how does the PH affect my fish?
- Thread starter fishman89
- Start date
pH measures the hydrogen ion concentration in the water. The scale goes from 1 to 14. One is hydrochloric acid, seven is distilled water, 14 is sodium bicarbonate. Each number is logorithmic, meaning that a pH of 9 is ten times as alkaline as 8, and is one-hundred times more alkaline than a pH of 7.
Fish are very sensitive to these differences. To go from a pH of 6 to 9 is 1,000 times more alkaline. Very noticeable to them I imagine.
Hope I didn't confuse you more
I believe the pH should be between 8.2 and 8.4
Kim
Fish are very sensitive to these differences. To go from a pH of 6 to 9 is 1,000 times more alkaline. Very noticeable to them I imagine.
Hope I didn't confuse you more
I believe the pH should be between 8.2 and 8.4
Kim
The major problem with pH is two fold, chemically and biologically.
A sudden change in pH could cause more toxic ammonia ions to be released into the water, which of course is bad for Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Guppy.
Biologically, changes in pH effect enzyme efficiency. Too high or too low and enzymes within the fish will not work effectively and lead to death
A sudden change in pH could cause more toxic ammonia ions to be released into the water, which of course is bad for Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Guppy.
Biologically, changes in pH effect enzyme efficiency. Too high or too low and enzymes within the fish will not work effectively and lead to death
Your PH is fine, keep an eye on it as your tank matures.
It's a good question my friend; far more important than many realize, and hats off to the quality replies.
In a nutshell, the organics that are always building in marine tanks are going to pull the PH to the lower, acidic side. In time, older tanks can lose their alkaline reserve. This always has been, and continues to be a long term problem but can be slowed with a combination of various methods including undercrowding/underfeeding/good husbandry including skimming, regular water changes, etc.; even the use of a simple airstone will drive off CO2 and help to a degree. The posts above are correct; although it may seem insignificant, the difference between 7.0 and 9.0 is in fact a hundred fold; a sudden shift (shock) can be a huge problem; always make changes slowly, no more tha 0.2 in 24 hours.
It's a good question my friend; far more important than many realize, and hats off to the quality replies.
In a nutshell, the organics that are always building in marine tanks are going to pull the PH to the lower, acidic side. In time, older tanks can lose their alkaline reserve. This always has been, and continues to be a long term problem but can be slowed with a combination of various methods including undercrowding/underfeeding/good husbandry including skimming, regular water changes, etc.; even the use of a simple airstone will drive off CO2 and help to a degree. The posts above are correct; although it may seem insignificant, the difference between 7.0 and 9.0 is in fact a hundred fold; a sudden shift (shock) can be a huge problem; always make changes slowly, no more tha 0.2 in 24 hours.
ok. so baking soda balances this out and acts as a base which lowers the acidic side and evens it out. I added clean cooked baking soda to a freshy tank yestersay(friends she had real low ph) and slowly it climbed back up to 8.2 it went up about .1-.2 every 12 hours