Knowing the pH factor

pH is one of the parameter of the water quality and we should know more about it in order to successfully keep our fish healthy.What is pH? pH is a logarithmic scale of the proportion of H+(Hydrogen) and OH-(Hydroxyl) ions ranging from 0-14, with a neutral value of 7. When the H+ ion concentration is higher, water is said to be acidic; when OH- concentration is higher it is said to be alkaline. In other words if the concentration of dissolved minerals is high then pH is high and vice versa. pH is also dependent on various factors like water hardness, dissolved minerals, oxygen level and many more.

Milwaukee pH meter.

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The smallest change of pH is said to have a stressful effect on the fish. Naturally in the wild pH occasionally change like during day and night or season related. Whenever there are more rains then there will be more oxygen dissolved, hence raising the pH.

In an aquarium system the pH is affected by decoration, decoration, gravel, temperature, nitrate content, dissolved minerals and many more. For example adding bogwood or driftwood to your aquarium can cause the pH to drop. If you are lazy usually you aquarium (with fish in it of course) will have high nitrate levels and this also lowers the pH. High nitrate is also toxic to the fish!

Here are some other facts:

Aerating the water can increase the pH, water at a high temperature can be acidic, in a planted tank - pH variation will occur because live plants have their photosynthesis system where at night plants respire an consume oxygen but releasing carbon dioxide so this will cause a low pH.

What I would suggest is that if you intend to get so called acid-loving fish like discus or tetras don't rush or panic to bring down the pH, or in the case of Malawians don't rush to lift the pH to around 9. Stay cool and your fish can adapt to your tap water, and don't spend more on water softeners like RO units or resins or water hardeners.

I don't advocate you not to change your pH deliberately, but I would advocate you not to make alterations in pH in a panic. If you are so particular in bringing down pH you can rely on peat-filtration or a piece of driftwood. Instead of spending on RO or other resins, you can spend that money on a bigger tank. Try to keep your pH fairly stable. If you are so concerned about your fish's health, consider regular water changes. Don't panic and get into a mess as fishes face more nightmares and harsh conditions in the wild than in home aquaria. I would also advocate against using a pH lowering chemical until you know its ingredients and its working and don't increase or lower your pH rapidly.