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? ua-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/v-deo.html What is Water Hardness? ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html How to lower Nitrites: ua-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/v-deo.html How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) ua-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/v-deo.html How to Lower Nitrates: ua-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/v-deo.html What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ua-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/v-deo.html If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! ua-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.
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.
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!
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 💙
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.
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 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
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!
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
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
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
Fantastic! There are a lot of simplified biochem videos available which is great, a lot of people only want/need that, but I am really glad that you have this elaborate explanation. I'd love to see a playlist full of various aquarium chemistry "lectures." Being an academic, I'm probably in the minority, but I'm really thankful there's at least one channel laying it all out!
Gosh you are so good at explaining that... I have studied all these things but I used to hate chemistry and bio chemistry and I kind of have forgotten most of it .... I wish I had appreciated them more when I was a student ...
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 already understood a lot of what you went over, but being led to embrace my tap water is a great idea! I also love the idea of using dehumidifier water. I'll try it very carefully. Our water is very high. Off the charts... literally. I've been trying hard to lower it, and keep it stable. My fish do seem happy, but it's been a multiple times a day effort. Thank you. :)
that was an awesome explanation. I've had 3 years of college level chemistry a million years ago and this was a brain cobweb buster. Thank you. We have a well and I'm dealing with pH close to 9, and soft water related to built in softener. I have a 180 gal Oscar tank, a 125 gal Barb tank with a 14" Pleco and a 20 gal tank with a couple loaches and a chinese algae eater. I'm trying to get the water stabilized to put some small fish, type yet to be determined, in the little tank, probably more Barbs. I'm pretty new at fish keeping, but I'm all in..... definitely learning a lot.
I love watching your videos . Never went to college bc I had no interest in any of the usual careers but I always loved learning about biology or any type of science for the most part . Watching your videos is inspiring me to give it a shot 👍🏽 .
Great info on pH and simplistic enough for the layman to understand! Well done 😃 I am really enjoying the info you are providing on the science behind our aquariums, thank you!
So glad I clicked on this video. Very educational. Learned a lot. I’ve been out of the fish keeping hobby for a while now and this video is going to make getting back into it much easier. Heck, there wasn’t any internet last tank I had.
Wow great video. Had a bunch of questions going into this video and now have all them answered by the End. You are a great teacher. Very Clear and understandable while still being very deep with all the Science.
Way to go brother! You just took me to school! Basic is a new term and better understanding. I always said Alkaline, but that just means buffer capacity etc but in actuality the higher (Basic)
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.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your explanation of the concepts (protons - electrons / Hydrogen - Hydroxide ions) and how it relates to PH made it very easy to understand. For those into planted tanks one nice addition would have been explaining how CO2 lowers PH.
Thank you so much for this! I learned a lot! I like to go into detail, to really understand! Chemistry is by no means my my home territory and still I could understand because you explained it so well!
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.
Professor, you probably don’t have time, but I think you should create a fish keeping course with all this info. I would pay for that. So appreciative of your expertise.
Thank you; much appreciated. I keep crustaceans from the NW Atlantic - lobsters & crabs - and bracket my PH @ 8.2 to 8.3. NYC tap water is lower, so it's a constant issue with the major water changes I have to do for these destructive monsters. The biologists state that lower PH interferes with their chemoreceptors and their ability to sense.
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!
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.
Awesome video! I may also suggest not adding water from a dehumidifier since a majority of the time it will contain mold spores unless your humidifier has some kind of filter! Overall, nice video 👍
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. 🤙
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.
Dude this video rocks, you rock. My interest in organic and biochemstry is what keeps me loving the hobby. Kuddos to being an educator especially if you're teaching chemistry. #iloveorganicchemistry #molecularbiology
Hi Jason! Wow, that was something else to take in. Thanks for presenting that material and giving us a visual about pH. Makes me wonder if I have the wrong fish in my new 75 gallon. I have one EBA, five Panda Corys, three Ottos, a single green peppered cory, and three yoyo loaches. I'm running a 40-gallon sponge filter from aquarium co-op and an aqua clear 70 with all three stages of media that it came with in the package. Where should my pH and water perameters be? It's been a week, and some of them seem a bit stressed now, despite the large upgrade from a 29-gallon.
