divy Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 hi all i have a question about ph levels i read that they get use to different ph levels is this true? so when i do water changes and the new water has a different ph level that will be ok for them? or should i buy a ph test kit with ph up and down powder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 The pH wouldn't swing that much with a water change. Unless it was very big. I have a pH test kit but hardly ever use it. It's only there for emergencies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 it is true that Bettas will adapt to different pH levels. the thing about pH is that as long as it is stable and isn't ridiculously out of the safety zone then don't mess with adding different chemicals to change it. A stable pH is better than a swinging pH. I'd buy a test kit so that you can know the pH of what they are in now and to test whatever water you may add during a water change. It should be ok as long as you add the water gradually. But remember that if a pH changes just one point that's like 100 times different and even though we don't even notice it that is a HUGE change for bettas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 Exactly what Stacey said! "Consistent" is better than "perfect". I do own a pH kit, but only use it to test water if I have some sort of suspicious thing going on in a tank (eg, cloudiness/bacterial bloom/fry die-off) - which is very rare. I just leave the pH alone. On the topic of pH fluctuations - always try to age your tap water at least 24 hours before a WC, because the pH can swing a fair bit in that time. Oh, and add a small amount of shell grit to tanks because soft acidic water (like that you create if using BWE or IAL) can start to crash as there are no buffers in the water and you can end up with a pH of 3 overnight!!!! This actually happened to me, before anyone suggests I am being melodramatic. I lost a tank of black CT fry due to a pH crash back in about 2002 - ie, when they were MEGA UNIQUE and SPECIAL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 hehe that came from "Lilli's Soapbox 101" I learn from the best :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 shucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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