If you need water testing supplies check out this Amazon affiliate link! amzn.to/36uPBD7 Here is more information about water parameters. Definitely worth a look if you are trying to learn all you can about the subject! What exactly is the nitrogen cycle? th-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/w-d-xo.html What is Water Hardness? th-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/w-d-xo.html How to lower Nitrites: th-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/w-d-xo.html How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) th-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/w-d-xo.html How to Lower Nitrates: th-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/w-d-xo.html What Does Water Quality Really Mean? th-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/w-d-xo.html If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! th-cam.com/channels/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTA.htmljoin Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics
When I was in biology class in Florida it was actually marine biology, we worked in pairs and got to pick the fish we wanted to care for, Then we all started our own tanks.
Off topic but given your background maybe a subject you would consider doing a future video on is to what degree do water conditioners such as Prime and Ultimate neutralize micro nutrients contained in fertilizers used for planted tanks? Both of these conditioners claim to ( Detoxify heavy metals ) and while there is some discussion on the web I have not found any actual data identifying the nutrients that are affected and to the extent the concentrations are reduced. Maybe it cannot be determined without knowing the chemical formulation of these conditioners but this has always piqued my interest.
Ive learned a great great deal about keeping fish in my water from research and your videos. Could not find an email for you. Would appreciate your help if you have the time. Thank you very much. Im learning that keeping fish in my water is difficult and ro is not an option.
Your videos are sooooo incredibly helpful; thank you so much. As a newbie in the hobby trying to set up my new tank (cycling with danios in), your videos have been monumental! I’m wanting to get the pH down from 8.2 (tank will eventually house corys, a pleco, danios and maybe guppies), and this video made everything clear! God bless you, and thank you again for sharing your knowledge 💙
Thanks for all the information about pH. Be careful with dehumidifier water. The byproduct of condensing water on aluminum pipes is amonia. About a week ago I measured the amonia level in the dehumidifier water from my furnace/AC, because I wanted to use it to lower the pH in my aquarium. It matched the highest level shown on my API test chart!
Great detail and clarification on this issue.And you really made the case of having to work with the water you get instead of chemically making radial parameter changes. Jason, good job. You've greatly increased my appreciation of this hobby.
Thankyou for making this vid. I really didn't understand pH as much as I thought I did, so you made a big difference to my knowledge of it - many thanks! It actually surprised me that you could make something that I thought really complex, into something I could almost understand properly - well, enough to make sure that my fish get the pH they need to be healthy and happy, anyway! Lol
Thank you for the advice😊 . I just dosed my tank with Api ph down , as the ph is high in london and in my Aquarium at around 8 . I wish i hadn’t done it now after watching your video. Thanks for the warning to be careful with these products . Great video . I never did chemistry at school . You are an amazing teacher i will explore more gradual natural methods
I just sent you a lengthy email about this. My tap is 7 but jumps to 8.2 as it gases off. I'm on a well. I'm trying to keep Discus. I've added an RO system to help drop ph. I realize though, stable ph is key.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the response. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge about the hobby. As I've stated before in previous comments, I'm always a student to the hobby. 🤙
This video was outstanding. I may have watched this before I was ready to absorb it all but I believe this round I have it. Just well done and not common to find this well done an explanation
Thank you so much for your time and the education you have given us.. i really appreciate this.. after this video I feel like I've become a ph grand wizard
I really appreciate the biology/chemsitry approach of your videos. I live in Kansas and have a well. I want to keep and potentially breed South American fish, but the pH of my present aquarium is 8.2. I’m working on getting reverse osmosis water and adding organic matter like peat moss and leaf litter. Is it not really possible to maintain a consistent acidic pH because alkalinity is more closely connected to high pH?
As you use more RO water, the alkalinity will come down. Once you balance the RO water and alkalinity you should be able to consistently maintain a lower pH.
What do you mean adding the crushed coral as buffering it? Will it raise the KH? And he'll keep kh stable? My tank parameters are all greasy besides kh it is staying at 0ppm for some reason. I am doing daily water changes and it just won't rise. I have 1 price of drift wood and about an eighth of a funky crushed egg shell in there. And my son threw a very small shark tooth in there lol but that kh isn't moving
hi Jason , its also jason here . Hope you well . Im in Africa and my ph out the tap is round 8.2 . What would the effect on the ph be if I was to boil that water and then let it cool to room temperature before doing water changes , would the ph drop significantly . Im aiming to get my discus tank up and running which is currently empty , I don't have a problem with puttiing in the effort of maintaining the lower PH levels . Was thinking that if I boil it and let it cool would that water not have a ph of 7 , and would this not make my life a lot easier in getting my ph to be around the 6 mark . I guess my question is what is effect on the ph of boiling tap water that has a PH of 8.2 . Hope you see this question , thanks , really enjoy your shows
Boiling probably won’t have much of an impact. In fact it might raise water hardness a little depending on how much water evaporated in the boiling process?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thanks , after asking the question i thought you might say that . im not to sure how im going to get around that but i will . still havent even put the water in yet . will do so in the next week or 2 . thanks for the answer
I can tell you this I don't think many realize how big a swing their is in ph over a 24 hour period. I have had much better results using a 30$ digital ph monitor on all my tanks, it gives me ph reading at a glance 24/7 and its one less test I have to run
I have south american cichlids and my water consistently test at 6.0 . I water change 15-20% weekly with a teaspoon of salt for every 5 gallons (75g tank). Could this salt, as minimum as it is, have an affect on my PH level. Also, appreciate you stating your credentials at the beginning of the video. I appreciate educated responses more
Good question. The salt probably isn't doing much to the pH. I would take advantage of that pH and keep all kinds of South/Central American and West African Cichlids! Very lucky. : -)
I'm late to the party but this was very helpful, I didn't know PH was on a scale of 10X. I found this video after watching the Siamese algae eater video.
