Linnyuk
New Member
GOOD POST
MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXPENSIVE KIT...HOW MUCH U PAY? WHAT MAKE ?
CHEERS
MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXPENSIVE KIT...HOW MUCH U PAY? WHAT MAKE ?
CHEERS
Water Quality-analysis my water test results
- Thread starter Ace Rimmer
- Start date
GetTanked
New Member
This may anger some people but the fact is that PH in freshwater is a crock. Read this entire post before responding! Go into any REPUTABLE LFS where the owner really cares about his fish where all the tanks are clean and clear and the fish are healthy. Ask the guy what his PH is. He will either look at you like your an idiot, not know the PH or not care. I realize that when you go into a "chain store" they will run 3 tests on your water. PH, Nitrite and Ammonia. If your PH is anything but 7.0 they will then take you to the massive shelf of chemicals and meds. By the time you leave you will have spent 10 bucks on fish and 80 bucks in various chemicals and such to add to your water. You start putting that stuff in your tank and sure maybe you will change your PH for a bit but in the process if you weren't carefull you killed many fish. Also, if you check it again in a week or so the PH is pretty close to where you started from. People need to realize that your water is your water. Unless you want to buy a R.O. setup or spend alot of money on real buffers like crushed coral and such, the point is moot. The fish will generally survive most PH levels provided it's not totally off the scale. PH is only really an issue if you are a breeder or doing marine and some brackish tanks. Besides, chances are where you bought the fish unless they were shipped to you have similar PH as you do if they are local. It's been almost 2 years since I added ANYTHING to my water besides "Coppersafe" and I haven't lost a single fish. My Nitrite and Amonnia stay at zero because I keep my tanks maintained properly. The bottom line is this, once your tank is cycled and you don't make drastic changes to the tank or add a zillion fish your water quality will be fine. The more you mess with it the more stress you put on your fish. So, if it isn't broken...don't fix it! Most likely your fish will adapt to the PH just fine. Save your money on the chemicals and use it to buy more elaborate fish or an additional tank. Besides, if you are careful and you REALLY can't not mess with your PH there are cheap ways of lowering it. Distilled white vinegar can do wonders to lower PH if done properly. I have no reason to raise it so I don't know tricks for raising it but I'm sure it can't be too hard. So there you go, that's my take on things. Now, I'm gonna sit back and wait for the flood of responses since I added contraversy with this post. By the way, the first guy that explained water chemistry did do a thourough and good job explaining it.
Now you generalize too much. Some fishes tolerate wide scale of water values naturally but some fishes don't. Adaptation to different kind of water takes hundreds if not even thousends years in natur - so it won't happen faster in your tank either..
People also need to realize that water isn't just water. It's different here or in England than in Amazonas. Our tap water it's quite different than water in lakes and rivers... Something is missing and something it's too much. They all affects on fishs physiology - so it's not just water what we have in our tanks.
So, what was your point? If you don't want to pay, just sit on chair and do nothing? Isn't it easier then to buy fishes that are naturally able to live water that you have?
Ps. Please divide your text into paragraphs, because it's then easier to read it.
GetTanked
New Member
Sorry about the paragraphs thing I just type and type sometimes.
QUOTE
Some fishes tolerate wide scale of water values naturally but some fishes don't. Adaptation to different kind of water takes hundreds if not even thousends years in natur - so it won't happen faster in your tank either..
RESPONSE
My point with this is, unless you bought your fish from another country or from across the country chances are they are already used to whatever PH you have locally. If your fish came locally they are already in similar water. I only know of one LFS locally that keeps his PH neutral out of the 40+ that I have visited. That being the case their water isn't much different that whatever comes out of your tap. Since most freshwater fish a breed on fishfarms in huge vats nature really hasn't got anything to do with it. The people who have the burden of getting fish adjusted to different PH levels are you LFS since whatever they were living in before they got them is more than likely different.
QUOTE
People also need to realize that water isn't just water. It's different here or in England than in Amazonas. Our tap water it's quite different than water in lakes and rivers..
RESPONSE
I think you misread what I was saying with this one. I said your water is your water. Meaning that whatever comes out of their tap is what it is. They are not going to change the molecules and atoms that make up their water. What is missing in the water is the bacteria that the fish need to make it a healthy enviroment, hench the reason for the cycle. What is has too much at least in the USA is the chlorine added to the water, that's why you dechlorinate the water before adding it to the tank. You can eliminate the toxins in the water to make it safe but the cycle adds what is needed as do any living creatures in that water. (yes, they add bad stuff too but that's why maintainance is important after that point)
QUOTE
So, what was your point? If you don't want to pay, just sit on chair and do nothing? Isn't it easier then to buy fishes that are naturally able to live water that you have?
