pH myths debunked

[Orion]

PH myths debunked

There are many myths about pH that abound in today’s society. From what’s best for a certain species, how to change it, when to change it, how to keep it stable etc… With this, I aim to debunk some of the more popular myths about pH to help those new to the hobby, and Rift Lake cichlids have a better understanding. And who knows, maybe even teach some of the older dogs some new tricks in the process. Believe me, you do not have to be a chemistry whiz to be able to figure this stuff out.

As we all have been, I was a newbie once. Looking in wonder at all the products available to me. Thinking, “Wow, this can’t be that hard. Just look at all the nice, overly priced chemicals that the wonderful company’s have made just for me.” Well, guess what. There are more products on the market today to part an inexperienced aquarist with their money than those that are useful. Aquarium companies are there to make money. Your Local Fish Store (LFS) is there to make money. Do you really think that they can survive on the fish sales alone? Nope. That’s why they make, and sell sometimes very useless products. The water where you live has a natural pH, and any attempt to alter it in any manner is an effort in futility without the proper knowledge.

I have kept Rift Lake cichlids from Lake Tanganyika for some time now. At first I was more than happy to do my best to replicate the natural water conditions from which the fish came from, until I realized that it was unnecessary. It is not that difficult of a task to do, however it takes great patience, and a willing mind to do it properly. It is certainly not for those ‘Lazy’ aquarists among us.

This is mainly geared to those interested in replicating the ‘natural’ conditions found in the rift lakes of Africa. They are notorious for having a high pH and very hard water. I have the most experience with cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, so I will be referring to these most often.

What is pH?

pH is the measurement of the acidity and alkalinity of a substance. For the purpose of this article, we will stick to the Ph of water. The pH scale goes from 0-14. 0 is very strong acids, where 14 is absolute alkalinity, and 7 being neutral. The pH scale is what’s called a logarithmic scale. Meaning that each whole increment is 10 times more, or less than the next or previous unit. So a pH of 8.0 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.0. And a pH of 6.5 is 5 times more acidic than 7.0. Here we can see why acclimating a fish to a new pH slowly is so important. (wow I didn’t know that…that makes sense!)

KH and gH

What do these have to do with pH? A lot! This is the measurement of the hardness of water. Hardness is the measurement of the degree of dissolved minerals found in water. The more dissolved minerals, the harder the water. The less, the softer the water.

Hardness can be measured in two ways, degrees (dH), and parts per million (ppm).The pH scale is universal. Hardness scales unfortunately are not and these are the most common ways to express hardness. Using the degree (dK) is the method that is most widely used. This table gives a brief understanding of what is considered ‘Soft’ water to ‘Hard’ water.




The kH and gH of an aquarium is almost always directly related to the pH. The harder the water, the higher the pH. The hardness also acts as a buffer to the pH. The harder the water is, the less pH fluctuation you are going to have, meaning a more stable environment. Softer water has less of this buffer, and the Ph can change easier, for the good or for the bad.

Now don’t look at this as any soft water aquarium is doomed for failure, because it is not. That’s very far from the truth. This just means that if you have soft water, then you just have to pay a little more attention to your water changes, and what goes into the aquarium. Driftwood for example is a popular decoration for aquariums, but it does have the ability to alter the pH slightly. It does this because driftwood can release tannin into the water. This tannin is acid based and can lower the pH of an aquarium, though most of the time not enough to worry about. This is why most Rift Lake set-ups are seen without real driftwood. Other decorations not labeled for aquarium use can also release minerals or even toxins into your water, again altering the chemistry. Unless you know for sure that something is safe or not for aquarium use, its best to just not use it at all.

Planted tanks are becoming ever more popular in the aquarium hobby for many reasons. And the most common fish you will see in these right now are species of fish that come from South and Central America. Why? Because some planted tanks require additional nutrients and gases to grow right. Co2 (carbon dioxide) is very often injected into a planted tank to help the plants grow healthier. Co2 also creates a chemical reaction in the water that naturally reduces the pH. The water volume and the amount of Co2 being injected determine the reduction in the pH. This is why normally you will not see many Rift Lake cichlids in a planted tank. Normally. As usual, I like to be the exception to the rule. I have a 45 gallon planted tank with some shell dwellers and Julies, both that come from Lake Tanganyika. How? I don’t inject Co2, and my Ph is consistent at 7.9. Why did I share this little tid-bit with you? To show you that despite what the norm is, there are always exceptions to the rules.

