Freshwater Aquarium pH - How to Test For Your pH
In order to keep your aquarium in the best condition for the fish to live, you will need to know how to test for your pH.
This is an area where many inexperienced and some experienced fish hobbyists fail to understand that correct pH levels are what your fish depend on for survival.
There are a wide variety of test kits that can be used to check the water and they range from simple and inexpensive to costly and complicated.
There are dozens of water tests that can be performed on the water in an aquarium tank, all are important, but some of them are more important than others.
If you're just starting out as a fish hobbyist, you don't have to have a kit with all the bells and whistles.
You can just buy a basic one.
However, in the long run, you will need to have a kit that can test anything from pH levels to nitrate and ammonia levels.
Each different kit will come with a set of instructions, but most of them are similar, so once you get the hang of it, it won't matter which kit you use.
How often should the pH in the water be tested? Once a month is the minimal, but if you notice problems such as sick fish, then you will want to test again to make sure the pH levels aren't the problem causing the sickness.
When first setting up a tank, you'll want to check the level, wait a day and check it again before adding fish.
Always keep a record of the date and time of the pH readings since they can vary.
This will allow you to formulate an accurate view of the readings.
The pH levels can change from the beginning of the day to the end and if you see this in the results, you will know it's normal and nothing to worry about.
Years ago, it wasn't as easy for hobbyists to have access to the kind of testing that were used by professionals but now there is a wide selection of kits for purchase.
Some test kits have different test strips to check for different problems like too much ammonia or how hard the water is.
There are also multi use strips which can test for a multitude of problems on a single strip.
This saves both time and money.
Most of the test kits contain small tubes or vials that you put water from your aquarium into.
Then you dip thin test strips into the water.
There will be a color coded instruction card that will show you where your levels are.
Still other kits use drops of chemicals in test tubes that you mix with aquarium water, shake and then the water mixed with chemicals will turn different colors depending on what the results are.
You can then compare the reading to the color chart to know what your pH is and what it should be.
This is an area where many inexperienced and some experienced fish hobbyists fail to understand that correct pH levels are what your fish depend on for survival.
There are a wide variety of test kits that can be used to check the water and they range from simple and inexpensive to costly and complicated.
There are dozens of water tests that can be performed on the water in an aquarium tank, all are important, but some of them are more important than others.
If you're just starting out as a fish hobbyist, you don't have to have a kit with all the bells and whistles.
You can just buy a basic one.
However, in the long run, you will need to have a kit that can test anything from pH levels to nitrate and ammonia levels.
Each different kit will come with a set of instructions, but most of them are similar, so once you get the hang of it, it won't matter which kit you use.
How often should the pH in the water be tested? Once a month is the minimal, but if you notice problems such as sick fish, then you will want to test again to make sure the pH levels aren't the problem causing the sickness.
When first setting up a tank, you'll want to check the level, wait a day and check it again before adding fish.
Always keep a record of the date and time of the pH readings since they can vary.
This will allow you to formulate an accurate view of the readings.
The pH levels can change from the beginning of the day to the end and if you see this in the results, you will know it's normal and nothing to worry about.
Years ago, it wasn't as easy for hobbyists to have access to the kind of testing that were used by professionals but now there is a wide selection of kits for purchase.
Some test kits have different test strips to check for different problems like too much ammonia or how hard the water is.
There are also multi use strips which can test for a multitude of problems on a single strip.
This saves both time and money.
Most of the test kits contain small tubes or vials that you put water from your aquarium into.
Then you dip thin test strips into the water.
There will be a color coded instruction card that will show you where your levels are.
Still other kits use drops of chemicals in test tubes that you mix with aquarium water, shake and then the water mixed with chemicals will turn different colors depending on what the results are.
You can then compare the reading to the color chart to know what your pH is and what it should be.