Hi Jason. I'm no scientist and not really getting this? Are you suggest that I set my tank up, do a test, take the test strips to the fish shop and ask them to give me a list of suitable species based on the results? Obviously considering my tank size and temp.
Make sure the tank is cycled first. Most common community fish will probably do well with pH from 6.5 up to 7.5. As long as your water is close to that (well, even better close to wherever you get your fish from), they should be ok.
Great video. But... what are my options for keeping a stable PH in an 8g planted tank? I just started tank. Mopani wood did bring buffer PH a small amount. From around 8 from tap, to around 7.5. I have no dehumidifier or RO. How do I keep mine stable for plants and possibly Cory’s, Shrimp, Betta or Honey Gourami, live bearers? I haven’t decided what fish until tank has cycled. I’m so confused! As with a lot of people, I started this tank without enough research!!!!
I have a conundrum. My PH in my tap is 8+. But my tanks is 6.2-6.4. I don't know what is happening. I took out my cholla wood about a week ago. No change yet. I have guppies. And the lady at lfs said that it was like they are swimming on acid. I know guppies like a higher ph. I now have a cuttle bone in my tank. It is a 10 gallon and I also have a 5 gallon. It's like I have ph fairies that are sucking up my ph!!!. I truly don't know what to do. The fish don't seem affected by it. My one female guppy just had 40 fry. So they're breeding. Is the low PH bad for my fish? I also have 2 white cloud minnows and a julii Cory. 3 female guppies and one male. And a bunch of bladder snails. I've cut back on my feeding but I also have 4 fry that's about 5-6 weeks old. They're to big to go in the fry tank with the new babies. So I'm afraid to cut back anymore food. Will it hurt them if I skip a day on the feeding? And should I not try and raise my ph? Oh and o have hard water st 150.
I bought a 30 gallon a couple weeks ago and have been letting it cycle. Today i got a master test kit and checked all my parameters. 0 amonia and nitrite, with a nitrate around 10 ppm, but my ph was an 8. I checked my tapwater and it was 8.8, which is high as my test would read. Theres a natural springs by my house and it tested a 6, which is low as my test would read. So my question is, could I mix water from the 2 sources and get a neutral ph or am i just boned?
I have a planted tank with one small driftwood.What would change my ph from 7.4 to a ph 5.6? All I do is tank maintenance one a week my filter is a sponge filter.
Thanks so much for all the helpful information. I'm currently cycling a new tank and my nitrogen cycle was going perfect until my pH dropped below 6 and everything crashed and I'm having to start all over again. Is it true that beneficial bacteria dies off when the pH drops below 6.0?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks so much for responding. I started to see both nitrite and nitrate and after my pH dropped below 6.0 I now have a spike in ammonia with the zero nitrites and 0 nitrates. If it's not the pH I'm not sure what could be going on.
Hi Jason , other Jason again . I once asked you about the effects of boiling the water first . after you answer i canned that idea and what ive done is I now treat the water with muriatic acid and test it 3 days later. I still have only tested without adding it to the tank , and it definetly works , took me while to get the right amount of acid to put in but i can now constantly get ph down to about 6.2 ( its around 8.2 out the tap) . what will the method im testing now have on the water hardness , im hoping not much . Look forward to your comments
This video was awesome! I really appreciate the depth you went into to give us a better understanding of what is actually going on within our fishtanks in terms of PH! It's also super cool to hear, as a new view, that you're highly educated in biotech and chemistry! I can honestly say that your experience in the aquatic livestock trade and your extensive knowledge you've attained through your master's degrees make me trust you to the nth degree! Kudos for making such a badass life for yourself, bro! You've not only made me smarter, but you've inspired me! I'll be binge watching your vids in my free time for sure!
Hi! Thanks for the clear video. My water comes out of the tap at a ph of 7.4 but rapidly goes up to 8.0-8.2 in all my tanks regardless of what decor is in it, what could be causing this? This also happens if i keep the water in just a bucket. Is thi dangerous to my fish? As the change in ph happens rapidly in a matter of hours.
Hey Jason, specific question. My tap ph is 7.0 but I keep my tank at 8.2 for african cichlids. For years I’ve been using Malawi buffer during every water change to keep my PH at 8.2. I’d like to stop using the buffer so I’m thinking of adding aragonite sand to my substrate and crushed coral to my canister to buffer my water. Question is, with this setup, if I do 80% water change as usual and add tap water at 7.0 without the Malawi buffer, will this setup still safely get my water back to 8.2 PH? Or am I better off adding Malawi buffer forever? 🤦🏼♂️ Thanks for your help!
I'm not sure how big of a change you will see at the time of water change. I would keep the buffer on hand until you can get a good feel for how much a water change will impact the parameters?
You are an excellent and generous teacher. This blew apart the nebulous world of pH that I was vague about. Thanks so much and greetings from northern Australia.
