Ph

[lucasluke]

okay so as some may know I am getting fish on saturday.

I just checked my PH and normal PH is 7.4 but high range PH comes out as 8.2? The water is straight from the tap so which is right?
I am just asking because I do not want to get fish and them die from PH shock.

Is it true that most fish will be fine in whatever PH as long as you acclimate them properly?

 

[KittyKat]

I just checked my PH and normal PH is 7.4 but high range PH comes out as 8.2? The water is straight from the tap so which is right?

Is the highest reading on the mid-range pH kit 7.4 or 7.6? And the lowest on the high-range around 7.4? Then the pH is 8.2

I am just asking because I do not want to get fish and them die from PH shock.

"pH shock" is what happens when the fish are moved from one pH/water hardness to a different one quickly. To avoid it, drip acclimatise over a period of some hours.

Is it true that most fish will be fine in whatever PH as long as you acclimate them properly?

No: the question is actually about water hardness, not pH and read about osmoregulation. As a general rule of thumb, soft water fish can do well in hard water (but may be more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections) while hard water fish rarely do well in soft water in the long term (generally poor health and poor immune system). Keep in mind that some fish have evolved to live in both types of water due to their origins.

 

[lucasluke]

Thanks - if 8.2 is the true PH how well would these fish do?
Pygmy cory
honey gourami
neon tetra

 

[catfish4ever]

pygmys need a lower ph. try 7.0 or 6.5 ish.

 

[lucasluke]

Okay - so they wouldnt do well at all then?
Is there any other type of small cory like pygmys that wouldnt mind a higher PH?

Edit: I was just thinking - if the LFS is only 10 minutes away wouldn't there PH be just about the same as ours? Everyone around here is supplied by the same water company

 

[catfish4ever]

onto something there

 

[KittyKat]

Thanks - if 8.2 is the true PH how well would these fish do?
Pygmy cory
honey gourami
neon tetra
Okay - so they wouldnt do well at all then?

Personally, I think that's too high, although in theory, that could be fine *as long as you acclimatise them properly*. It would be useful to know your KH and GH to make a better guess. Also, there are ways to soften the water in the long term inside the aquarium.

Is there any other type of small cory like pygmys that wouldnt mind a higher PH?

Not that I know of. Hard water fish would be livebearers and shell dwellers (not at the same time).

Edit: I was just thinking - if the LFS is only 10 minutes away wouldn't there PH be just about the same as ours? Everyone around here is supplied by the same water company

How would that help? The LFS keeps fish for only a couple of weeks usually, that is not enough time for them to show any negative effects. The differences would only be visible over a period of months to years. If you mean whether the water hardness and pH are the same or not? Well, probably they're different. Even my main display tank and newest tank have very different water parameters, even though there's 4 meters between the two and they're both filled from the same tap using the same bucket and dechlorinator. The only sure-fire way to prevent shock from changes in water parameters is to acclimatise properly.

 

[lucasluke]

Water hardness around the area here is 35 according to the water company... we have moderately soft water.

I see what you mean about the fish store PH now.

Anyway here is the results...

Alkalinity to pH 4.5 (Total) mg/l as HC03
92

Calcium Total
30