Can the pH be too low?

S

SomethingFishy

Large Fish
#1
Nov 5, 2002
260
0
0
54
Auburn, CA
#1
When I started my tank I was struggling to get the pH down to 7.0 (neutral). I used pH Down as and that did not seem to work. I later purchased a powder (SeaChem I think) which claimed to keep the pH at 7.0 but now every time I check the pH it has been around 6.0 - 6.5??

The fish seem to be doing fine however. This is the tank set up . . .

29 gallon, Penguin BioWheel 125, AquaClear Mini (both have carbon and one has Amonia removing crystals, no UGF, artificial plants, "rainbow" rock, medium piece of driftwood. Other than that I have a typical community of assorted fish.

Does the low pH really matter? Should I not try to get it back up to 7.0 and if so how?

Suggestions as to the cause for the low pH and whether or not I should make any attempts to change would be appreciated. *SUNSMILE*
 

SoulFish

SoulFish

Superstar Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
1,668
0
0
38
Florida
www.rainbowaquatics.com
#2
you shouldnt mess around with pH unless it is way off its better to keep it steady then use chemicals and make it change fast, id leave it and just see what happens it should be ok, what fish do you have? many common tropical fish do best in pH 6.5-7, yes pH can be too low, would you want to live in acid?
 

Last edited:
S

SomethingFishy

Large Fish
#3
Nov 5, 2002
260
0
0
54
Auburn, CA
#3
Currently these are the tank occupants:

1 Red Tail Black Shark
4 Pearl Gourami
4 Dwarf Flame Gourami
5 Julii Corys
5 Red Eye Tetras
1 African Dwarf Frog
1 Rubber Mouth Pleco

Like I said everyone is doing fine. I will continue to monitor the pH and if a change is needed I will do it gradually as I know that sharp changes in pH are bad for the fish.

Thanks SoulFish*SUNSMILE*
 

RedTurquoise

RedTurquoise

Large Fish
#8
Oct 22, 2002
985
0
0
Edmonton
photos.yahoo.com
#8
Somethingfishy,
Your tapwater ph goes from 8.0 to 6.0? Wow! That is something fishy :)D )! Is that in your tank or in a separate container?

Imo, ph is way to over rated! Fish will tolerate ph from 6.0-8.0 as long as it is constant! Therefore, if your ph in your community stays at 6.0 without adding any chemicals, I would not worry about it. Of course, I would not recommend getting african cichlids though. Fish will love you a lot if you have constant water parameters instead of, I call if 'polluting' the water with all sorts of chemicals.

The answer to your original question is yes however ph that is too low usually refers to under 6.0! Anything above that I would not worry about unless of course you are refering to african cichlids how like ph of 8.0+ and very hard water.
 

Last edited:
M

Mike

Large Fish
#12
Nov 9, 2002
248
0
0
38
Los Angeles, California
Visit site
#12
do you know how high it gets in your tank. im trying to keep myself some livebearers and i know my mollies prefer medium to hard water but i wanna do it with baking soda to save money and its way easier to get. i also want to get the ph up to 7.5-8.2. my ph from my faucet water is already neutral.if you need more info on anything just tell me cause i really want to learn how to this.
~~Mike
 

Avalon

Avalon

Superstar Fish
#13
Oct 22, 2002
2,846
10
0
Ft. Worth, TX
www.davidressel.com
#13
Live bearers really don't seem to care much of what kind of water you keep them in. I've got mollies in 2 tanks of 7.8 and 6.6. Yes, they've reproduced. Same with Platies and Guppies.

Ideally, water for just about all fish should be 7.0. Hardness is a different story, but nothing to worry too much about, unless you are breeding (non live bearers). At 6.2 and lower, fish will start dying (most species). I've never seen "normal" water alkaline enough to kill fish (acclimation aside).
 

M

mykaylis

Small Fish
#15
Nov 13, 2002
49
0
0
Visit site
#15
mike, livebearers prefer slightly harder water which is less acidic. they're pretty tolerant though so if your water is close to neutral it's best not to mess with the chemistry! 7.0 to 7.5 is great, i wouldn't want it higher than that.

somethingfishy, if your pH is 6.5 it's probably fine. i'm not familiar with all those species but tetras tend to like slightly acidic water anyway.

either way guys - a pH change of more than .2 or so is very stressful so be very sure before you make a decision to change the chemistry of your water :)
 

RedTurquoise

RedTurquoise

Large Fish
#16
Oct 22, 2002
985
0
0
Edmonton
photos.yahoo.com
#16
Changing water chemistry is in actual fact not recommend. The only time one does mess with the water chemistry is if the particular species of fish require the change to breed and you have intentions of breeding.

Why not to mess with it:
#1 - not nesseccary, fish will live in most conditions as long as there is water
#2 - consistancy will vary
#3 - its a pain in the butt and can be expensive
There are many more reasons!

Why to mess with it:
#1 - breeding
#2 - your tap water can not support fish

Ph is one of the overrated factors of this hobby by far. The most important aspect is consistancy, keeping ph, hardness, temp, etc the same all the time. By trying to change water parameters, you introduce error and inconsistancy. Another thought is that by adding all sorts of chemicals to change the water chemistry, you may achieve 'prefered' water parameters but you may be also 'polluting' the water with contaminants (similar to air we breath not?)!

If however you must change water chemistry, always and again I say ALWAYS do it in a holding barrel or separate tank! As long as its not in the tank itself where the fish are in. This way you can test the parameters and make nesseccary corrections plus you do not stress your fish.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.