The Puffer Forum

Recently i had got my aquarium water from my 20g aquarium with 3 pea puffers tested at petsmart and the ph water from my aquarium had read 7.5.I had read that a pea puffers ph can be as high as 7.2.Is a ph of 7.5 to high for pea puffers?I had also within the last few days lost 2 of my other pea puffers that were in my 20g aquarium with the remaining three pea puffers.Can a to high ph make the pea puffers weak and then die off.Also when i got the aquarium water tested the alkalinty read that it was low.is that ok for pea for pea puffer?

Don't worry about pH as long as it stays steady over time. Can you give us the reading for the alkalinity? Sounds like it's time to get your own test kits

It's most likely that your fish were weakened by a different stressor. Can you clear up how many you had/have in that 20gal? My morning brain can't figure it out

Sorry, but whoever told you that high pH could weaken DPs was trying to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge - meaning that they are showing their ignorance or trying to sell you something you do not need. Neither puffers nor any or fish can or does read external pH, they have no sensors or receptors for such. Changes in pH tell us something about changes in the water's mineral profile and its quality for our fish, but nothing about it value to our fish's health. That is pernicious aquarium mythology.

The pH test does nothing more than alert us to changes in the water's mineral profile over time. Changes in our tank water are generally symptoms of lower water quality, so alert us to improve our upkeep. Fish in the wild can an do live in water which changes routinely and regular\y, but not due to build-up of fish wastes. In captivity we want stability within our tanks, not gradual reduction in pH and quality.

Hobbyists do need to know the GH (calcium and magnesium hardness) and the KH (carbonate/bicarbonate hardness) of their water. they need this info mainly so they can track the reduction of KH over time - which indicates a reduction in the water's natural buffering due insufficient water changes to get rid of metabolic wastes and to replenish carbonates and bicarbonates. Testing the pH is an easy and fast check on this. If the pH is lower than the tap water, it indicates that KH testing should be done and the tank upkeep (water changes and mechanical filter rinsing particularly) need to be increased to help keep the water stable and clean. Stable and clean water keeps the fish healthy.

HTH

My DPs thrive in a steady PH of 7.8.

Did you try and alter the PH with anything in a bottle before they died? if so the quick change may have been the reason. Is your tank cycled and did they check for ammonia or nitrites? And what about your water changes?

It does make me wonder about varying PH and certain river fish as if a fish comes from the Amazon the PH would surely change slightly as a river like this is fed by Mountain water. In the winter with no snow melt the river would surely increase in acidity and in the summer where the water has come from Melt water then the PH would become alkaline (I think the Andes are mainly alkaline limestone). Most mountains are made from rocks with a varying PH whcih would effect the water further downstream. Melt water looks milky as a lot of rock material is carried downstream.

Must admit I may be talking rubbish here but it seems to make sense to me. Hmmm...

-Jerry

The pH* of river water does vary with the seasons, even in the Amazon basin, but the changes are relatively gradual in most areas. The foothill Corydoras catfish spawn most ready when the water drops in temperature slightly - that is more of a trigger for their spawning than the pH. Most FW fish cannot read external pH anyway.

For many of the basin fish however, the rainy season volume of water is a stronger stimulus than the mountain run-off. Those massive rains push the rivers out of their normal banks and flood much of the low-lying plains. Those flooded plains are the great fry nurseries. That is the breeding season and place for SAPs also.

*FYI, it is always pH (lower case "p", capital or upper case H. The "p"is for the Latin "pondus", meaning literally 'weight", but weight in the sense of importance or influence. The capital H is just the chemical symbol for hydrogen. So the pH is the influence of hydrogen ions in the water or solution - hydrogen is chemically an integral part of acids, as in HCl or H2SO4 (hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, respectively).

HTH

I did hear a radio programme where they said the decrease in Glaciation could maybe cause problems with Crustacaens as they rely on the melt water for the alkaline material for shell and skelatal growth. I guess with larger acidic Co2 concentrations in the water too then these creatures will be up against it.
Did hear another programme saying that some Coral Reefs thought to be dead have come back in to life once again elaying fears that Temperature rise and sea acidification can be withstood more than previously thought. Good news for our salt water lot here.

-Jerry

Mine live in 8.2 and are doing great!!! I really keep up on water changes in my house!

Glaciers are old snow compressed into dense ice

Glacial melt water is soft and acid, just as is snow-melt. If it becomes harder and alkaline as run-off, that is from limestone or other calcareous rocks over which the run-off flows.