Ph Levels

[usaboston54]

please give me some basic info about pH levels. Im not sure how much i know now. Just give me a full basic discription and ill be all set thanks! oh. and yea no mungo words im only 11

U RULE and u peoples from england have u ever seen j.k. rwoling??

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Well, what do you want to know about ph? Basically you should know your tanks ph to help be aware if it changes in your tank (which is a bad thing), but as long as your ph is stable then thats the main thing.
Most fish can adapt to a slightly different ph than what they would usually prefer as long as they are acclimatised to the aquarium properly.
There are various ways to change ph, but you should really leave it alone as most things like ph boosters just end up making the ph fluctuate a lot and being hard to control and keep stable, which is bad for the fish.
Never add limestone or sandstone based rocks to tanks as these will change your ph.

 

[usaboston54]

thanks 4 the advice. my brother, tetraman helped me 2. u r great

 

[Annastasia]

I love water chemistry. But I'll try to keep it simple.

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14. 7 is the middle of the pH scale, and "pure" water is considered pH 7. Anything that is a lower number, is more acidic then 7. An example of an acidic, common substance would be Lemon Juice, or Vinegar. Anything higher is more alkaline, or basic. This would be stuff like Baking Soda, or Bleach. Each number on the scale is ten times more acidic or basic then the next, which is why you don't want to mess with your pH much. That's a lot of change for the fish. Some fish will prefer higher or lower pHs, so you can always look for fish that prefer your kind of pH. Though, most fish can be adapted. Just acclimate them slowly.