| Descriptions of the different water parameters from our care charts. |
| Temp/Temperature |
This is the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or an environment. We
measure our temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
measure our temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
| PH |
This is the degree of acidity or alkalinity of the tank water. We measure PH with a Tetra Test
Kit. It’s very simple—a test tube and liquid with a dropper. These tests are accurate enough for
our needs as Aquarist's. There are many things that can affect the PH of your aquarium. There
are in fact too many; almost everything you place in the aquarium will affect the PH in one way
or another. Some common things that will lower your PH (making the water more acidic) are
driftwood, plant leaves, fish waste, and peat moss in the filter. Some contaminants that will raise
the PH (making the water more alkaline) are limestone, coral, crushed coral gravel, any type of
calcium, and dolomite. These are just a few common examples. If you find that your aquarium
tends to go either acidic or alkaline over time, here are some tips on trying to solve the problem.
• I can’t keep my PH from dropping.
This is the easier of the two scenarios to deal with. It is much easier to buffer up PH than to try
to lower it. Try to determine the cause. Do you have excessive amounts of fish waste and
leftover food in the aquarium? Do you have a lot of driftwood in the aquarium? Is there a lot of
dead plant matter from live plants on the gravel? Once you have determined the cause of your PH
drop, you can start to put together a solution to deal with it. If the cause of the problem is
something you cannot remove (a particularly nice piece of driftwood, for example) you can try
and counteract it to stabilize the PH. We can do this by adding some crushed coral in a filter bag
to your filter. This will buffer up the PH naturally over time. Try to avoid adding any chemicals
sold for this if possible; it is always a good idea to avoid chemicals! Limestone will also work.
You must monitor your PH regularly to see the effects of your efforts. It is also important to try
solutions one at a time so you know what worked and to what degree it worked.
• My water is too alkaline.
If your water is too alkaline, then we follow the same troubleshooting steps. First determine the
cause—coral decoration, rocks with calcium or limestone in it, or in my case, some mysterious
thing the water company does to the water to keep it at 8.2. Now if the cause is something that
cannot be removed, then we can add some organic matter to help buffer the PH down; a large
piece of driftwood or peat moss in a filter bag are two good remedies. Again, use regular
monitoring and one solution at a time. If you can afford an RO unit (reverse osmosis unit), I
highly recommend this; it’s especially useful for those areas where your tap water is less then
satisfactory, like ours is here. Our water here in NJ is actually pretty gross. The more you learn
about water chemistry the less this water looks drinkable, let alone livable for inverts. Each place
is different; in NYC, just minutes from here, the tap water is excellent. An initial test of your
filtered tap water will tell you where to start. With an RO unit you end up with something as
close to pure H2o as possible. The water from an RO unit is almost like rainwater. It is very soft
and has a neutral PH of 7.0. This water is very easy to manipulate to your needs. It will also pay
for itself in test equipment and chemicals over time. These are just some basics on PH.
Kit. It’s very simple—a test tube and liquid with a dropper. These tests are accurate enough for
our needs as Aquarist's. There are many things that can affect the PH of your aquarium. There
are in fact too many; almost everything you place in the aquarium will affect the PH in one way
or another. Some common things that will lower your PH (making the water more acidic) are
driftwood, plant leaves, fish waste, and peat moss in the filter. Some contaminants that will raise
the PH (making the water more alkaline) are limestone, coral, crushed coral gravel, any type of
calcium, and dolomite. These are just a few common examples. If you find that your aquarium
tends to go either acidic or alkaline over time, here are some tips on trying to solve the problem.
• I can’t keep my PH from dropping.
This is the easier of the two scenarios to deal with. It is much easier to buffer up PH than to try
to lower it. Try to determine the cause. Do you have excessive amounts of fish waste and
leftover food in the aquarium? Do you have a lot of driftwood in the aquarium? Is there a lot of
dead plant matter from live plants on the gravel? Once you have determined the cause of your PH
drop, you can start to put together a solution to deal with it. If the cause of the problem is
something you cannot remove (a particularly nice piece of driftwood, for example) you can try
and counteract it to stabilize the PH. We can do this by adding some crushed coral in a filter bag
to your filter. This will buffer up the PH naturally over time. Try to avoid adding any chemicals
sold for this if possible; it is always a good idea to avoid chemicals! Limestone will also work.
You must monitor your PH regularly to see the effects of your efforts. It is also important to try
solutions one at a time so you know what worked and to what degree it worked.
