Many freshwater community fish can survive in a wide range of pH level between slightly acidic of 6.5 to slightly alkaline water 7.5. However, some special types of fish, do require special water ph enviroment. To provide them with their ideal water conditions, you must learn how to make adjustments to your fish habitat aquarium water using pH water testing strip.I’m selling one brand which is very good in testing water ph level, brand name Macherey Nagel.You can take a look in my website aileenwo.com
Before using any water in your aquarium, test it using ph strips to determine its pH and alkalinity. In most times, tap water falls within 6.5-7.5 range is a difficult one. If your tap water is hard and new fish locally with the same water ph level, the water should be fine. A buffer cannot remove calcium from the water, it only act for short time.The best way to do this is with the use of a Reverse Osmosis unit to filter the water. After you remove minerals, the use of peat or a commercial pH decreaser will be more effective at lowering pH to the desired level.
The opposite is true if your tap water is acidic, or soft. You will first need to add minerals to buffer and raise the pH. Commercial alkaline buffers should do the trick to effectively raise and control pH at the desired level.
Monitoring your aquarium water frequently will ensure better living environment for your pet fish.
Factors that may effect pH can change – even in established kept aquariums or without the use of commercial water conditioners. The addition of acids can lower your aquarium pH, and these drops are extremely harmful to your fish. Acids come from several sources: from excess carbon dioxide via respiration, from the nitrification stage of biological filtration, and from leaching tannins in driftwood, to name a few. On the other hand, substrates or gravel containing coral, limestone, or sea shells will leach carbonates into the water, which will raise the pH buffering capacity. In saltwater aquariums, this may be desirable, but in most freshwater aquariums, you generally don’t want your substrate to drastically alter water chemistry.
Unfortunately, when your aquarium is experiencing pH imbalance, there are no visible signs. Since a small change in pH means a drastic change in alkalinity or acidity, it is important to monitor aquarium pH frequently. Keep a diary to record your pH readings whenever you test. It will help you recognize patterns and find solutions when something is altering your aquarium pH. Before long, you’ll be a pro at using pH water test strip to stabilize aquarium pH.