RESPONSE
This goes back to the fish being used to the local water. Yes, you can do nothing if your not trying to breed. It is very rare to have fish die form PH being the cause unless it is so far off the scale that it's a terrible shock for them. You will find that out within a day or two of getting the fish if that's the case. Fish die of more often of Nitrite, Ammonia, disease and bacterial infections than anything else. PH is the cause if you go into Petsmart with dead fish because they want to sell you a ton of stuff that you don't need. If a fish dies from PH it is because of drastic fluctuations. If a PH is stable even if it is high or low they will be fine.
As far as fish needing certain ranges of PH to survive that too is a crock. I have fish personally that books and internet sites specifically say they need 7.0 to live and have not died in 8.2-8.6.
I haven't lost a fish in a really long time, about 2 years. My PH is still over 8.0 and everyone is happy. Additionally, you can go to ten different places to check what PH a specific fish requires and get ten different answers.
As a breeder, certain fish need a certain PH in order to breed so that's when you need to do something about it. Using PH up & down just stresses the fish because that stuff just does not create a permanent fix. It may work for a few weeks or longer if your lucky. That goes back to what I said about YOUR water being YOUR water, it will go back to what it once was because that is the way it was.
If anyone disagree's with this you can try it yourself. Set up a 10 gallon tank with standard aquarium gravel, plastic plants and a few feeder fish. Set it up just like the average Joe would who gets a new aquarium without anything special in it like driftwood, crushed coral or whatever else. Use a regular HOB filter or UG or even both. Let the tank cycle, then when everything has stablilized check the PH. For example if it's 7.8 and just for experiment purposes, try to get it down to 7.0 by using nothing other than PH Down or Proper PH. Follow the directions and do as directed and do whatever it says to get it to neutral. Once it's neutral, check it again every few days. You WILL notice that the PH will go back up. Within a month or two without further PH chemicals it will be back up to 7.8. More than likely in this process your fish will have died by now or are stressed out and ill or weakend so bad their days are numbered now.
I'm not a scientist or marine biologist but I have certainly learned my lesson after keeping fish for over 18 years when to leave well enough alone. The fish aren't concerned with having PERFECT water to live in since they don't have perfect water in the wild, only their owners are. As long as it's not toxic the fish will be fine and don't care. Try the above experiment and prove me wrong. If you prove I am wrong and you keep your PH at 7.0 with that experiment you can then go to Petsmart and brag to them that you proved an idiot wrong online and you have neurtral PH.
QUOTE
Some fishes tolerate wide scale of water values naturally but some fishes don't. Adaptation to different kind of water takes hundreds if not even thousends years in natur - so it won't happen faster in your tank either..
RESPONSE
My point with this is, unless you bought your fish from another country or from across the country chances are they are already used to whatever PH you have locally. If your fish came locally they are already in similar water. I only know of one LFS locally that keeps his PH neutral out of the 40+ that I have visited. That being the case their water isn't much different that whatever comes out of your tap. Since most freshwater fish a breed on fishfarms in huge vats nature really hasn't got anything to do with it. The people who have the burden of getting fish adjusted to different PH levels are you LFS since whatever they were living in before they got them is more than likely different.
QUOTE
People also need to realize that water isn't just water. It's different here or in England than in Amazonas. Our tap water it's quite different than water in lakes and rivers..
RESPONSE
I think you misread what I was saying with this one. I said your water is your water. Meaning that whatever comes out of their tap is what it is. They are not going to change the molecules and atoms that make up their water. What is missing in the water is the bacteria that the fish need to make it a healthy enviroment, hench the reason for the cycle. What is has too much at least in the USA is the chlorine added to the water, that's why you dechlorinate the water before adding it to the tank. You can eliminate the toxins in the water to make it safe but the cycle adds what is needed as do any living creatures in that water. (yes, they add bad stuff too but that's why maintainance is important after that point)
QUOTE
So, what was your point? If you don't want to pay, just sit on chair and do nothing? Isn't it easier then to buy fishes that are naturally able to live water that you have?