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?
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
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.
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 👍
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. : -)
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.
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
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!!!!
Great video, as always! Glad I found it. Hoping I can pick your brain for some advice... I recently set up my first planted tank and used fluval stratum for my substrate. My tap water pH is 8.4ish but the stratum will lower the pH all the way down to 6.4 over a few days. I'm looking to keep a betta and shrimp in this tank eventually (once I can stabilize it) - so I know the lower pH is more ideal for them. I'm just concerned about being able to maintain it over time. If I were to try and maintain the lower pH, do you recommend just using RO for water changes instead of tap water? Or should I add something like crushed coral to try to bring the pH up closer to my tap water (is that even possible)? I'm in the midwest so I already have high water hardness/alkalinity - similar to you guys. Have you had success keeping bettas/shrimps? I'm considering scrapping the whole thing and starting over with a neutral substrate. I didn't realize the stratum would decrease the pH quite that much. Glad I haven't put any critters in there yet but even my plants are showing signs of stress.
It should be interesting to see what happens to that tank over time. If the buffering capacity is relatively high in your water the pH will probably slowly increase over time anyway. If you are keeping neocaridina, the higher pH isn't too much of an issue. If you are keeping caridina you might want that pH around 6.4. In that case partial re-fills with some RO water should help maintain the lower pH. Thanks for watching.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the quick reply! I'm was planning on keeping cardinia shrimp but would prefer to keep my water hardness in tact so don't love the idea of using Ro water. I brainstormed with my husband and I think we're going to get another bag of the substrate to keep in a bucket to prime our water before water changes. Then the pH will be closer to the tank before the water change instead of putting high ph water directly into the tank. Here's hoping! :) Thanks again. Keep up the good work!
Erin Vertz I plan to do the planted Batta tank too . Waiting for tank to be delivered today. Thank for asking the questions that I was thinking about,lots of reading & videos ahead👍
When doing these water changes, is it ok to leave fish in the tank? I have a 15 g with 10 harlequin rasboras and they are tough to catch. Love your videos and real in depth explanations keep them coming!
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? ua-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/v-deo.html
What is Water Hardness? ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html
How to lower Nitrites: ua-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/v-deo.html
How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) ua-cam.com/video/5l-POiCc0dI/v-deo.html
How to Lower Nitrates: ua-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/v-deo.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ua-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/v-deo.html
If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! ua-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 UA-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 UA-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.
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! :-)
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 UA-cam for.
Thank you!
I finally, sort of, get it. Well done professor.
Thank you!
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!
6:16 if you’re not a chemist.
THANK YOU SIR!!!
Thank you! You are my go to! Somebody give this man a raise
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 learned more in this video than I did in YEARS of high school and college chemistry.
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!
one of the best videos ever on the subject, timing couldn’t have been more perfect too
Good to hear. Thanks!
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.
That was so well done. Thanks so much for making sense of PH. Its not too complicated when well explained.
Good to hear!
Science lesson with a bubbling backdrop. Pure ASMR.
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.
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!
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!
Very nice description of the Ph.
Best explenation video on how best to understand the PH level, I've seen so far! Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you for spending time to explain pH in detail. Excellent video.
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
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!
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
Fantastic! There are a lot of simplified biochem videos available which is great, a lot of people only want/need that, but I am really glad that you have this elaborate explanation. I'd love to see a playlist full of various aquarium chemistry "lectures." Being an academic, I'm probably in the minority, but I'm really thankful there's at least one channel laying it all out!
Thank you! I think more of my water parameter videos are in a playlist together. :-)
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
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.
Gosh you are so good at explaining that... I have studied all these things but I used to hate chemistry and bio chemistry and I kind of have forgotten most of it .... I wish I had appreciated them more when I was a student ...
