pH : To be or not to be considered?
Whenever one surfs the net or refers a book about fish-keeping pH would be a short-listed, important point of concern in keeping a fish. Many of us have read articles/books saying fishes are not tolerant to wide pH ranges or pH fluctuations. But is pH that important to fish-keeping?
What is pH?
pH is a logrithmic scale of the proportion of H+(Hydrogen) and OH-(Hydroxyl) ions ranging from 0-14 with neutral of 7. When the H+ ion concentration is higher the 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 dependent on various factors like water hardness, dissolved minerals, oxygen level and many more.
Its importance:
Many believe that even the smallest changes in pH is highly stressful to fish. You might have come across volumes saying a pH of 7.5 is 10 times acidic than a pH of 7.6. Many have a deep rooted feeling that all fishes in the wild live in perfectly stable and narrow pH ranges and fishes cannot adapt to changes in pH and some say that fishes will perish immediately in case of any pH changes.
What happens actually?
In the wild pH is not as stable as many of us think. It fluctuates considerably. In Indian waters I have seen higher pH in day times and lower in nights. Also pH is lowest in autumn and highest in spring. In autumn many dead leaves fall and decay in water sheds leaching out acids like tanin and acidifies water. In spring there are more monsoon rains hence more oxygen gets dissolved and therefore pH pumps up.
Also in home conditions pH is not perfectly stable. Aerating 20 litres of water for 4 hrs took my tap water pH from 7.8 to 8.6. If pH can swing so much in a matter of 4 hours by aeration just imagine how is it possible to maintain a stable pH on the long run. In aquaria pH swings according to aeration, decoration and dissolved minerals.
I have successfully housed two pairs of Discus, 2 pairs of Angels, 6 Rams and 30 Tetras in a 55 gallon tank for the past 1 year with absolutely no problem with a fairly stable pH of around 8.3-8.6. All these are said to be acid water loving fishes but they thrive in fairly hard, alkaline water (above pH 8).
Conclusion:
So pH is not nearly as important as it is believed to be. What I would suggest is if you intend to get a acid water loving fish like discus or tetra don't just rush up or panic in bringing down the pH or in case of Malawians dont 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. If you are so particular in bringing down pH you can rely of peat or a piece of drift wood. You can spend that money on a bigger tank. Try to keep your pH fairly stable. If you are so concerned about ur fish's health, consider regular water changes. Dont panic and get into a mess as fishes face more nightmares and harsh conditions in the wild than in home aquaria.
Whenever one surfs the net or refers a book about fish-keeping pH would be a short-listed, important point of concern in keeping a fish. Many of us have read articles/books saying fishes are not tolerant to wide pH ranges or pH fluctuations. But is pH that important to fish-keeping?
What is pH?
pH is a logrithmic scale of the proportion of H+(Hydrogen) and OH-(Hydroxyl) ions ranging from 0-14 with neutral of 7. When the H+ ion concentration is higher the 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 dependent on various factors like water hardness, dissolved minerals, oxygen level and many more.
Its importance:
Many believe that even the smallest changes in pH is highly stressful to fish. You might have come across volumes saying a pH of 7.5 is 10 times acidic than a pH of 7.6. Many have a deep rooted feeling that all fishes in the wild live in perfectly stable and narrow pH ranges and fishes cannot adapt to changes in pH and some say that fishes will perish immediately in case of any pH changes.
What happens actually?
In the wild pH is not as stable as many of us think. It fluctuates considerably. In Indian waters I have seen higher pH in day times and lower in nights. Also pH is lowest in autumn and highest in spring. In autumn many dead leaves fall and decay in water sheds leaching out acids like tanin and acidifies water. In spring there are more monsoon rains hence more oxygen gets dissolved and therefore pH pumps up.
Also in home conditions pH is not perfectly stable. Aerating 20 litres of water for 4 hrs took my tap water pH from 7.8 to 8.6. If pH can swing so much in a matter of 4 hours by aeration just imagine how is it possible to maintain a stable pH on the long run. In aquaria pH swings according to aeration, decoration and dissolved minerals.
I have successfully housed two pairs of Discus, 2 pairs of Angels, 6 Rams and 30 Tetras in a 55 gallon tank for the past 1 year with absolutely no problem with a fairly stable pH of around 8.3-8.6. All these are said to be acid water loving fishes but they thrive in fairly hard, alkaline water (above pH 8).
Conclusion:
So pH is not nearly as important as it is believed to be. What I would suggest is if you intend to get a acid water loving fish like discus or tetra don't just rush up or panic in bringing down the pH or in case of Malawians dont 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. If you are so particular in bringing down pH you can rely of peat or a piece of drift wood. You can spend that money on a bigger tank. Try to keep your pH fairly stable. If you are so concerned about ur fish's health, consider regular water changes. Dont panic and get into a mess as fishes face more nightmares and harsh conditions in the wild than in home aquaria.