Excellent video I really enjoyed your explanations. Small point - you failed to mention the effect of Carbonate hardness (KH) and its effect on for example, how this acts as a buffer making it difficult when trying to make the water more acidic. Subbed you 👍
Just using fluval stratum as my substrate brings my ph from an 7.8 to a 6. Had to add a little bit of crushed coral to balance. Would’ve left it alone but my mystery snails shells were starting to show signs of erosion. So far it’s helped and no chemicals necessary
Awesome review of my Bio class! I loved how you put this knowledge into perspective! I certainly hope to see more videos like this from this channel 👍🙂
i have 3 tanks with bettas in them. Their water PH seems to stay around 7.8 but isn't that too high? I use halp RO water and half tap water. I live in Florida and our tap isn't the best which is why I started using some RO. Thank you so much for your channel and for any direction you can give me!
My alkalinity is low and Ph is 7.0 I’m not sure why or what’s happening. I notice my betta is not acting like herself ever since my ph dropped couple days ago but I have some water changes and ph is back up but not alkalinity
I remember hearing the term logarithmic somewhere but can’t remember where. Maybe precalculus class or statistics class? Maybe trigonometry? Not sure. But it rings a bell! Great video!
If I live where the water has high dissolved solids… that’s pushing the PH up toward 8.0, yes? And I have a tank with plants, but only 2 varieties right now. Will adding a 3rd plant cause bioprocesses to bring my aquarium PH more neutral as it lives and sheds?
To be honest, i was hesitant to learn about PH because i was afraid it would be too involved, and i wouldn't understand it. This video put all those fears to rest, and i walked away knowing more than i did before. Thank you for the video!
I have two tanks, a 10G and a 20L. Both are cycled...at least parameters run 0-0.25 Ammonia, 0-0.25 Nitrite, 5-20 Nitrate. Weekly 30% water changes when parameters rise. pH is not stable. Filtered from the faucet (city water) it typically runs 8.4+. After a 30% water change, pH rises from 6 to about 7-7.4. My tanks are moderately planted, with some organic material as plants wither/die off, which I believe is crashing my pH down to 6 (pale yellow) within a couple of days. Both tanks were fishless cycled within the past 3 months (20L) to 6 months (10G), both showed really neutral, stable parameters except for pH. Both tanks are crystal clear. Every fish I've put in either tank has died within 2-4 weeks...I believe possibly due to pH variation based on what I just watched. How do I fix this?
My tap water is about 7.2 yesterday I filled my 110 Gallon stock tank and today the ph is 8.4. I have pea gravel substrate and a 5 Gallon bucket filter with bio balls, filter media, lava rock and bio rings. I treated the water with api tap water condioner. What is causing the rising ph.
If there is any other type of rock maybe that? The lava rock usually has the opposite impact though. Could be the gravel depending on what rock is in it?
Me applying for a job at Harvard for a teaching position: Interviewer: I see on your resume you don't have any doctorate's degree. Why do you think you should get this job? Me: Oh no I don't have any degree, I just watch Prime Time Aquatics.
Hi Jason, Nice video 👍 The question I have is as you said apistos and altums love lower pH levels such as 4.5/5 or 6, so in those lower ph levels will there be any beneficial bacterial growth or any bacteria alive in aquariums? Generally we say pH level should be 6.5 - 8 for BB to grow and make the N cycle.
Sir one help please! My water ph is 8.3 with total hardness of 95mg or 95ppi and 208 tds. I’m planning for a discus birthday tank setup! So can a discus fish survive in the environment or do I have to reduce the ph? And water total hardness level is right enough know!
hi ,my tap water is coming out at 8 like yours. running my tanks for over a year but recently ph is reading 6! yellow on API test , running a rack of sumps sponge floss and media. some large wood .i added aragonite when tanks where set up to buff the water .do you recommend adding anything ? i need my ph stable . thanks love your videos :)
My ph from tap is 7. I just tested tank water and it’s 6.6😱. I’m having problems with my Oranda bottom sitting and looking a little off. What has happened to my Ph? Pam from Scotland
Thanks Jason for this very FREE informative information about PH and I am still a little confused on how to keep that certain PH level stable especially with housing german rams bought from your local fish/pet supermarket or do you let them acclimate to your PH level cause wouldn’t it be hard to keep that certain PH value constant all the time?
Would u be willing to help a newbie ????? I accidentally killed three of my shark fish after a water change and adding a chemical for the first time. I added ph down and after a day, 3 of my fish died😭. But the other 10 seem to be ok, I think my Pleco is in a little of a shock and has a few white spots but seems to be doing ok. I’m in the Hoffman Estates area and I’d love to learn more. Really looking for help to keep these fishy baby’s alive.
All of a sudden, my mystery snail shells are turning white. They have been in their tanks for at least 4 months with no problems. I perform regular water changes around 75%, and there are a couple of small wonder shells and a cuttlebone in the tank. I researched low calcium, so I added calcium supplements according to the directions. Will the color come back in their shells?
Came here cause I did a test and my pH was super low 4.5-5 and was horrified. Feel a little comforted now. Because I know my fish are happy. Will slowly try to raise it though because I'm worried about long-term
Ya, at that level you might try to get it up into the upper 6s. You could try adding aragonite to a filter bag and see how that does. Just make the adjustments slowly.
