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? ruclips.net/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/видео.html What is Water Hardness? ruclips.net/video/xRYdtvakfv0/видео.html How to lower Nitrites: ruclips.net/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/видео.html How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) ruclips.net/video/5l-POiCc0dI/видео.html How to Lower Nitrates: ruclips.net/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/видео.html What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ruclips.net/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/видео.html If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! ruclips.net/channel/UCYVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTAjoin 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.
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!
I can’t believe discovered this gem from Prime Time aquatics just now, six years after I started learning about how to aquarist! Jason should remake this video in 2025 and post it. A must-watch for any hobbyist who has uttered something like “I know pH is important, but I have no idea what it actually is or how it works”
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!! This made everything make much more sense! I have been in this hobby for years. I got PH, I knew how to keep parameters but I always struggled with alkaline and basic...I took chemistry and biology in highschool but nothing since but knew I was missing something and this video just turned the gears finally. Thank you so much!
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!
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!
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.
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 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
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
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
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
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 ...
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.
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 👍🙂
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 👍🏽 .
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. :)
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 👍
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.
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. 🤙
The reason I ask you that question was because I’ve been keeping fish for years. I always used an under gravel filter system as part of my filtration. I always kept live plants. They did fantastic I think in part to the water quality lighting and the under gravel filter system. I wanted my children when they were small to see live bear fish. it was pretty cool to see my son get a fish tank of his own when he was older and had his own place. anyway, I moved to a new location cranked up my 55 gallon everything look great plants were taken off fish look great color was great. PH was good as time went on the pH would rise. The pH out of the tap was 7.0 It really started being a pain in the butt chasing the high pH made it no fun. never experience that before ever. chemicals water changes more than usual. Take back off again. I even dug out my old diatom. ordered Earth powder online didn’t matter still hi pH The only thing I didn’t do is use an under gravel filter this time. Tore it down put it in the basement. I wanna start it back up. I picked up a 20 gallon tank and a underground filter. I wanna see if it helps with pH but I guess it won’t. I was looking for answers and that’s how I discovered your channel. Thank you for answering my question.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Hi Jason, Nice video 👍 The question I have is as you said apistos and altums love lower pH levels such as 4.5/5 or 6, so in those lower ph levels will there be any beneficial bacterial growth or any bacteria alive in aquariums? Generally we say pH level should be 6.5 - 8 for BB to grow and make the N cycle.
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
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? ruclips.net/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/видео.html
What is Water Hardness? ruclips.net/video/xRYdtvakfv0/видео.html
How to lower Nitrites: ruclips.net/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/видео.html
How to Lower Ammonia (This stuff is dangerous too) ruclips.net/video/5l-POiCc0dI/видео.html
How to Lower Nitrates: ruclips.net/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/видео.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ruclips.net/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/видео.html
If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! ruclips.net/channel/UCYVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTAjoin
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 RUclips, 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 RUclips 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 RUclips for.
Thank you!
I finally, sort of, get it. Well done professor.
Thank you!
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!
6:16 if you’re not a chemist.
THANK YOU SIR!!!
I laughed out loud. Thank you lol
I can’t believe discovered this gem from Prime Time aquatics just now, six years after I started learning about how to aquarist!
Jason should remake this video in 2025 and post it.
A must-watch for any hobbyist who has uttered something like “I know pH is important, but I have no idea what it actually is or how it works”
Thank you!
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!
I have learned more in this video than I did in YEARS of high school and college chemistry.
Science lesson with a bubbling backdrop. Pure ASMR.
THANK YOU!! This made everything make much more sense! I have been in this hobby for years. I got PH, I knew how to keep parameters but I always struggled with alkaline and basic...I took chemistry and biology in highschool but nothing since but knew I was missing something and this video just turned the gears finally. Thank you so much!
Thank you! You are my go to! Somebody give this man a raise
That was so well done. Thanks so much for making sense of PH. Its not too complicated when well explained.
Good to hear!
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!
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
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!
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!
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.
one of the best videos ever on the subject, timing couldn’t have been more perfect too
Good to hear. Thanks!
