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Re: pH hogwash
Bob Ashcroft writes:
<< The following are quotes from replies I received when I expressed my
personal opinion on the subject:
"A .4 pH difference would be almost certain death. If not right away
then after a little time."
"A difference of more than 0.4 could cause pH shock and even death
within 48 hours if
acclimated too quickly. You should acclimate for about 1 hour for every
tenth of a point difference in pH you suspect may be possible (i.e. 8.0
pH to 7.0 pH should take 10 hours)."
If I were to accept this as being even close to accurate, my fish should
all be dead. >>
I'll jump in on Bob's side here. I have dropped pH levels from 7.8 to 6.0
over a period of an hour with no losses. However, if going the other
direction in an established, medium-to-heavy stocked tank, the pH shift will
kick dissolved ammonium to give off H+ ions and become ammonia. The
resultant increase in ammonia can and WILL lead to gill damage that kills the
fish. Since I concentrate my efforts on South American fish, I never go from
acid to base, so I don't worry about it. The only time that it might become
a problem is if a 20% water change from my 7.6pH tap might be enough to trip
off the conversion. But then, I would at the same time be reducing the
NH4/NH3 concentration anyway, so I haven't had that happen yet, either.
Bob Dixon
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