RESPONSE
This goes back to the fish being used to the local water. Yes, you can do nothing if your not trying to breed. It is very rare to have fish die form PH being the cause unless it is so far off the scale that it's a terrible shock for them. You will find that out within a day or two of getting the fish if that's the case. Fish die of more often of Nitrite, Ammonia, disease and bacterial infections than anything else. PH is the cause if you go into Petsmart with dead fish because they want to sell you a ton of stuff that you don't need. If a fish dies from PH it is because of drastic fluctuations. If a PH is stable even if it is high or low they will be fine.
As far as fish needing certain ranges of PH to survive that too is a crock. I have fish personally that books and internet sites specifically say they need 7.0 to live and have not died in 8.2-8.6.
I haven't lost a fish in a really long time, about 2 years. My PH is still over 8.0 and everyone is happy. Additionally, you can go to ten different places to check what PH a specific fish requires and get ten different answers.
As a breeder, certain fish need a certain PH in order to breed so that's when you need to do something about it. Using PH up & down just stresses the fish because that stuff just does not create a permanent fix. It may work for a few weeks or longer if your lucky. That goes back to what I said about YOUR water being YOUR water, it will go back to what it once was because that is the way it was.
If anyone disagree's with this you can try it yourself. Set up a 10 gallon tank with standard aquarium gravel, plastic plants and a few feeder fish. Set it up just like the average Joe would who gets a new aquarium without anything special in it like driftwood, crushed coral or whatever else. Use a regular HOB filter or UG or even both. Let the tank cycle, then when everything has stablilized check the PH. For example if it's 7.8 and just for experiment purposes, try to get it down to 7.0 by using nothing other than PH Down or Proper PH. Follow the directions and do as directed and do whatever it says to get it to neutral. Once it's neutral, check it again every few days. You WILL notice that the PH will go back up. Within a month or two without further PH chemicals it will be back up to 7.8. More than likely in this process your fish will have died by now or are stressed out and ill or weakend so bad their days are numbered now.
I'm not a scientist or marine biologist but I have certainly learned my lesson after keeping fish for over 18 years when to leave well enough alone. The fish aren't concerned with having PERFECT water to live in since they don't have perfect water in the wild, only their owners are. As long as it's not toxic the fish will be fine and don't care. Try the above experiment and prove me wrong. If you prove I am wrong and you keep your PH at 7.0 with that experiment you can then go to Petsmart and brag to them that you proved an idiot wrong online and you have neurtral PH.
henderg
New Member
I don't have your experience, but I certainly agree with your logic GetTanked. I'm only about 5 weeks into my first tank, and it's doing fine. I decided after reading up on this forum, that the less you do to the water, the better: anyone want a cheap pH test kit?
If I'd read GetTanked's post beforehand then I wouldn't have bought this kit (£6), but stuck with the holy trinity of NO2, NH3 and NO3 and used the money for more fish, which is what this is all about anyway.
It looks to me like too many people are producing unnecessary 'instant fixes' that we don't need, and they're laughing all the way to the bank.
If I'd read GetTanked's post beforehand then I wouldn't have bought this kit (£6), but stuck with the holy trinity of NO2, NH3 and NO3 and used the money for more fish, which is what this is all about anyway.
It looks to me like too many people are producing unnecessary 'instant fixes' that we don't need, and they're laughing all the way to the bank.
K-Holed
Fishaholic
I agree that most fish can be kept across a wide varity of the Ph spectrum, however ... I have found (through experience) that my fish look MUCH better when kept closer to their native Ph. A great example of this is many of the tetras. Given soft, slightly acidic water they look fabulous, far more than when I have kept them in more alkaline conditions.
Moving Shadow
New Member
Your tank sounds all good.
As it's a new tank don't forget to keep up with the regular water changes. (10% normally, but with a new tank maybe a little more)
If you are using bottled water remember to have a look at the analysis as some bottled waters are very high in nitrates.
As it's a new tank don't forget to keep up with the regular water changes. (10% normally, but with a new tank maybe a little more)
If you are using bottled water remember to have a look at the analysis as some bottled waters are very high in nitrates.
annabel_roo
New Member
Hi, I just added my first set off fish to my 70L tank - 5 neon tetras and two peppered cory cat fish. I tested all the water levels before putting them in and they were fine. The fish have been in a couple of days now and the nitrite level has risen a bit to 0.25. Is this just normal having put my first set of fish in. Do I need to do an extra water change or anything? thanks annabel XSimilar threads
Most reactions
-
348 -
228 -
228 -
192 -
187 -
180 -
161 -
153 -
143 -
142 -
139 -
134 -
115 -
94 -
91