• My water is too alkaline.
If your water is too alkaline, then we follow the same troubleshooting steps. First determine the
cause—coral decoration, rocks with calcium or limestone in it, or in my case, some mysterious
thing the water company does to the water to keep it at 8.2. Now if the cause is something that
cannot be removed, then we can add some organic matter to help buffer the PH down; a large
piece of driftwood or peat moss in a filter bag are two good remedies. Again, use regular
monitoring and one solution at a time. If you can afford an RO unit (reverse osmosis unit), I
highly recommend this; it’s especially useful for those areas where your tap water is less then
satisfactory, like ours is here. Our water here in NJ is actually pretty gross. The more you learn
about water chemistry the less this water looks drinkable, let alone livable for inverts. Each place
is different; in NYC, just minutes from here, the tap water is excellent. An initial test of your
filtered tap water will tell you where to start. With an RO unit you end up with something as
close to pure H2o as possible. The water from an RO unit is almost like rainwater. It is very soft
and has a neutral PH of 7.0. This water is very easy to manipulate to your needs. It will also pay
for itself in test equipment and chemicals over time. These are just some basics on PH.
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| Conductivity |
When we refer to conductivity we are referring to a measurement of the total hardness of the
water. The hardness is the amount of dissolved solids in the water. The conductivity meter
sends a tiny pulse of electricity from one metal post to the other. The strength of the voltage on
the receiving post will tell us the amount of dissolved solids: the higher the number, the harder
the water. Now to make all of this understandable, I must give some info on the conductivity
of H2o. Water is not very conductive at all; in fact rainwater measures about 7 on my
conductivity meter. It is the combination of H2o mixed with the suspended solids that creates
conductivity. This may sound complicated, and IT IS! Water chemistry is no easy subject, and
there are many variables. Do not let this discourage you, though. You can still maintain a
beautiful aquarium with the basics. The conductivity meter is a cheap affective way to monitor
this essential water parameter. If your water reads high conductivity (600 or above), this can
be a difficult problem to deal with. The only really good solution is a RO unit. There are some
absorption resins and ion exchange resins that work, but the dollar per gallon factor goes to the
RO unit, hands down! If your water is hard and you wish to breed bumblebee shrimp, for
example, you will need to make soft water for the successful development of the young. The
easy alternative is to breed another shrimp that tolerates your tap water—cherry reds are a
good choice. They will not only tolerate but breed and thrive in almost all water chemistries.
water. The hardness is the amount of dissolved solids in the water. The conductivity meter
sends a tiny pulse of electricity from one metal post to the other. The strength of the voltage on
the receiving post will tell us the amount of dissolved solids: the higher the number, the harder
the water. Now to make all of this understandable, I must give some info on the conductivity
of H2o. Water is not very conductive at all; in fact rainwater measures about 7 on my
conductivity meter. It is the combination of H2o mixed with the suspended solids that creates
conductivity. This may sound complicated, and IT IS! Water chemistry is no easy subject, and
there are many variables. Do not let this discourage you, though. You can still maintain a
beautiful aquarium with the basics. The conductivity meter is a cheap affective way to monitor
this essential water parameter. If your water reads high conductivity (600 or above), this can
be a difficult problem to deal with. The only really good solution is a RO unit. There are some
absorption resins and ion exchange resins that work, but the dollar per gallon factor goes to the
RO unit, hands down! If your water is hard and you wish to breed bumblebee shrimp, for
example, you will need to make soft water for the successful development of the young. The
easy alternative is to breed another shrimp that tolerates your tap water—cherry reds are a
good choice. They will not only tolerate but breed and thrive in almost all water chemistries.
Disclaimer: Some live animals may require special permits or may have restrictions on purchase and/or ownership. Potential
buyers of live animals should be aware of what federal, state and local laws apply to their area of residence before making a purchase.
Buyer assumes all responsibility for obtaining necessary permits and following applicable laws relating to their area of residence,
Aquaboy Aquatics is not responsible for any violation of such rules and regulations on the part of the purchaser.
buyers of live animals should be aware of what federal, state and local laws apply to their area of residence before making a purchase.
Buyer assumes all responsibility for obtaining necessary permits and following applicable laws relating to their area of residence,
Aquaboy Aquatics is not responsible for any violation of such rules and regulations on the part of the purchaser.
All rights reserved Aquaboy Aquatics 2003
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