I have to comment here. You can see you are used to teaching as the way you explain the subject is very easy to digest. I am good friends with my local chemist and have conversations about the subjects you are talking about in this series and to be honest he confuses me as he sometimes assumes I know more than I really know. So many You tube channels don't really understand the intricacies of water to a scientific level as you do so therefore unknowingly give out false information. I know this is off topic but would love your take on if anaerobic and aerobic bacteria cold live in the same small piece of media.
Thank you! The quick answer is no. If the microbe is an Obligate Anaerobe they are killed by O2 concentrations high enough to establish aerobic organisms.
Hi. Very interesting... What to do if I have tap water ph 6.5 and I want to keep african cichlids? Haw to change water in that situation? Thank you very much.
Question for you, I have a community freshwater tank with tetras and would like my pH to be just slightly below what it is out of tap which is about 7.8, would using seachem regulator or another pH correct product when doing water change to the water I'm adding and be consistent about it then checking pH each time would be okay? I just feel that 7.8 is too high for the community fish I'm keeping although they are not dying from it as you said stability is everything. Did you recommend lowering the pH and would you recommend doing this method or using driftwood? Also I have quite a bit of cor al and shells in there all natural but they have not seem to alter the pH in this tank compared to the tanks I do not have it in.
My nitrate and nitrite are at zero and my ph slightly increase around 8 but most of the time I am around 7.5 it might be the result of ammonia ? As I understand it is a basic solution why "if it is the case" my nitrite wont change since ammonia create nitrite ?
It usually takes a few weeks for sufficient amounts of bacteria to populate a tank before they can have a meaningful impact on converting ammonia to nitrite.
Ok Jason, I’m stumped w my aquarium chemistry😞. My tap is 0 GH 40 KH ppm 6.2-6.4 PH My aquarium is 125 GH ppm 125 KH ppm 6.8-7 PH I’ve added Equilibrium to bring the tap GH up for plants. I also add Easy Green to keep nitrates between 20-30. The substrate is Imagitarium sand, some fake rocks, and live plants. I’m just trying to figure out what from this equation is raising the KH and PH🤔🤔🤔 Any ideas⁉️⁉️⁉️ THX🙏
If you need water testing supplies check out this Amazon affiliate link!
amzn.to/36uPBD7
Here is more information about water parameters. Definitely worth a look if you are trying to learn all you can about the subject!
What exactly is the nitrogen cycle? th-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/w-d-xo.html
What is Water Hardness? th-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/w-d-xo.html
How to lower Nitrites: th-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/w-d-xo.html
How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) th-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/w-d-xo.html
How to Lower Nitrates: th-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/w-d-xo.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean? th-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/w-d-xo.html
If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! th-cam.com/channels/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTA.htmljoin
Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics
1
no one give this much information about pH on whole TH-cam, well done sir.👍
Goodwin's Aquatics no kidding brother did awesome!
Thank you Goodwin's Aquatics!
I agree these videos are by far the highest in all of TH-cam as far as information. thank you for making and sharing these to us
I wish my high school professor linked chemistry to fish tanks I would’ve been so much more involved
Glad you are here! : -)
mtgsoccer me too
When I was in biology class in Florida it was actually marine biology, we worked in pairs and got to pick the fish we wanted to care for, Then we all started our own tanks.
Could have found a way to apply it yourself.
6:16 if you’re not a chemist.
THANK YOU SIR!!!
I finally, sort of, get it. Well done professor.
Thank you!
Thanks for posting this: it's the clearest explanation of PH I've seen yet. This is just the kind of video I came to TH-cam for.
Thank you!
You're a great teacher! I have trouble focusing because of cognitive problems but you were super easy to follow, and now I actually understand pH.
Thank you so much! :-)
Off topic but given your background maybe a subject you would consider doing a future video on is to what degree do water conditioners such as Prime and Ultimate neutralize micro nutrients contained in fertilizers used for planted tanks? Both of these conditioners claim to ( Detoxify heavy metals ) and while there is some discussion on the web I have not found any actual data identifying the nutrients that are affected and to the extent the concentrations are reduced. Maybe it cannot be determined without knowing the chemical formulation of these conditioners but this has always piqued my interest.
That's a nice idea Rod. Thanks for watching
Ive learned a great great deal about keeping fish in my water from research and your videos. Could not find an email for you. Would appreciate your help if you have the time. Thank you very much. Im learning that keeping fish in my water is difficult and ro is not an option.
Your videos are sooooo incredibly helpful; thank you so much.
As a newbie in the hobby trying to set up my new tank (cycling with danios in), your videos have been monumental! I’m wanting to get the pH down from 8.2 (tank will eventually house corys, a pleco, danios and maybe guppies), and this video made everything clear! God bless you, and thank you again for sharing your knowledge 💙
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for all the information about pH. Be careful with dehumidifier water. The byproduct of condensing water on aluminum pipes is amonia. About a week ago I measured the amonia level in the dehumidifier water from my furnace/AC, because I wanted to use it to lower the pH in my aquarium. It matched the highest level shown on my API test chart!
Great detail and clarification on this issue.And you really made the case of having to work with the water you get instead of chemically making radial parameter changes. Jason, good job. You've greatly increased my appreciation of this hobby.
Thank you! Appreciate you watching!
Everything is dizzy and my brain hurts, but this is great information. Never really thought about Ph this in depth. Thank You!
The dizziness goes away with time. Haha
Science lesson with a bubbling backdrop. Pure ASMR.