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 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.
Very nice description of the Ph.
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
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!
Best explenation video on how best to understand the PH level, I've seen so far! Thank you!
Thank you!
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 professor Prime Time!
Such great info that you always make easy to understand! Thanks
Thank you!
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.
Thank you for spending time to explain pH in detail. Excellent video.
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. :-)
Thank you so much for the explanation.
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
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 :-)
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 👍🙂
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!
Stumbled upon your videos.
Thanks for the wonderful article
Thank you!
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!
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!
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.
Very informative. Thank you.👍🙏
Great video very informative.
Very well explained, thanks.
Thank you!
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!
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.
Super impressive breakdown of pH, very clear and easy to understand
Very informative as always. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Adam
Dude mind blown. Ive been searching for this info. Sorry i got here so late!
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.
I finally feel like I'm understanding PH. Thank you for the great information!
I love these in depth videos, very informative, thanks again!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching.
I see you Professor!!! 👍🏾 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾Thanks a lot.!!
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 😀
Thank you professor!! Well understand now, well explained as well.
Excellent video, exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
Good to know!
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!
LOVELY!!!!! You are awesome, professor! Can’t thank you enough!!!!! 🙏 I enjoyed this video SO MUCH!
Thank you!
How can this video not receive a thumbs up? Thank u for this upload. I love what u do.
Thank you!
Very thorough. Thank you!
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
Excellent presentation , glad I found you and subbed . Looking forward to seeing more of your channel.✌️
Thank you!
Thank you for this gem of a video sir.
Thank you!
Great explanation! Felt like I was back in my Chemistry class lol!
What a great feeling huh? : -)
Excellent. Just what I needed to know!
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
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.
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.
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!
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. 🤙
What a wonderful explanation. You know what you do. Thank you.
Very informative. Thank you
Curious on what you have to say about hardness of water and how it affects fish
This: ruclips.net/video/xRYdtvakfv0/видео.html
:-)
Jason nicely done, sir can having an under gravel filter system help lower pH
It shouldn’t do anything to pH.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thank you
The reason I ask you that question was because I’ve been keeping fish for years. I always used an under gravel filter system as part of my filtration. I always kept live plants. They did fantastic I think in part to the water quality lighting and the under gravel filter system. I wanted my children when they were small to see live bear fish. it was pretty cool to see my son get a fish tank of his own when he was older and had his own place. anyway, I moved to a new location cranked up my 55 gallon everything look great plants were taken off fish look great color was great. PH was good as time went on the pH would rise. The pH out of the tap was 7.0 It really started being a pain in the butt chasing the high pH made it no fun. never experience that before ever. chemicals water changes more than usual. Take back off again. I even dug out my old diatom. ordered Earth powder online didn’t matter still hi pH The only thing I didn’t do is use an under gravel filter this time. Tore it down put it in the basement. I wanna start it back up. I picked up a 20 gallon tank and a underground filter. I wanna see if it helps with pH but I guess it won’t. I was looking for answers and that’s how I discovered your channel. Thank you for answering my question.
Great video 💪🏼
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!
Great job. Thanks!
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.
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.
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. : -)
Master class. Ty
Well done! Extremely informative, 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.
thank you so much
Great information! Thank you
Water chemistry has now become an obsession of mine. Perfect water = healthy fish.
That's a good obsession to have in fish keeping. :-)
This is the best explanation i ever had... Thank you so much
Thank you for watching!
Killer video. Wonderfully explained
Hi Jason,
Nice video 👍
The question I have is as you said apistos and altums love lower pH levels such as 4.5/5 or 6, so in those lower ph levels will there be any beneficial bacterial growth or any bacteria alive in aquariums? Generally we say pH level should be 6.5 - 8 for BB to grow and make the N cycle.
It will grow, but usually slower and not necessarily the same genera.
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!
Thanks for this great informative video.
Thank You!
pHanks so much that was incredibly informative. :)
This was very insightfull! Thank you!!
Aristotle Oracles thanks for watching!
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.
I wish I remembered Chemistry Class!😢
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!
Thank you!
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....