Dont USE pH buffers!
- Thread starter sunkyokim
- Start date
Or you could spend it on better equipment and bio media!
I agree that a constant pH is better than a fluctuating one, but I think the most important thing is to keep your water clean with an efficient filtration system.
"Look after you water and your water will look after your fish."
As an after thought, coral chips are meant to buffer pH ... just remember to change them once in a while.
I only worry about pH for special projects like breeding desert pupfish, mostly it is just another thing to screw up. Even for breeding pH sensitive fish I have foung that the best method is to adjust your parameters outside of the tank, 33g plastic barrels work pretty well for that.
ive used pH buffers for about 6 years. interesting everyones against them, ive never had any problems with fluctuating pH (even though it is only taking it from pH 7.2 to 6.5). mabe its because i dissolve the buffer properly or leave it for a while before adding it to the tank so its more stable?
Mainly it is just another thing to goof on, I used to use oak bark and peat moss (about 10g combined) for acidity when trying to breed some bog type fish and karst wassa and baked oyster shells when breeding pupfish, in both cases I would dechlor the water and let it sit a couple days in a barrel then when it read right pump it into a new barrel until needed.
Thought I'd add that it's a good idea to find out what the ph is wherever you buy your fish from. I don't bother to ask most of the time but it's a nice way to have some peace of mind for those 'spensive fish. One digit difference in ph means 10 times more or less acidic or alkaline, two digits apart means 100 times, i.e. if your ph at home is 7 and the ph at your LFS is 8 then the water at your LFS is 10X more alkaline than your water at home. Not good even if you float the bag half the day and trickle your tank water into it slowly IMO.
Mings post said it best. This isn't about what ph a fish can tolerate, it's about abrupt ph swings, a potentially deadly thing!
Mings post said it best. This isn't about what ph a fish can tolerate, it's about abrupt ph swings, a potentially deadly thing!
i dont mess with the ph because your fish will get use to what ph you have plus you start messing with the ph you allways have to do it..
sory but i kinda disagree, I use a very good brand of ph 7 (which takes it down or up to 7) and I've had no probs at all with it always been 7 never deviated. But i guess its the quality of the brand you get. And i put it in before fish.
I don't think that Sunkyokims initial post was knocking ph products ability to work, and neither am I. The point is that if you use "ph up" or "ph down" for regular water changes, it means more "baby sitting" to make sure that sudden ph swings don't happen. If you like to do it that way, your fish should be fine but it seems like extra work with more risk involved to me. I prefer to acclimate my fish to aged tap water with no additives (less maintenence to keep stable conditions).
Different strokes 4 different folks.
Different strokes 4 different folks.