Thankyou for making this vid.
I really didn't understand pH as much as I thought I did, so you made a big difference to my knowledge of it - many thanks!
It actually surprised me that you could make something that I thought really complex, into something I could almost understand properly - well, enough to make sure that my fish get the pH they need to be healthy and happy, anyway! Lol
Thank you for the advice😊 . I just dosed my tank with Api ph down , as the ph is high in london and in my Aquarium at around 8 . I wish i hadn’t done it now after watching your video. Thanks for the warning to be careful with these products . Great video . I never did chemistry at school . You are an amazing teacher i will explore more gradual natural methods
Thank you so much for watching!
I wish I remembered Chemistry Class!😢
I just sent you a lengthy email about this. My tap is 7 but jumps to 8.2 as it gases off. I'm on a well. I'm trying to keep Discus. I've added an RO system to help drop ph. I realize though, stable ph is key.
The RO system will help for sure. You may have to remineralize the water if you go 100% RO though.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the response. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge about the hobby. As I've stated before in previous comments, I'm always a student to the hobby. 🤙
This video was outstanding. I may have watched this before I was ready to absorb it all but I believe this round I have it. Just well done and not common to find this well done an explanation
Thank you! Glad it helped.
Very informative as always. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Adam
my guy looking like tom segura
Thank you so much for your time and the education you have given us.. i really appreciate this.. after this video I feel like I've become a ph grand wizard
Thank you for watching!
Great video very informative.
I really appreciate the biology/chemsitry approach of your videos. I live in Kansas and have a well. I want to keep and potentially breed South American fish, but the pH of my present aquarium is 8.2. I’m working on getting reverse osmosis water and adding organic matter like peat moss and leaf litter. Is it not really possible to maintain a consistent acidic pH because alkalinity is more closely connected to high pH?
As you use more RO water, the alkalinity will come down. Once you balance the RO water and alkalinity you should be able to consistently maintain a lower pH.
Thank you! You are my go to! Somebody give this man a raise
What do you mean adding the crushed coral as buffering it? Will it raise the KH? And he'll keep kh stable? My tank parameters are all greasy besides kh it is staying at 0ppm for some reason. I am doing daily water changes and it just won't rise. I have 1 price of drift wood and about an eighth of a funky crushed egg shell in there. And my son threw a very small shark tooth in there lol but that kh isn't moving
Aragonite might be your best option. You can either add it to the substrate or put it in a filter bag in your filter.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics I should proof read before posting more often lol "greasy"? Great I think is what I meant. "Funky crushed egg shell"? Lol wow....
hi Jason , its also jason here . Hope you well . Im in Africa and my ph out the tap is round 8.2 . What would the effect on the ph be if I was to boil that water and then let it cool to room temperature before doing water changes , would the ph drop significantly . Im aiming to get my discus tank up and running which is currently empty , I don't have a problem with puttiing in the effort of maintaining the lower PH levels . Was thinking that if I boil it and let it cool would that water not have a ph of 7 , and would this not make my life a lot easier in getting my ph to be around the 6 mark . I guess my question is what is effect on the ph of boiling tap water that has a PH of 8.2 . Hope you see this question , thanks , really enjoy your shows
Boiling probably won’t have much of an impact. In fact it might raise water hardness a little depending on how much water evaporated in the boiling process?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thanks , after asking the question i thought you might say that . im not to sure how im going to get around that but i will . still havent even put the water in yet . will do so in the next week or 2 . thanks for the answer
I can tell you this I don't think many realize how big a swing their is in ph over a 24 hour period. I have had much better results using a 30$ digital ph monitor on all my tanks, it gives me ph reading at a glance 24/7 and its one less test I have to run
I'm interested in the PH monitor. Who makes it please?
I have south american cichlids and my water consistently test at 6.0 . I water change 15-20% weekly with a teaspoon of salt for every 5 gallons (75g tank). Could this salt, as minimum as it is, have an affect on my PH level. Also, appreciate you stating your credentials at the beginning of the video. I appreciate educated responses more
Good question. The salt probably isn't doing much to the pH. I would take advantage of that pH and keep all kinds of South/Central American and West African Cichlids! Very lucky. : -)
@@PrimeTimeAquatics ok thank you as always
I'm late to the party but this was very helpful, I didn't know PH was on a scale of 10X. I found this video after watching the Siamese algae eater video.
Hi Jason. I'm no scientist and not really getting this? Are you suggest that I set my tank up, do a test, take the test strips to the fish shop and ask them to give me a list of suitable species based on the results? Obviously considering my tank size and temp.
Make sure the tank is cycled first. Most common community fish will probably do well with pH from 6.5 up to 7.5. As long as your water is close to that (well, even better close to wherever you get your fish from), they should be ok.
Thank you professor Prime Time!
Great video. But... what are my options for keeping a stable PH in an 8g planted tank? I just started tank. Mopani wood did bring buffer PH a small amount. From around 8 from tap, to around 7.5. I have no dehumidifier or RO. How do I keep mine stable for plants and possibly Cory’s, Shrimp, Betta or Honey Gourami, live bearers? I haven’t decided what fish until tank has cycled. I’m so confused! As with a lot of people, I started this tank without enough research!!!!
Once your tank is cycled my guess is the pH will be stable. If it's around neutral (or in your case between 7-8) you should be fine.
Very nice description of the Ph.
