i just used the gravel vacuum to change my water, and used the Aquarium starter test strips to test. everything else seems to be fine, but the pH is in the low range, on the strips, it say to add pH plus, but i can't go to petsmart until end of weekend, what should i add in the mean time? my fish seems fine until now.. i had them for about 2 month now.
what does pH mean? should i add more salt? or stress release?
thanks!!
2007-07-30 12:56:48 · 9 answers · asked by please help 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of a substance and in this case, water. Most kits that are out there encourage you to add various chemicals to "correct" the pH if it's more than a few points off of neutral (7.0) They do this not for the health of the fish, but mainly because they sell the chemicals the recommend. Consider this, your fish are fine, why go mucking around with it?
pH is far from meaningless in aquariums and in fact is quite important, but not in the way so many pet shops test kits and websites suggest. The main thing you should know about pH is what your pH is and what the pH of the water is in the bag with any new fish you may buy. If the pH is quite different, it can harm the fish. Not because one is good and one is bad but just because they are different.
Another thing to know about pH is that a low pH (6.0 or less) usually indicates a low hardness as well. This in combination can create an unstable environment for your fish and lead to problems. So it can be important to check the hardness as well if yours is that low. In case both your pH and hardness is very low, you will want to make a small..... NOTE: SMALL... change. If you want more details on why this is and how they work together feel free to email me and I'll be glad to answer all of your questions about pH, hardness and any other water chemistry questions.
A very little bag of crushed coral in the tank will correct both the low hardness and the low pH is a very slow and safe way.
ONLY if the pH is really low AND the hardness is really low would I suggest you attempt to change the pH in you tank and then only through a very slow and natural method, not through the use of the bottled chemical adjustments. Odds are very, very good it needs no correction at all.
pH is something like a poisonous snake... something you should be aware of, but not mess with or it can bite you!
MM
2007-07-30 13:27:22 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure what PH stands for, but I do know that some plants and animals require different levels of it. 7 is adverage and considering you have a comunity tank, that's probably what you should aim for. There isn't anything you can ad to the water for now, sorry, but a few points one way or the other doesn't matter much. In fact, you can probably get away with as low as 5 or 6 to as high as 8 or 9. 5 and 9 would be pushing it, but their's nothing you can do for now. Just get to Petsmart as soon as you can. I hope you can get his worked out:D
2007-07-30 13:06:06 · answer #2 · answered by Haley 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For the most part, ph doesn't mean anything and unless you are keeping discus or other sensitive fish or are trying to set a very specific breeding atmosphere, messing with your ph is worse for your fish than just leaving it where it's at. Most fish can handle a pretty wide range of ph levels. But, just as a possible quick fix, wood can sweeten, or lower the ph, so if, by chance, you have a log in your tank, remove it. That will help. If not, really, don't worry about it. If your fish are stressed or sick, there is more than likely another reason that they are sick rather than from ph levels. Salt will not correct ph levels, but it will relieve stress and help cure diseases. It won't hurt to add salt at any time for any reason. You should add about 1 tsp per 5 gallons of water. Pre-dissolve it first in water, then pour that into your tank. Do not use table salt, that is, any salt that is iodized. It is preferable to use rock salt, kosher salt, or aquarium salt.
2007-07-30 13:03:28 · answer #3 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I had an aggressive tank, Oscars, and 12 inch common pleco that pooped up a storm, and I lost a lot of fish that way, due to dominance. I really preferred a community tank I had long fin rosy barbs at least 8 that are now in a store display, and the most aggressive fish I had was Angelfish, along with loaches, and several albino plecos. But either way its perfence as to what kind of fish you want!!!
2016-04-01 01:14:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't worry about the pH unless you're keepinig fish which need a constant pH range (discus, some cichlids, saltwater, etc). If you're really concerned about it, adding crushed coral in a pouch in your filter can raise the pH. But I wouldn't worry about it too much.
~ZTM
2007-07-30 13:07:24 · answer #5 · answered by ZooTycoonMaster 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pH is the measure of acidity in your tank water. It shows if it has a lot of acid or if it has a lot of alkaline. To make the pH go up, I would use baking soda. That's what I do.
2007-07-30 13:10:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
pH is the quantity which expresses the acid/alkaline balance. Any pH below 7 is acidic; above 7 is alkaline. (0-very acid) to (14-very alkaline)
2007-07-30 13:59:33 · answer #7 · answered by Cindy T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah my dwarf puffer is very sensitive so i need to watch my pH ( or the acidic and alkaline status) Some fish live in a more acidic waters and some are more alkaline waters
2007-07-30 13:35:59 · answer #8 · answered by rsonbie456 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pH is very over rated. Unless your fish are wild caught, don't mess with it. You should be focusing on ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If you don't know if your fish are wild caught, email me, I can probably tell you.
2007-07-30 13:05:15 · answer #9 · answered by fivespeed302 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