Description
This article is from the Beginning
Fishkeeping FAQ, by Thomas Narten with numerous contributions
by others.
33 pH
pH refers to water being either an acid, base, or neither (neutral). A
pH of 7 is said to be neutral, a pH below 7 is ``acidic'' and a pH
above 7 is ``basic'' or ``alkaline''. Like the Richter scale used to
measure earthquakes, the pH scale is logarithmic. A pH of 5.5 is 10
times more acidic than water at a pH of 6.5. Thus, changing the pH by
a small amount (suddenly) is more of a chemical change (and more
stressful to fish!) than might first appear.
To a fishkeeper, two aspects of pH are important. First, rapid changes
in pH are stressful to fish and should be avoided. Changing the pH by
more than .3 units per day is known to stress fish. Thus, you want the
pH of your tank to remain constant and stable over the long haul.
Second, fish have adapted to thrive in a (sometimes narrow) pH range.
You want to be sure that your tank's pH matches the specific
requirements of the fish you are keeping.
Most fish can adjust to a pH somewhat outside of their optimal range.
If your water's pH is naturally within the range of 6.5 to 7.5, you
will be able to keep most species of fish without any problems. If
your pH lies within this range, there is probably no need to adjust it
upward or downward.
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aquaria, fish, acquarium, tank, fishkeeping
