Is pH is an overrated problem?
By Terry Ranson
From Vol. 2, No. 4, The Newsletter of The Tri-State Aquarium Society, March 2000
Aquarticles
While pH is usually the first thing aquarists check when their fish get sick, you won't
see me testing water for pH very often. That's because after more than 30 years of fish
keeping, I've learned pH is seldom a leading factor when fish get sick.
In nature, pH in rivers, streams, lakes and small ponds often fluctuates widely, often
depending on the time of year, the time of day, or the weather. Yet, the aquatic organisms
in these bodies of water survive these fluctuations quite well. That's because fish and
other creatures can easily adapt to changes in pH. Yet, because pH is simple and
inexpensive to test, and can easily be raised or lowered with the addition of readily
available chemicals, whenever fish die, hobbyists place the blame on pH.
In reality, pH is almost never to blame for poor fish health. What does cause fish and
other aquatic animals to get sick is poor hygiene, i.e.; the aquarist is too lazy to
perform water changes. In my opinion, water changes are the single most important factor
in keeping fish healthy.
In nature, fish constantly have fresh water. Rain, underground springs, and constant
water movement bring fresh water to fish. That's called an "open" system.
Aquariums have no natural source of fresh water, and are called "closed"
systems. The only way aquariums can get new, clean water is through water changes.
The pH has a tendency to drop; that is, become acid, in aquariums. That's because fish
wastes are acidic, and the bacteria present in aquariums also give off acidic substances.
By replacing the water, the pH is brought back to normal. That's the correct way adjust pH
- not just by adding chemicals. For aquariums with fish which need alkaline water, such as
African Cichlids and Australian Rainbows, I add a little baking soda and Epsom salts. That
also makes the water hard as well as alkaline. But for all the other fish, I only
neutralize the chlorine - I don't worry about pH.
So, the next time you hear someone blame pH for the death of their fish, you'll know it
wasn't pH, but poor maintenance that really killed them.
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