Does anyone know what Ph level my aquarium needs to be for a siren? Is it the same as for fish? And what exactly regulates the Ph?
2007-07-22 15:59:47 · 3 answers · asked by clue_less_47 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
This is a freshwater salamander, for those who don't know!
A pH that would suit most fish (6-8) should be okay for most sirens, but I'd try to find the species, since some come from areas with more carbonate content in their bedrock and might prefer a higher pH. If you're looking to keep one, see if you can find the pH of the water it's in, and if it's very different than yours, take your time and acclimate it to the new conditions very slowly. See the link below from fishlore.com for some ways to acclimate the siren to your tank.
The pH is just a measure of hydrogen ions. If there are more H+ ions, the pH goes down; if there are fewer, it goes up. The opposite of the hydrogen H+ is the hydroxide ion (OH-), so when these are perfectly balanced, you get pure water (H20) at a pH of 7.0. The scale generally runs from 0 to 14. Each full number that you change by represents a change to the power of ten. So if the pH goes from 7 to 6, it becomes ten times more acidic. If it changes from 7 to 5, it's 100 times more acidic (10 x 10). From 7 to 4, 1,000 times more acidic (10 x 10 x 10), and so on.
It's generally not a good idea to try and change the pH unless it's extreme. The more you try to change it, the more stress it has on animals because it will fluctuate every time you try to change the water.
If you do need to adjust it, to increase the pH, you can use some crushed coral in a mesh bag in your filter. To make the water more acidic, add some driftwood to the tank, or a mesh bag of peat moss in the filter (note that these will tint the water brown).
2007-07-22 20:34:49 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually, Siren's hang out on rocks and dangerous shores luring sailors to their death and such. They are associated with salt water, but they generally hang out and sing above the high tide mark. Therefore a pH of 7.2 - 7.6 will suit them just fine.
2007-07-22 23:12:40 · answer #2 · answered by Jimmy J 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ohhhhh.... i didn't know they were slamanders......
IMDUM
2007-07-23 01:15:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