Thank you for spending time to explain pH in detail. Excellent video.
I have a conundrum. My PH in my tap is 8+. But my tanks is 6.2-6.4. I don't know what is happening. I took out my cholla wood about a week ago. No change yet. I have guppies. And the lady at lfs said that it was like they are swimming on acid. I know guppies like a higher ph. I now have a cuttle bone in my tank. It is a 10 gallon and I also have a 5 gallon. It's like I have ph fairies that are sucking up my ph!!!. I truly don't know what to do. The fish don't seem affected by it. My one female guppy just had 40 fry. So they're breeding. Is the low PH bad for my fish? I also have 2 white cloud minnows and a julii Cory. 3 female guppies and one male. And a bunch of bladder snails. I've cut back on my feeding but I also have 4 fry that's about 5-6 weeks old. They're to big to go in the fry tank with the new babies. So I'm afraid to cut back anymore food. Will it hurt them if I skip a day on the feeding? And should I not try and raise my ph? Oh and o have hard water st 150.
Thank you professor!! Well understand now, well explained as well.
I bought a 30 gallon a couple weeks ago and have been letting it cycle. Today i got a master test kit and checked all my parameters. 0 amonia and nitrite, with a nitrate around 10 ppm, but my ph was an 8. I checked my tapwater and it was 8.8, which is high as my test would read. Theres a natural springs by my house and it tested a 6, which is low as my test would read. So my question is, could I mix water from the 2 sources and get a neutral ph or am i just boned?
I have a planted tank with one small driftwood.What would change my ph from 7.4 to a ph 5.6? All I do is tank maintenance one a week my filter is a sponge filter.
one of the best videos ever on the subject, timing couldn’t have been more perfect too
Good to hear. Thanks!
Wooow, I came for some pH knowledge, but I gained little more than pH , thanks u sir,
U really should teach chemistry
Really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for all the helpful information. I'm currently cycling a new tank and my nitrogen cycle was going perfect until my pH dropped below 6 and everything crashed and I'm having to start all over again. Is it true that beneficial bacteria dies off when the pH drops below 6.0?
They can certainly struggle a little more at lower pH, but they can still survive.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks so much for responding. I started to see both nitrite and nitrate and after my pH dropped below 6.0 I now have a spike in ammonia with the zero nitrites and 0 nitrates. If it's not the pH I'm not sure what could be going on.
I have learned more in this video than I did in YEARS of high school and college chemistry.
That was so well done. Thanks so much for making sense of PH. Its not too complicated when well explained.
Good to hear!
Hi Jason , other Jason again . I once asked you about the effects of boiling the water first . after you answer i canned that idea and what ive done is I now treat the water with muriatic acid and test it 3 days later. I still have only tested without adding it to the tank , and it definetly works , took me while to get the right amount of acid to put in but i can now constantly get ph down to about 6.2 ( its around 8.2 out the tap) . what will the method im testing now have on the water hardness , im hoping not much . Look forward to your comments
This video was awesome! I really appreciate the depth you went into to give us a better understanding of what is actually going on within our fishtanks in terms of PH! It's also super cool to hear, as a new view, that you're highly educated in biotech and chemistry! I can honestly say that your experience in the aquatic livestock trade and your extensive knowledge you've attained through your master's degrees make me trust you to the nth degree! Kudos for making such a badass life for yourself, bro! You've not only made me smarter, but you've inspired me! I'll be binge watching your vids in my free time for sure!
Thank you for being here!
Hi! Thanks for the clear video. My water comes out of the tap at a ph of 7.4 but rapidly goes up to 8.0-8.2 in all my tanks regardless of what decor is in it, what could be causing this? This also happens if i keep the water in just a bucket. Is thi dangerous to my fish? As the change in ph happens rapidly in a matter of hours.
I'm not sure but this makes me want to do some research on the matter. :-)
Thank you so much for the explanation.
Dehumidified water is not good for plants long term, I would not add that to my fish tank either.
Hey Jason, specific question. My tap ph is 7.0 but I keep my tank at 8.2 for african cichlids. For years I’ve been using Malawi buffer during every water change to keep my PH at 8.2. I’d like to stop using the buffer so I’m thinking of adding aragonite sand to my substrate and crushed coral to my canister to buffer my water. Question is, with this setup, if I do 80% water change as usual and add tap water at 7.0 without the Malawi buffer, will this setup still safely get my water back to 8.2 PH? Or am I better off adding Malawi buffer forever? 🤦🏼♂️ Thanks for your help!
I'm not sure how big of a change you will see at the time of water change. I would keep the buffer on hand until you can get a good feel for how much a water change will impact the parameters?
Prime Time Aquatics Thanks, will do!
You are an excellent and generous teacher. This blew apart the nebulous world of pH that I was vague about. Thanks so much and greetings from northern Australia.
Great video. I was hoping you would explain why/how ph affects a fish. Why are sudden changes bad? What does it do yo the fish?
Hey Mark - I'll work on a part two at some point to get more into the biology. Thanks for the suggestion.
Fantastic video on pH !!! Question: Could a Malawi tank be ok at 7.4 pH ? I currently buffer it up to 8.2 but it comes out the tap at 7.4
I think so. I would drop it down to that level over the course of a month or so and see how they do.
