I have 4 discus fish, 3 striped raphaels and a couple of loaches. I understand that discus like a ph of 6.5 and raphaels like a higher level so I'm not quite sure what to do. The ph in my tank is 7.8 and it's been that way all the time that I've had the discus, about 2 months. They seem to be doing fine. Their appetite is good and they are quite active so I'm not sure if I need to do anything at all. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
PH Levels
- Thread starter Phil
- Start date
I've found that it's more stressful to my fish to have the pH fluctuate than to have it constant at a level they don't 'prefer'. If you really wanted to bring it down there are methods (peat, CO2 injection) to bring it down. But I'd suggest that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
HTH
HTH
If you are not trying to breed the discus it will probably be ok. 7.8 is a ittle high if they start to show any signs of stress you can use R/O as well as the other methods previously mentioned, and I agree that fluctuations in pH are much worse than a ph that is a little high but stable. Many times you can really open a big ol' can of worms when trying to fix a problem that isn't really a problem. BTW what is your KH ?
Without wanting to appear to be a complete idiot maybe you could explain to me what is BTW and KH.
BTW = By the way.
KH = Carbonate Hardness/Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity (You can pickup a test kit for this)
As a general rule, pH increases as KH increases. This is because your water will have a greater buffer capacity (ability to neutralize acid) and with less acid, you're at a higher pH.
Your fish should be fine at that pH, but like the others suggested, you probably won't be able to breed them at that pH. Best way to lower pH consistently would be to plant your tank and use CO2 injection. This adds the nice feature of real plants which I feel help fish "feel" better.
KH = Carbonate Hardness/Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity (You can pickup a test kit for this)
As a general rule, pH increases as KH increases. This is because your water will have a greater buffer capacity (ability to neutralize acid) and with less acid, you're at a higher pH.
Your fish should be fine at that pH, but like the others suggested, you probably won't be able to breed them at that pH. Best way to lower pH consistently would be to plant your tank and use CO2 injection. This adds the nice feature of real plants which I feel help fish "feel" better.
BTW= By The Way
KH = carbonate hardness
KH is essentially buffering capacity or your waters ability to maintain it's pH.
KH value is what determines soft or hard water.
KH = carbonate hardness
KH is essentially buffering capacity or your waters ability to maintain it's pH.
KH value is what determines soft or hard water.
MORLEYZ beat me to it! Anyway get a KH kit (they are one of the easiest and cheapest) If your KH is too high, say above 7dKH then don't eve worry about your pH you'll not change it easily without using R/O. As for CO2 it can be tricky and I wouldn't advise it if you are not very experienced. Peat is probably your best option if your water is hard as the tannins will lower hardness and pH slowly and regularly and s foolproof with only the con of having water that looks like tea.
Thanks everyone! One more question: How long would it take the fish to show a negative reaction to ph levels?