I think we all feel that way when we get out of school. Haha
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 already understood a lot of what you went over, but being led to embrace my tap water is a great idea! I also love the idea of using dehumidifier water. I'll try it very carefully. Our water is very high. Off the charts... literally. I've been trying hard to lower it, and keep it stable. My fish do seem happy, but it's been a multiple times a day effort. Thank you. :)
Thank you for watching!
that was an awesome explanation. I've had 3 years of college level chemistry a million years ago and this was a brain cobweb buster. Thank you. We have a well and I'm dealing with pH close to 9, and soft water related to built in softener. I have a 180 gal Oscar tank, a 125 gal Barb tank with a 14" Pleco and a 20 gal tank with a couple loaches and a chinese algae eater. I'm trying to get the water stabilized to put some small fish, type yet to be determined, in the little tank, probably more Barbs. I'm pretty new at fish keeping, but I'm all in..... definitely learning a lot.
Have fun with your fish!
I love watching your videos . Never went to college bc I had no interest in any of the usual careers but I always loved learning about biology or any type of science for the most part . Watching your videos is inspiring me to give it a shot 👍🏽 .
Thank you for being here!
Great info on pH and simplistic enough for the layman to understand! Well done 😃 I am really enjoying the info you are providing on the science behind our aquariums, thank you!
Very informative as always. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Adam
So glad I clicked on this video. Very educational. Learned a lot. I’ve been out of the fish keeping hobby for a while now and this video is going to make getting back into it much easier. Heck, there wasn’t any internet last tank I had.
I remember those days too :-)
Great video very informative.
Thank you professor!! Well understand now, well explained as well.
I finally feel like I'm understanding PH. Thank you for the great information!
Super impressive breakdown of pH, very clear and easy to understand
Stumbled upon your videos.
Thanks for the wonderful article
Thank you!
I love these in depth videos, very informative, thanks again!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching.
Wow great video. Had a bunch of questions going into this video and now have all them answered by the End. You are a great teacher. Very Clear and understandable while still being very deep with all the Science.
Good to hear! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for the explanation.
Thank you professor Prime Time!
Way to go brother! You just took me to school! Basic is a new term and better understanding. I always said Alkaline, but that just means buffer capacity etc but in actuality the higher (Basic)
Thanks Deon!
Excellent video, exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
Good to know!
Thank you for this gem of a video sir.
Thank you!
What a wonderful explanation. You know what you do. Thank you.
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
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your explanation of the concepts (protons - electrons / Hydrogen - Hydroxide ions) and how it relates to PH made it very easy to understand. For those into planted tanks one nice addition would have been explaining how CO2 lowers PH.
Rod that is a great suggestion. I may do something on the pH of planted tanks and ponds soon.
Well done! Extremely informative, thank you!
Such great info that you always make easy to understand! Thanks
Thank you!
I wish I remembered Chemistry Class!😢
Thank you so much for this! I learned a lot! I like to go into detail, to really understand! Chemistry is by no means my my home territory and still I could understand because you explained it so well!
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.
Thank you for the in-depth video! Very well done and informative. Looking forward to an in-depth video about hardness and buffering!
Thank you! We've got more water chemistry videos on the way. : -)
LOVELY!!!!! You are awesome, professor! Can’t thank you enough!!!!! 🙏 I enjoyed this video SO MUCH!
Thank you!
Professor, you probably don’t have time, but I think you should create a fish keeping course with all this info. I would pay for that. So appreciative of your expertise.
Very well explained, thanks.
Thank you!
Thank you; much appreciated. I keep crustaceans from the NW Atlantic - lobsters & crabs - and bracket my PH @ 8.2 to 8.3. NYC tap water is lower, so it's a constant issue with the major water changes I have to do for these destructive monsters. The biologists state that lower PH interferes with their chemoreceptors and their ability to sense.
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 😀
Dude mind blown. Ive been searching for this info. Sorry i got here so late!
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.
Excellent. Just what I needed to know!
Awesome video! I may also suggest not adding water from a dehumidifier since a majority of the time it will contain mold spores unless your humidifier has some kind of filter! Overall, nice video 👍
Very thorough. Thank you!
Thank you!
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. 🤙
Excellent presentation , glad I found you and subbed . Looking forward to seeing more of your channel.✌️
Thank you!
This vid is helpful, thanks.
I want to use pH to help me manage my CO2 levels more carefully.