Excellent video I really enjoyed your explanations. Small point - you failed to mention the effect of Carbonate hardness (KH) and its effect on for example, how this acts as a buffer making it difficult when trying to make the water more acidic. Subbed you 👍
It certainly does! I though I discussed that in this video? But you are correct
Curious on what you have to say about hardness of water and how it affects fish
This: th-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/w-d-xo.html
:-)
Just using fluval stratum as my substrate brings my ph from an 7.8 to a 6. Had to add a little bit of crushed coral to balance. Would’ve left it alone but my mystery snails shells were starting to show signs of erosion. So far it’s helped and no chemicals necessary
Awesome review of my Bio class! I loved how you put this knowledge into perspective! I certainly hope to see more videos like this from this channel 👍🙂
Very confusing. I just wanna know how to check it and how to maintain it.
i have 3 tanks with bettas in them. Their water PH seems to stay around 7.8 but isn't that too high? I use halp RO water and half tap water. I live in Florida and our tap isn't the best which is why I started using some RO. Thank you so much for your channel and for any direction you can give me!
I keep them at a pH of 8 with no issues.
I see you Professor!!! 👍🏾 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾Thanks a lot.!!
My alkalinity is low and Ph is 7.0 I’m not sure why or what’s happening. I notice my betta is not acting like herself ever since my ph dropped couple days ago but I have some water changes and ph is back up but not alkalinity
You could always add some aragonite to a filter bag?
I remember hearing the term logarithmic somewhere but can’t remember where. Maybe precalculus class or statistics class? Maybe trigonometry? Not sure. But it rings a bell! Great video!
Nice 😀
Very informative. Thank you.👍🙏
Very informative. Thank you
If I live where the water has high dissolved solids… that’s pushing the PH up toward 8.0, yes? And I have a tank with plants, but only 2 varieties right now. Will adding a 3rd plant cause bioprocesses to bring my aquarium PH more neutral as it lives and sheds?
Probably not. Plants don’t have much of an impact on pH.
I love these in depth videos, very informative, thanks again!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching.
To be honest, i was hesitant to learn about PH because i was afraid it would be too involved, and i wouldn't understand it. This video put all those fears to rest, and i walked away knowing more than i did before. Thank you for the video!
Thank you very much!
I have two tanks, a 10G and a 20L. Both are cycled...at least parameters run 0-0.25 Ammonia, 0-0.25 Nitrite, 5-20 Nitrate. Weekly 30% water changes when parameters rise. pH is not stable. Filtered from the faucet (city water) it typically runs 8.4+. After a 30% water change, pH rises from 6 to about 7-7.4. My tanks are moderately planted, with some organic material as plants wither/die off, which I believe is crashing my pH down to 6 (pale yellow) within a couple of days. Both tanks were fishless cycled within the past 3 months (20L) to 6 months (10G), both showed really neutral, stable parameters except for pH. Both tanks are crystal clear. Every fish I've put in either tank has died within 2-4 weeks...I believe possibly due to pH variation based on what I just watched. How do I fix this?
Check your KH - My guess is it's probably low and not able to buffer the water properly.
Great explanation! Felt like I was back in my Chemistry class lol!
What a great feeling huh? : -)
Stumbled upon your videos.
Thanks for the wonderful article
Thank you!
My tap water is about 7.2 yesterday I filled my 110 Gallon stock tank and today the ph is 8.4. I have pea gravel substrate and a 5 Gallon bucket filter with bio balls, filter media, lava rock and bio rings. I treated the water with api tap water condioner. What is causing the rising ph.
If there is any other type of rock maybe that? The lava rock usually has the opposite impact though. Could be the gravel depending on what rock is in it?
Me applying for a job at Harvard for a teaching position:
Interviewer: I see on your resume you don't have any doctorate's degree. Why do you think you should get this job?
Me: Oh no I don't have any degree, I just watch Prime Time Aquatics.
Haha - too funny!
Hi Jason,
Nice video 👍
The question I have is as you said apistos and altums love lower pH levels such as 4.5/5 or 6, so in those lower ph levels will there be any beneficial bacterial growth or any bacteria alive in aquariums? Generally we say pH level should be 6.5 - 8 for BB to grow and make the N cycle.
It will grow, but usually slower and not necessarily the same genera.
Such great info that you always make easy to understand! Thanks
Thank you!
Sir one help please! My water ph is 8.3 with total hardness of 95mg or 95ppi and 208 tds. I’m planning for a discus birthday tank setup! So can a discus fish survive in the environment or do I have to reduce the ph? And water total hardness level is right enough know!
The pH is on the high side for them. If you can bring it down closer to 7 and keep it stable that would be better.
hi ,my tap water is coming out at 8 like yours. running my tanks for over a year but recently ph is reading 6! yellow on API test , running a rack of sumps sponge floss and media. some large wood .i added aragonite when tanks where set up to buff the water .do you recommend adding anything ? i need my ph stable . thanks love your videos :)
water harness is very hard where i live to.
My ph from tap is 7. I just tested tank water and it’s 6.6😱. I’m having problems with my Oranda bottom sitting and looking a little off. What has happened to my Ph? Pam from Scotland
As waste accumulates in the tank it can lower pH if your KH is low. Water changes along with gravel vac can often help.
Thanks Jason for this very FREE informative information about PH and I am still a little confused on how to keep that certain PH level stable especially with housing german rams bought from your local fish/pet supermarket or do you let them acclimate to your PH level cause wouldn’t it be hard to keep that certain PH value constant all the time?
