What Is pH And Why Should You Worry About It?
Water quality is the number one most important factor in keeping your aquarium healthy. Most beginners associate water quality with being clean, fresh water. But that is NOT the way to determine the health of your fish tank. Healthy tanks are measured by their pH levels.
Most fish are adaptable to a wide range of pH, however any sudden fluctuations, such as bringing a new fish home, can cause stress, illness, and death for the fish.
Before bringing new fish home, it is important to test and adjust your tank’s pH level, to ensure a healthy introduction of your new fish to your aquarium.
What is a pH level?
The pH level is a measurement of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a solution, with values ranging from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most basic). Most freshwater fish prefer a pH range between 5.5 and 7.2, with a little exception at both the high and the low end of the pH scale. Most live plants thrive between a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5.
How often should you test your tank’s pH level?
Test your tank’s pH at least once a month, or preferably every two weeks. Testing every 2 weeks allows you to detect early signs of pH-related issues before the condition gets worse. pH isn’t static and may change over the course of a day. Testing pH levels at different times of day can also produce different results. Other times you should test are:
When there is a death in an aquarium, or you suspect your fish to be ill, check the water for the pH value.
After dosing your tank with medication, always test the water for a pH at the beginning and after a week.
Test your aquarium pH value when you go out to buy new fish. It is to ensure that the pH difference between home and pet shops isn’t significantly higher or more than 0.2 units on either side of the pH scale.
Do you need to alter your tank’s pH?
Most freshwater fish can tolerate a wide range of pH. So when it remains in the safe range or is slightly higher or lower than the ideal pH required by the fish, you may not need to do anything.
For fish species that are highly-sensitive to pH, the levels should be altered as soon as you discover any significant change or signs that your fish are in distress.
How to Safely Raise pH in Aquarium?
Before we go into how to raise your tank’s pH level, here are some factors that can contribute to your tank’s low pH;
High amount of pollutants
Overfeeding
High nitrate levels
Poor or decreased aeration
Driftwood
Sick or decaying fish
Water changes with low pH water sources
Removing anything that may be lowering your pH is the first step to preventing the levels from dropping further. For some unknown reason, if your tank’s water has become dangerously acidic, the following methods will help you safely raise the pH and balance it.
Water Changes
You can naturally change the pH levels of your tap water by performing regular water changes. It is important to do partial water changes versus full water changes as doing the full tank at once can cause shock to your fish. Partial water changes are far less stressful on your tank.
Adding Rocks or Substrate
Adding certain types of rock or substrate to the tank can help raise the pH. Crushed corals, petrified corals, and limestone are some of the rock items majorly used for increasing pH levels in fish tanks. Use caution when adding rocks to your fish tank for the purpose of raising pH levels, as they can go beyond the pH level you need.
Increase Aeration
Aerating your aquarium is yet another natural way to increase the pH levels. It creates agitation and helps oxygenate the water. As a result, it causes a gas exchange reducing the CO2 levels and allowing it to escape. Keep in mind that excess carbon dioxide concentration is one of the reasons that cause the pH levels to drop in a fish tank.
Depending on how big your aquarium is, you can use one or more air pumps, bubblers, or other aeration equipment.
Chemical Treatment
When you have tried everything, but nothing seems to be working out, as a last resort, you can chemically treat your aquarium using commercial buffers. They are quite effective, so use them carefully and in the right amount. Otherwise, you may end up causing severe spikes in the pH level leading to imbalance.
How to safely lower your tank’s pH level?
The cases of an increase in aquarium pH are less commonly seen. If you found high pH in your tank, it could be due to one or more of the following reasons:
Your source water is highly-alkaline (can happen with well water)
Your tank has a lot of live plants and algae presence
You have pH raising rocks like crushed coral in your aquarium
Use Peat Moss
Filtering water through peat moss is one of the best ways to lower pH. Put peat moss into a mesh bag and place it in your filter. Initially, you may see discoloration in the water, but it will be cleared soon. Peat moss is effective and works gradually.
Add Carbon Dioxide
You can increase the amount of carbon dioxide in your tank to drop pH levels.
Add Driftwood
Certain driftwood can be used to lower the pH of an aquarium naturally. When submerged, driftwood releases tannins in the water that acts as a pH-reducing agent. Keep in mind that tannins can also cause the water to be yellow or brown.
Chemical Treatment
Again, if you have tried other natural methods of trying to reduce your tank’s pH level, there are many chemicals you can use to get the job done. However, the use of chemicals is only temporary and should not be relied on to maintain a healthy pH.
If you have questions about your tank’s pH level and how to stabilize it, don’t hesitate to call or message Volker’s Aquarium. Your tank’s health is important.
