Confused!

[krissykronk]

What does the ph of the water mean?

 

[DrRob]

pH is an abbreviation for power of hydrogen ion available in the water. Essentially a measure of how acidic or alkaline the water is.
 
7 is neutral (no activity) less than that is acidic and more is alkali.
 
There's more here
https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH
 
It's important as different areas have different types of water, so the fish get used to different conditions and if we want them to be healthy in our tanks then it's best to have fish that like the condition of our tank water, or, failing that, and more complicatedly, to change our tanks to suit our fish, although that gets into more advanced discussions.

 

[fluttermoth]

It's a measure of how acidic or alkaline the water is.
 
A pH of 7 is neutral; neither acid or alkaline. Values of below 7 indicate acidic water, while values above 7 are alkaline.
 
The 'H' in pH refers to hydrogen; no-one's quite sure what the 'p' stands for!

 

[krissykronk]

What is the right amount to have in the water?

 

[fluttermoth]

There's no 'right' level of pH; it depends on the fish you're keeping.
 
African Rift valley cichlids, for example, like a pH of 8 or over, as that's what they've evolved to live in, in the wild. South American discus, on the contrary, like a pH of 6 or less, as that's what the water is like where they come from.
 
It's not an easy job to change pH (although going from low to high is much easier than reducing it), so it's best to test the pH of your tap water and choose fish that like that pH.
 
For most tropical fish, pH is not that important, as long as it's not too high or low; between 6.5 and 7.5 is about right for the average tank.

 

[krissykronk]

Ok thanks for explaining it for me

 

[the_lock_man]

no-one's quite sure what the 'p' stands for!

 
Is it not "Potential"? That's what I've always understood it to be.

 

[DrRob]

Nah, it's probably power, although the German Potenz, means power when translated into English.
 
http/www.academia.edu/1745754/pH

 

[fluttermoth]

That's what I thought for years too, but apparently not!
 
It could be 'power' or 'puissance' (which is French for...power) or it might not stand for anything at all and just be a random designation.
 
Blimey, Rob, you're typing fast today

 

[the_lock_man]

They say you learn something new everyday, and today they're right.
 
I wonder who "they" are....

 

[laurac94]

The 'p' means -log, its a function on your calculator, we constantly use it at uni to work out the pH of different solutions

So pH means -log x the concentration of H+ ions

Your average tetra filled tanks need a pH of between 6.5 - 7.5, I try to keep it on the lower side.

 

[the_lock_man]

Hehe, well done Laura, now we ALL know!