I generally only keep fish that can tolerate my water parameters. The other option is using RO water.
Would u be willing to help a newbie ????? I accidentally killed three of my shark fish after a water change and adding a chemical for the first time. I added ph down and after a day, 3 of my fish died😭. But the other 10 seem to be ok, I think my Pleco is in a little of a shock and has a few white spots but seems to be doing ok. I’m in the Hoffman Estates area and I’d love to learn more. Really looking for help to keep these fishy baby’s alive.
I would just do a water change and not add the pH down anymore.
All of a sudden, my mystery snail shells are turning white. They have been in their tanks for at least 4 months with no problems. I perform regular water changes around 75%, and there are a couple of small wonder shells and a cuttlebone in the tank. I researched low calcium, so I added calcium supplements according to the directions. Will the color come back in their shells?
It might take some time, but the color can return.
Sir my water ph 6,3-6,5
And after airation and the filter running for 5 hour. Ph is rasing about 8
My question
How to keep my ph 6,5
Thnks sir
The most effective way is using RO water.
Came here cause I did a test and my pH was super low 4.5-5 and was horrified. Feel a little comforted now. Because I know my fish are happy. Will slowly try to raise it though because I'm worried about long-term
Ya, at that level you might try to get it up into the upper 6s. You could try adding aragonite to a filter bag and see how that does. Just make the adjustments slowly.
I have to comment here. You can see you are used to teaching as the way you explain the subject is very easy to digest. I am good friends with my local chemist and have conversations about the subjects you are talking about in this series and to be honest he confuses me as he sometimes assumes I know more than I really know. So many You tube channels don't really understand the intricacies of water to a scientific level as you do so therefore unknowingly give out false information. I know this is off topic but would love your take on if anaerobic and aerobic bacteria cold live in the same small piece of media.
Thank you! The quick answer is no. If the microbe is an Obligate Anaerobe they are killed by O2 concentrations high enough to establish aerobic organisms.
Hi. Very interesting... What to do if I have tap water ph 6.5 and I want to keep african cichlids? Haw to change water in that situation? Thank you very much.
I would use aragonite or Seachem Cichlid mix. That might help buffer it a little higher.
Thank you for this gem of a video sir.
Thank you!
Question for you, I have a community freshwater tank with tetras and would like my pH to be just slightly below what it is out of tap which is about 7.8, would using seachem regulator or another pH correct product when doing water change to the water I'm adding and be consistent about it then checking pH each time would be okay? I just feel that 7.8 is too high for the community fish I'm keeping although they are not dying from it as you said stability is everything. Did you recommend lowering the pH and would you recommend doing this method or using driftwood? Also I have quite a bit of cor al and shells in there all natural but they have not seem to alter the pH in this tank compared to the tanks I do not have it in.
You can do that, but I keep all my tanks at a pH of 8 without any issues.
My pH is 8.8. My otos have been dying. I'm not sure what to do. I want to try catappa leaves. Hopefully over time, it'll lower it slowly.
Chances are the only thing you will be able to do is incorporate RO water over time to lower KH and eventually pH.
So can I keep tropical fish like angels and or guppies in a constant 8.4 ph? Again, constantly 8.4?
Angels might be tough.
Excellent video, exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
Good to know!
Well done! Extremely informative, thank you!
Best explenation video on how best to understand the PH level, I've seen so far! Thank you!
Thank you!
my science biology/chemistry teacher will be proud
We have an incredibly high ph and need to lower it. Our fish are acting erratic, and others lethargic. What can I do to lower it and than maintain it
Assuming it’s not from any rocks or substrate in the tank - RO water. It will decrease KH and also decrease pH.
A simple fish tank shouldn't require that much friggin science.
Lol
I'm here to learn what I need to know. Not what I NEED to know. Unsubbed.
J/K, I could never unsub from Prime Scientific Time aquatics!
I was like….wait…..what? 😂
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Gotcha! 🤭
This may be a stupid question but if there's a change in ph in my aquarium, will it harm or slow down the growth of my bacteria?
Sure can: th-cam.com/video/ht6DbiwMUu0/w-d-xo.html
My nitrate and nitrite are at zero and my ph slightly increase around 8 but most of the time I am around 7.5 it might be the result of ammonia ? As I understand it is a basic solution why "if it is the case" my nitrite wont change since ammonia create nitrite ?
It usually takes a few weeks for sufficient amounts of bacteria to populate a tank before they can have a meaningful impact on converting ammonia to nitrite.
Ok Jason, I’m stumped w my aquarium chemistry😞.
My tap is
0 GH
40 KH ppm
6.2-6.4 PH
My aquarium is
125 GH ppm
125 KH ppm
6.8-7 PH
I’ve added Equilibrium to bring the tap GH up for plants.
I also add Easy Green to keep nitrates between 20-30.
The substrate is Imagitarium sand, some fake rocks, and live plants.
I’m just trying to figure out what from this equation is raising the KH and PH🤔🤔🤔
Any ideas⁉️⁉️⁉️
THX🙏
The only thing it could be is the sand, but I always thought that brand was inert - maybe not?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics yeah, that was my only guess too. Do you recommend someway to figure out if it is the sand or not lol. Thanks as always mate!!!
Very well explained, thanks.
Thank you!
PS I absolutely love your videos; I will re-join around tax time.
Thank you for being here!