Adjustment of pH in the aquarium

advertisement

For an experienced aquarium hobbyist, adjusting and controlling the measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution (pH) in the tank is an undertaking that is understood needs a combination of time and experience. And for someone new to the hobby, it can be a really daunting experience. Experts state that more than half of the problems encountered in controlling a fish tank and taking ware of the well being of its occupants is keeping on top of the levels of pH in the tank. The problem often lies in an inexperienced beginner’s ability to trust that the levels of pH found in simple tap water is sufficient and their need to constantly adjust the level, causing a rise in the levels of pH bringing with it the possibility of damaging the fish’s health. A general rule of thumb and one that is worth remembering fro aquarists, whether they have been at a for a long time or are “newbies” is less is enough when it comes to pH adjustment, What is most important is to remember routine maintenance is the key to maintaining your fish in perfect health.

For this reason it is very important to understand how to achieve and maintain these optimum pH levels, and a key tool in achieving and maintaining these levels of understandings is through the purchase of a simple aquarium water test kit, that will allow for a constant and accurate pH reading.

Maintaining and adjusting aquarium is of the highest important. Understanding the basics of pH is the first step in protecting and improving the fish under the aquarist’s protection. pH levels in water can range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 14 with the ideal target or mid range being level 7. If the pH levels can be adjusted to reach that magic figure and maintained there all will be well for the aquarist and the fish under his care and protection.

The midpoint level of 7 pH value means that the water is neutral. In layman’s terms this means that if the pH levels in the tank water are reduced, the levels of acid in the water are increased. On the other hand, if the pH levels rise above 7, then the alkaline levels in the water will increase. It goes without saying that neither fluctuation is desirable and the more they rise or fall, then the more dangerous it is for the fish.

Under factor that needs to be taken into account are dramatic swings in pH over a short time frame. This kind of fluctuation will inevitably prove fatal for fish if not checked and arrested. Whilst it is very difficult to prevent such a dramatic swing from occurring, it should not happen if the water in the tanks is being monitored.

As in most cases there are exceptions to the rule in aquarium pH control. For example fish that come from South American origin appear to thrive better in softer water with a high level of acidity, and will do fine in water with pH levels of six. On the other hand East African fish like a hard, high alkaline level of water and do well at eight or more. The trick is of course is to find a cross section of fish that will do well at the ideal pH level of seven, and build on that.

It should be taken into account that over time the levels of acidity in pH will rise gradually. This should not necessarily cause too many problems, as the process is very gradual. In most cases, the on-the-ball aquarist will level out the problem by changing the water in the tank proportionally as part of their regular maintenance program.

Controlling certain aspects of the behaviour of the water in your fish tank need to be carried out, and not just the levels of pH. Other aspects that need to be constantly monitored are the hardness or softness of the water levels or other chemicals that have may have been added to the water that might be dangerous to the fish. Unfortunately till now no one has developed an all in one kit to handle all these important procedures, so it is necessary for the owner or operator of the aquarium to have a separate kit on hand for each procedure that need to be carried, and all on a regular basis, including aquarium pH adjustments.

Water in itself possesses an ability to resist changes in its pH level through the interference of outside sources. This is known as a buffering system. Aquarists who are interested in determining the level of capacity of their buffering systems can do so by measuring the hardness levels of the water, which is measured in dH (or dGH).

The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. To understand the meaning of water hardness as it applies to aquariums you should first of all know that when a fish is in its natural habitat the geographical features of the area in which it lives determines the hardness of the water. Domestic water supplies are usually harder, and have to be determined.

Once the aquarium owner or operator has ascertained the water hardness levels that are drawn, they will be pleased to discover that they rarely vary. Usually sufficient to keep the average aquarium tank water’s buffering system in balance is a degree of hardness (dH) scale of between four to six. Four is not good and will mean that the buffering system is unstable and may cause pH levels to drop.

If the aquarium is behaving as it should, then the buffering levels will maintain the pH levels at stable levels the aquarist would wish to achieve The need to adjust phosphate levels in the tank will need to be done more as a preventative measure than a treatment, as long as there are minerals in the tank that are being dissolved at a steady and constant pace.

A guide to testing pH in your aquarium

Firstly buy some pH test kit as it’s shown below.



Then follow all instructions.



As we can see, pH of this water is very low (about 5.8 only!!!). This requires a water change in general. Let’s do another test (please note that the result was green instead of black; the green colour can be seen at the top of the test-tube.



Now the pH level is about 7.1-7.2 which is optimal nearly for all aquarium fish species. Naturally, we should test water hardness too. See the pictures below to see how easy it is.



Another useful article on the web

• pH and Ammonia at nippyfish.net!

sponsored links

Adjustment of pH in the aquarium

has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.