You want me to do what with my water??

I want you to test it!

No aquarium hobbyist should be without a good test kit. While you may not use it on a day to day basis, it’s always in the fish’s best interest for you to have one on hand and know the parameters of your tank.

There are many different types of testing kits available to the hobbyist today. One of the most common and most accurate in my opinion are the drop tests. These tests come with a glass vial used to measure out a pre-defined amount of water (usually 5ml), bottles of testing solution, and a color chart to read the results. This is an easy to use test, its cheap to buy, lasts quite a while depending on how often you use it, and is the most accurate for the price.

I have never used the strip tests. These are strips that you dip directly into the water and it gives you instant results. I have never heard anything good about these tests. Also for the money vs. the amount of tests you get, they are extremely expensive.

Electronic testers are in my opinion the easiest and most accurate out of all the methods. But, are also the most expensive. They use a calibrating solution that sets them to a common pH that compares your water with that of the known pH to get the pH of the water you are testing.. You just turn it on, stick the testing part in the water and instant results.

Testing should be done at the least weekly when first starting a new tank. As the tank matures, you can adjust the frequency of the test to suit the needs of the tank. Some people faithfully test weekly, while others (myself included) may only test once every few months.

It is always a good idea to keep track of the results of you tests. Not only pH, but other water parameters as well such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, and hardness. This helps determine how often you should test, and how stable your tank really is. Also one needs to keep track of the pH of the water that comes out of the tap. Chlorine and other chemicals affect this reading, so to get an accurate measure, it is best to take a bucket of tap water and let it sit overnight with a bubble stone in it. The air stone helps to eliminate the chemicals that are used to treat your tap water, and thus making the reading more accurate. Let the bucket sit for at least 24 hours, and then take the tests.

So what is the right pH to have? That’s an easy one. What ever is coming out of your tap water the right pH to have. No need to fix something that isn’t broke.

[Orion]

pH and your fish

When one normally thinks of African cichlids, hard water with a high pH are the first things to come to mind. I can’t count the number of times that I have heard someone say that you HAVE to have hard water for Africans to thrive, breed or even live. Oh how far from the truth that is.

Lets take Lake Tanganyika for example. The pH there has been recorded at over 9.0 . Do other fish keepers, but more importantly your fish, expect you to be able to duplicate that? No. Not at all.. First and fore most, to say anyone has a ‘natural’ aquarium is almost a bold face lie. We cannot come close to the filtration system, and feeding system that nature has for these fish. We can only strive to simulate parts of this ecosystem within our home.

Most of the time, if your water has a pH over 7.0 then it will be fine for rift lake cichlids. An important aspect to remember with these cichlids, they come from some of the worlds largest bodies of fresh water, meaning that there is little fluctuation in any water parameters or temperature, much less anything sudden that some of the new world cichlids may encounter. Not withstanding, they are still very hardy and can do well in almost any aquarium environment.

The most important aspect of pH, is keeping it stable. This is best accomplished by performing regular water changes. When water evaporates, only the H2O molecules leave the tank, meaning that minerals and pollutants are still in the tank. If you have a 40 gallon tank, and you loose 1 gallon a day due to evaporation, now you only have 39 gallons of water, but all the minerals and pollutants of 40 gallons. Dissolved solids and minerals are what make a pH alkaline. The more that is dissolved, then the higher your pH is going to be. So if you do not perform regular water changes, then the pH of your tank will increase. But this is not a good way to increase the pH of your water. Like I said above, not only are the minerals left behind, but pollutants are as well. An increase in pollutants can quickly take a beautiful healthy fish and make it a very sad sight to see. By performing regular water changes, this helps to remove minerals and pollutants from your tank, and help keep the pH stable and your fish healthy.

Breeding and other considerations

Most rift lake cichlids are easy to breed given the right conditions. And when I say conditions I am not talking about only the water chemistry. The ratio of male to females, tank size and the way the tank decorations are setup are also a large factor in the breeding successes, or failures that you may have.

Despite the fact that quite a few aquarium fish have been breed commercially for hundreds of generations, some still retain the need to have water conditions similar to that of the Rift Lakes to successfully breed. This being said, I have successfully spawned several Tanganyikian cichlids in water buffered to replicate lake conditions. I have also spawned the same species with tap water that was not buffered, and a lower pH. This factor is dependant on the species of fish. I am lucky in the fact that where I live, the pH of my water is around 7.3 to 7.8 on any given day with moderate hardness.

