RE: [APD] pH shock

["Anna Burbank" <burbank at voicenet_com>]

Subject: Re: [APD] pH shock

There is an interesting related article at www.characin.com under
"articles".  The title of the article is "How Low Can You Go".  It describes
a scientific experiment to determine the effects of very low ph on tilapia.
It doesn't address rapid ph changes, but it does seem to conclude that
factors other than ph (conductivity, waste) might be responsible for
problems.

I do 50% water changes on my tank, which is usually kept at ph 6.7 using
CO2.  Immediately after the water change the ph is about 7.4.  I have no
problems rapidly refilling the tank straight from the tap in the summer.  I
mix the hot and cold to get the right temperature.  In the winter I have had
problems with my betta and a couple of danios getting a little "floaty".  I
think maybe it's due to the amount of dissolved gas in the water in the
winter.  I have a private well, so I don't have the water company adding
anything.  If I refill very slowly in the winter I have almost the same ph
swing, but I don't get all of the bubbles and the fish have no problems.
The water is the same hardness (GH and KH)in the tank and from the tap.

Anna

>Okay, we have two views and two sets of anecdotes. Anybody
>have any scientific data? Or an explanation on why pH would
>matter?

>Scott H.




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