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pH
is an abbreviation for pondus hydrogenii which also
stands for "Power of Hydrogen" or "Weight
of Hydrogen." pH is a measure of the effective
acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is expressed
as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration.
Pure water has a hydrogen ion concentration equal to
10-7 moles per liter at standard conditions. The negative
logarithm of this quantity is 7. Pure water has a pH
value of 7. The pH scale usually is considered as extending
from 0 to 14. As the scale drops towards 0, the solution
becomes more acidic. As the scale rises toward 14, the
solution becomes more basic.
Simply
put water with a pH less than 7.0 is acidic, a pH higher
than 7.0 is basic, and a pH of 7.0 is always neutral.
While
fish can survive in a wide range of pH values, most
community freshwater fish and plant flourish between
pH values of 6.8-7.4. Aquarium water quality is critical
to the health of tank inhabitants, and for this reason,
pH value should be tested weekly. While some fish, such
as discus, prefer acid water, others, such as Livebearers
and African Cichlids prefer alkaline water.
Use
a Fritz Freshwater pH Test Kit
to measure/monitor the pH in you freshwater aquarium.
Corrective
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