pH. You are best off leaving the pH as it is and your fish will be fine.

Fish are very intollerant of pH changes, so when you try to increase or decrease the pH of your tank it is very, very stressful on the fish. pH shock can kill your fish in a matter of minutes.

You are much better off with a stable pH, even if it isn't the "optimal" pH for your fish.

Answer 4

ph is a funny thing a ph around 7.0 would keep most fish. the only reason i would worry about ph is if you have well water or your city gose nuts with adding chemicals to the water or you are breeding fish .
ive checked my ph one time in 5 years and never had a problem and i use city water. some say check it some say dont bother. unless theres a reason I say dont wast your time with it check to see what your dealing with and if its city water it should stay around the same all the time as the city has to check there water all the time.

Answer 5

Weird combo you have there, good luck :) Your best bet is to leave the ph alone as long as it's between 6.0-8.0. Most fish now are tank bred or farm raised, so they can handle most any ph as opposed to wild caught fish. If you don't know what you're doing when you alter the ph, you can cause it to crash, which will stress/kill your fish. A stable ph is much better for fish. Here's a link that explains all about ph, kh, & gh and how to adjust it properly and all that's involved:

http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/chemistry.html

.

Answer 6

Your best at 6.8-7.4 PH. because these are community fish, they usually cannot tolerate a higher pH than 7.6+. Do not use any acid chemicals they are only a temporary fix (12-24hours). Bog wood will slowly decrease the ph, but to only a certain level. Peat will soften the water more than lower the Ph. good luck

Answer 7

Bala Sharks: 5.8-7.8
Gold Fantails: 6.8-7.2
Mollys: 7.0-8.5
Tetras: Depends what kind but since neons are the most popular choice they need it around 6.5-6.8
Bettas: 6.0-8.0
Pictus Catfish: 6-6.8

and I must confess, I'm not sure about your other sharks :)

Answer 8

Ditto to all those who said leave it alone and for all the reasons given.