That info would also be helpful.
Great informative video as usual..
Thank you!
This is the best explanation i ever had... Thank you so much
Thank you for watching!
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.
Dude this video rocks, you rock. My interest in organic and biochemstry is what keeps me loving the hobby. Kuddos to being an educator especially if you're teaching chemistry. #iloveorganicchemistry #molecularbiology
Thank you! I actually teach Microbiology, Biology and Genetics right now, but have taught many other courses in the past. :-)
OH yeah I loved differential testing and gram staining in lab. I Look forward to the videos.
Very informative. Thank you
Hi Jason! Wow, that was something else to take in. Thanks for presenting that material and giving us a visual about pH. Makes me wonder if I have the wrong fish in my new 75 gallon. I have one EBA, five Panda Corys, three Ottos, a single green peppered cory, and three yoyo loaches. I'm running a 40-gallon sponge filter from aquarium co-op and an aqua clear 70 with all three stages of media that it came with in the package. Where should my pH and water perameters be? It's been a week, and some of them seem a bit stressed now, despite the large upgrade from a 29-gallon.
The otos are the only fish that really start to struggle in higher pH. Everything else is good from 6.5-8.0!
@PrimeTimeAquatics Thank-you so much. Ok I'll have to figure something out with them.
How can this video not receive a thumbs up? Thank u for this upload. I love what u do.
Thank you!
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!
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....
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.
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
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
Good video on pH. Have you ever thought about making a video on fish physiology and how pH affects fish (i.e., bohr effect and 2° stress responses)?
I will add it to my list!
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.
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.
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.
Killer video. Wonderfully explained
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?
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.
Curious on what you have to say about hardness of water and how it affects fish
This: ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html
:-)
Thanks for this great informative video.
Thank You!
Great video, as always! Glad I found it. Hoping I can pick your brain for some advice... I recently set up my first planted tank and used fluval stratum for my substrate. My tap water pH is 8.4ish but the stratum will lower the pH all the way down to 6.4 over a few days. I'm looking to keep a betta and shrimp in this tank eventually (once I can stabilize it) - so I know the lower pH is more ideal for them. I'm just concerned about being able to maintain it over time. If I were to try and maintain the lower pH, do you recommend just using RO for water changes instead of tap water? Or should I add something like crushed coral to try to bring the pH up closer to my tap water (is that even possible)? I'm in the midwest so I already have high water hardness/alkalinity - similar to you guys. Have you had success keeping bettas/shrimps?
I'm considering scrapping the whole thing and starting over with a neutral substrate. I didn't realize the stratum would decrease the pH quite that much. Glad I haven't put any critters in there yet but even my plants are showing signs of stress.
It should be interesting to see what happens to that tank over time. If the buffering capacity is relatively high in your water the pH will probably slowly increase over time anyway. If you are keeping neocaridina, the higher pH isn't too much of an issue. If you are keeping caridina you might want that pH around 6.4. In that case partial re-fills with some RO water should help maintain the lower pH. Thanks for watching.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the quick reply! I'm was planning on keeping cardinia shrimp but would prefer to keep my water hardness in tact so don't love the idea of using Ro water. I brainstormed with my husband and I think we're going to get another bag of the substrate to keep in a bucket to prime our water before water changes. Then the pH will be closer to the tank before the water change instead of putting high ph water directly into the tank. Here's hoping! :) Thanks again. Keep up the good work!
Erin Vertz I plan to do the planted Batta tank too . Waiting for tank to be delivered today. Thank for asking the questions that I was thinking about,lots of reading & videos ahead👍
Best video ever, really helped out
Very informative. Thank you.👍🙏
When doing these water changes, is it ok to leave fish in the tank? I have a 15 g with 10 harlequin rasboras and they are tough to catch. Love your videos and real in depth explanations keep them coming!
A. Sancho-Baker great question - yes, we leave all our fish in the tank. 😀
pHanks so much that was incredibly informative. :)
Great explanation! Felt like I was back in my Chemistry class lol!
What a great feeling huh? : -)
This was very insightfull! Thank you!!
Aristotle Oracles thanks for watching!
Great information! Thank you