# Acclimation for large pH differences



## solebrother (Apr 5, 2014)

What I've read on drip acclimation on this forum has been very helpful, but all discussions of the topic I've seen here and elsewhere online suggest this is an hours-long process, and I'm trying to reconcile that with the advice I've also seen online (can't remember the source) to never adjust pH by more than .1 daily, and what that means for acclimating fish to my 7.8 pH water.

Today I saw that Tetra Correct pH recommends no more than a .5 pH shift per day. Obviously, the slower the change the better, but I have to go from 7.0 water from the LFS to my 7.8 water, and drip acclimation over several days with my own high pH water doesn't seem to address what I need to do.

Another forum member (Gizmo) suggested driftwood and peat to bring my pH down. I agree this would bring the pH down--though I'd have to implement that to find out how much of a reduction I can get. 

So my core questions are: 
1) Is there a safe way to acclimate fish from 7.0 pH water to 7.8 pH water without the permanent use of driftwood and peat? I suppose eventually the pH effects of these both wear off over time, and the pH would naturally raise slowly if new peat were not added?

2) A .5 pH swing seems pretty big -- so is the .1 shift the generally accepted daily limit for pH changes (generally speaking; I know various breeds will have different tolerances)

3) How close does the LFS pH and new water source pH have to be before acclimating by drip? I imagine the further the spread, the more dead fish there will be. 

I think think that's it for now.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Question 1 - yes, with drip acclimation

Question 2 - actually most fish can adjust to your ph. It is more important that you match their gh/kh than it would be their ph. A drip acclimation can take as long as you like but personally I see no reason for it to go longer than 3-4 hours with a 1 drop per second drip, no matter what fish we are talking about.

Question 3 - doesn't have to be close at all. just drip acclimate and it will help the fish slowly adjust. My lfs has about a 7.5 and my tap is 8.2. 

What fish are you trying to keep?


----------



## Threnjen (Jan 10, 2013)

This is just some nerdy expansion on what Ben said already.

Based on scientific evidence, what we perceive as "pH shock" is in fact osmotic shock. Osmoregulation is, simply put, the way that a fish regulates the minerals in the fluid inside its body. When the fish comes in contact with water outside of its body that either has more or less Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) than the water it has acclimated to, the solids will seek a new equilibrium. Meaning either solids leave the fish's body, or go in. If the difference is extremely high then the cells will either burst as they take on too much water (solids out, water in) or become dehydrated (solids in, water out)
File:Osmotic pressure on blood cells diagram.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There have not been a LOT of studies on this but there are at least a few which study the effects of moving fish to and from drastically different pH levels. It would depend on the fish of course but species studied could survive a pH shift of 2 points (which is a LOT)

So ultimately it is your TDS that is most important, not your pH. Of course most people cannot easily measure TDS. The gH is kind of a good reading, although it does not account for the (dreaded, IMO) addition of salt which raises your TDS and does not show up on the test. Other stuff can raise the TDS without showing up on the gH test but salt is the biggest offender.

If you ever want a toy to help with your acclimating, a TDS meter is quite cheap. Amazon.com: HM Digital TDS-EZ Water Quality TDS Tester, 0-9990 ppm Measurement Range , 1 ppm Resolution, +/- 3% Readout Accuracy: Home Improvement
I always test the LFS water and my own to get an idea of how "difficult" acclimation will be.

That said you should definitely acclimate, always, but you DON'T need to worry about the whole ".3 per day" thing.


----------



## solebrother (Apr 5, 2014)

Jrman: I haven't decided which fish yet. Originally, I liked cardinal tetras for their color, but I backed off after realizing the pH preference. 

I haven't tested gh/kh yet, but between that, adding driftwood, and comparing the TDS at my LFS to my tap water, it sounds feasible to keep tetras. It seems zebra danios might be a little less sensitive than tetras, so I'm considering them, too. I only have a 10g, so I'd like several small community fish. Maybe I'd have room for a couple platys and snails once the tank is established.

Threnjen: It's funny, I have two TDS meters, including the exact one you suggest! I got it for testing my drinking water--not for the aquarium. A second meter came with my Zero Water drinking water filter, so I already have a meter I can dedicate to the aquarium. (As an aside, I love the taste of the TDS-free water, but I think humans, too, have to be careful not to only drink it exclusively.) The LFS is about one mile from me, so I suspect their TDS will be the same. Thanks!


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

My 180 has cardinals,rummynose and a few discus and is 7.6!My gH and kH are low.They make more of a difference than overall pH.I drip acclimate everything.The longest I've ever taken is 4 hours or so.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Also note, many fish you aquire via pet stores, will be out of their habitat PH range. Usually if it is in or near town, you will not be off on the PH by too much. That being said I acclimated a fish from PH of 8.5 to 6.0 within a few hours and they have all done very well.


----------



## Threnjen (Jan 10, 2013)

I also have high pH due to crushed coral I keep in my tank, but very low gH and kH and keep soft fish. My water comes out with ZERO gH and kH (softest in the US) so I use coral to improve my kH, so I end up with pH 7.6, and I keep soft water fish such as Cardinals and Angelfish.

When fish have a "preference" for hard or soft water what this actually refers to is their TDS. In nature, you'll find that low TDS water is low pH water, and high TDS water is high pH. Cardinals and Angels for example cannot tolerate a very high TDS without it being very tough on their kidneys. High TDS fish can handle lower TDS water a bit better than the other way around. The actual pH reading is not so important.

So determining the fish that can best fit in your tank, take a TDS reading


----------



## solebrother (Apr 5, 2014)

I've just realized I'm not sure what constitutes a significant difference in TDS for a fish. 

Likewise, I'm not sure of the low/med/high ranges for TDS in regards to freshwater fishkeeping. I don't have driftwood added yet, but the TDS of my tank water right now is about 300--which is seemingly close to a median value if it were U.S. tap water, but I don't know what that means health-wise (for fish--or for humans, for that matter).

Is there a general rule-of-thumb for how close the TDS readings should be, percentage-wise, between my tank water & LFS?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

So bottom line, I wouldn't worry too much about ph. If this is a new thing for you it is not uncommon to worry about it way too much. I am glad that you are seeking help instead of like many new aquarists do and try and adjust the ph. This causes more problems that it is intended to correct. 

So...decide on your fish, drip acclimate when you get home no matter what and you should be okay. You will give your fish the best chance to survive prior to entering your tank.


----------