Unless dealing with wild caught fish, I don’t see it necessary to adjust the pH of tank water. I have not found any significant difference between using buffered water and normal water with the species I have kept. While certain species of fish may actually require conditions closer to that of the lakes, you should always so research on the fish you plan to buy before you buy them so you can besure that you have the capabilities and willingness to provide the best possible home for your fish.

Keep in mind the water that you have at your home. If it is very soft with a low pH, then Rift Lake cichlids may not be right for you. As I said, African cichlids are very hardy and can adapt to a wide range of water conditions, but they really seem to do best with a pH of 7.0 or above. If you have your heart set on getting African cichlids, don’t get too disappointed yet. There are still many species of cichlids in Africa that do not live in the hard water of the rift lakes. The krib for one example (Pelvachromis pulcher) is a very popular, and commonly seen African cichlid that comes from rivers. These rivers have a much lower pH than the great Rift Lakes. Full of color and easy to breed, kribs are often seen in planted tanks, and other soft water setups.

If the krib doesn’t quite do it for you, there is a whole other world with cichlids coming from Central and South America where the water is very soft with a low pH that may fit the needs of your aquarium.

I am not going to go into detail about adjusting the Ph of your water. If you are serious about doing so, then you need to do lots of research yourself, and familiarize yourself with the different methods of both raising, and lowering your pH. I will add this however: Beware of instant fixes sold in bottles at your LFS. ‘pH UP’, ‘pH DOWN’ and the like are NOT the way to do it. Again, these are there to part the hobbyist with their money, and will probably do more harm than good. They provide nothing more than a band-aid, and the results are quickly reversed, sometimes with devastating effects on your fish. If you do want to practice raising the pH, I would suggest that you do it in a tank that has no fish in it. This way you can see for yourself what works for you, and just how quickly the pH in a tank can change. Best to practice first without endangering the lives of your beloved fish.

Search the web. Read a book. And when you think you are ready to jump in to try it, read some more. It is very easy to do, unfortunately too easy, and many people jump in before they are ready, and then get mad because they killed all their fish and quit the hobby. All because of a mistake that a little research and patience could have easily prevented.

I hope by reading this article I have helped you realize that the number of your pH is not near as important as keeping it stable. This was written from my own personal accounts with my fish. Your mileage may vary.

[Orion]

This was my first article I have writen. I hope it can be a usefull guide for those interesting in adjusting the pH of their own tanks, or just looking for a little more understanding about what it is and how it affects our fined friends.

I'm open to any comments on this. This was intended to be a more 'overview' than a 'how-to'.

And I want to give a great big Thank You to FroggyFox and Cichlid-Man for proof reading and helping me correct some grammar mistakes. ( yes froggy I know I started this sentence with 'And' )

[NoDeltaH2O]

Very very well said Orion. I wish I had read this 2 years ago before I bought pH Up, then went to the store and bought pH Down, and then went abck the next week and got more of both. Never again.

[ozziegt]

Well my tank has moderate hardness but almost no alkalinity / buffering capacity. So I have been told that hardness does not mean buffering capacity. It depends on where the hardness is coming from.

[Orion]

Im not sure what you are saying ozziegt. Hard water does not always meen a higher pH, but it can still provide a buffer even at the lower levels.

You are right however that some of it does depend on where the hardness is coming from. But like I said, I was not going to get into great detail about any one subject, but if it might help clear up any confusion about this, then I could add some more to that section and explain a little further.

[Cichlid-Man]

Very well said Orion, i think you should Sticky it.

[twoluvcats]

STICKY!!! but if you do, please move it to the general section...I never would have found this if i wouldn't have checked the "newest posts" list on the homepage...its useful for everyone, not just cichlid keepers

[ozziegt]

Originally Posted by Orion

Im not sure what you are saying ozziegt. Hard water does not always meen a higher pH, but it can still provide a buffer even at the lower levels.

Well, when I do a test with my water. I have high hardness...my ph isn't high. But my alkalinity is zero. So this would lead me to believe that I have no buffering capacity. I have read other articles which seem to imply that just because you have hard water means you have buffering capacity, but I have been told the contrary when actually asking about my test results.

[Orion]

Alkalinity can not be zero. This is part of the pH scale, 7.0 is neutral, anything below that is more acidic, and above that is alkaline.