What is pH?

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.

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.

Use a Fritz Freshwater pH Test Kit to measure/monitor the pH in you freshwater aquarium.

Corrective Actions