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Everyone wants to have a pet friend at home. Nowadays, Fish is among those pets that are common particularly in the United States. If you feel your fish pet is getting weaker and inactive then that may be due to the decreased pH level of water in the aquarium.
An unregulated pH level can cause bad health that may lead to the death of your fish pet. In this case, you need to regulate the balance of the pH level of water in the aquarium.
“Your Aquarium Guide” is providing you with a complete guide about the methods to increase pH in aquarium. So that your fish pet remains healthy and happy.
Before we start the discussion about the tips and tricks to elevate pH level in the aquarium, let’s see what is pH and the reasons for the unbalanced pH in the aquarium.
Contents
What does pH mean?
pH is the measuring scale of acidic or basic nature of the liquid. It ranges from 1 to 14. Anything that is below 7 is considered acidic. Similarly, anything above 7 is considered basic.
While 7 pH is neutral level. The normal pH of water is 7. Specific pH of water is needed in the aquarium for fish to survive.
Because your fish pet needs a balanced environment to live happily. If you don’t provide it the needed environment, your fish pet will die ultimately.
This Post: How To Raise pH In Aquarium?
What should be the pH in Aquarium?
pH level depends on the type of fish and aquarium setups you have for your fish. There are many types of aquariums but two basic categories are common. The type you choose depends on the type of fish you have as a pet.
1) Freshwater Aquarium
The pH level of the freshwater aquarium should be between 5.5 to 7.5
2) Saltwater Aquarium
The pH level of the saltwater aquarium should be between 7.6 to 8.4
Methods to check the pH in the aquarium
After understanding what does pH level mean, the next thing is how you can check the pH of water in the aquarium.
It is important because before applying any method to change level pH in the aquarium, first, you must know what is the level of pH in the aquarium.
The best way to check the pH is by using pH Testing kits. These kits are easily available in the market and they are not too costly.
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There are different types of kits available in stores. Some of them use a solution, which changes color when added in the sample.
You can identify the level of pH by matching it with the pH chart. Other use paper strips to check the pH level. Just dip it in the water and match the color with the pH chart.
Some other methods or tricks are also used but that will only tell you whether the water is acidic or alkaline. In this case, this information is not enough for you to determine whether you need to change pH in aquarium or not.
Reasons for Unbalanced pH
- Adding unnecessary products in the aquarium water is one of the common reasons for the change in the pH level of water. Don’t put anything in the aquarium that is not needed.
- Uneaten food can cause a change in the pH of water. Try to add the food, that is enough for your fish or remove uneaten food from the water.
- Tannins can also affect the pH level of water. Some foods or products used for decoration purposes contain tannins.
How to uplift the pH level in the aquarium?
Many chemicals are available that can increase pH in aquarium but they increase the pH level too quickly. A rapid change in pH can be harmful to your fish.
You need a steady change to adjust them in the native environment. A question that arises here is how to safely raise pH in fish tank?
This can be only possible if you use natural ways to raise the pH level of water. Here we will talk about some natural ways to increase pH in aquarium.
Methods (How to increase pH in aquarium?)
By using any of these methods, you can naturally raise the pH level.
1) By using Baking Soda
Baking soda is an easily available baking product. You might have it in your kitchen. Otherwise, you can buy one from the grocery store or market.
Baking soda consists of bicarbonates of sodium. The best thing is, baking soda is very cheap and increases pH at a slow rate without causing any side effects.
2) By using seaweed (Macroalgae)
Seaweed is a sea plant that belongs to the algae family. It is a macroalgae that is useful for maintaining the pH level of water. It will give your aquarium a good look.
Just add it to your aquarium and it will do its work. One thing you need to know that it will grow in some time. Remove it from time to time so it will not cause any harm. Otherwise, the pH level will exceed the required range.
3) By using Limestone
Limestone is commonly used in construction sites but it can also be used to raise the pH in aquarium. Limestone consists of calcium carbonate that is used to increase the pH of water.
The best thing about using limestone is that it can add some extra beauty to your aquarium. You can add some sculptures made of limestone or small home for your fish.
Limestone is easily available at construction sites or you can directly get it from the shop.
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4) By using Dolomite chips
Dolomite chips are used in the chemical industry as a neutralizing product. Therefore, we can use it for maintaining the pH of the aquarium.
You will be surprised to know the colored pebbles you have often seen at the bottom of aquariums are Dolomite chips. All you need to do is add them to your aquarium and it will do its work.
5) By using Shells and Substrates
Adding shells in the aquarium can help to maintain the pH of water. You can also use some substrates like corals as an alternate.
You can put some crushed corals in the filter or hide small bags filled with corals behind the rocks or other decorations in your aquarium.
In this way, you can raise the pH level without affecting the beauty of your sea pet home.
Precautional Measures (Helpful Tips)
- Change the ¼ of water after 2 to 3 weeks. Changing water will help to balance the pH of water in the aquarium.
- Treat water before adding it because the pH of tap water is different throughout the world i.e. pH of tap water in the United States will be different from somewhere in middle Asia. You can check the pH and treat it accordingly to reach a suitable range of pH for your aquarium.
- Boil the decorations of your aquarium every 2 to 3 weeks to remove the tannic acid from them. Boiling will remove any of the material on the surface of decorations that can cause unbalanced pH in the aquarium.
- Use an air pump to aerate water properly that will also help a bit in maintaining pH level. The more you aerate, the more carbon dioxide will produce that will help to neutralize the lower pH of water.
FAQs [Frequently Asked Questions]
1) How to raise pH in Saltwater aquarium?
You can use any of the above methods. However, using seashells, macroalgae or substrates is more effective for saltwater aquariums.
2) Can you use baking soda to raise pH in aquarium?
The simple answer is “yes”. It is a cheap and easily available substance. So, you can use them to increase the pH level.
3) How much baking soda to raise pH in aquarium?
It depends on the size of the aquarium you have. 1 teaspoon is enough quantity for 5 gallons of water. Be very careful while adding baking soda.
Any mistake in adding baking soda can raise the pH level above the required range and can be harmful to your fish.
4) How to raise pH in Freshwater aquarium naturally?
The pH range for Freshwater is from 5.5 to 7.5. This shows that you do not need too much increase to reach the required level. You can use any of the above-mentioned methods but at a moderate level.
5) How to raise pH in Marine aquarium?
A marine aquarium is also known as the saltwater aquarium because you keep fishes that live in the sea and required salinity levels to live.
Use any of the natural methods to raise the pH level. The pH level between 7.6 and 8.5 is suitable for the saltwater aquarium.
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Conclusion
When you buy a sea pet then it is your responsibility to provide them a better environment to live a healthy life. They will only survive if you provide them their native environment and take care of them.
Unbalanced pH can cause a disturbance in their environment and can be harmful to your fish. In this article, we have mentioned some possible reasons for the unbalanced pH in Aquarium.
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The experts of “Your Aquarium Guide” have provided you all the possible methods to raise the pH in the aquarium safely and naturally.
We try to give you all the answers to common questions related to pH level in the aquarium, like how to increase pH in aquarium, can you use baking soda to increase pH in aquarium and how to raise pH in freshwater aquarium naturally. If you still have any other questions, let us know in the comment section.
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