As I was asked to explain after my introduction-

I am no great expert, but this is what I do and it works for me- (Freshwater)This is not a cut or paste job so none of this is from any certain great expert, phd or whatever. Then again, I didn't discover and take credit for all this stuff myself, either! This is compiled from my research, opinions, and observations. Its kind of combined from different methods.

Usually about once or twice a week, I test my water. I always use test tubes and liquid indicator drops (these are readily available at any good fish store) To put it pretty bluntly, most test strips you buy are a total joke.

Ammonia testing and Nitrite testing: ANY ammonia or ANY nitrite is too much. These should stay 0 AT ALL TIMES- PERIOD, END OF SENTENCE!

I test ph- I am strongly of the belief that it is more important to have a STABLE ph than exactly a certain number. Remember, you may read in a book that a particular species needs a certain ph, but a huge majority of the fish you buy at the lfs are commercially bred and have never visited their natural habitat.

A practical example: If you read about Rummy Nose tetra you will find that they originate in the Amazon River System. Most articles will tell you that they require a ph between 6.0 -7.0 (more info about the rummy nose tetra is found at the end)

Obviously, if you travel to the Amazon to get fish directly out of the river and bring them home to your aquarium, you will need these conditions. Most of us do not have the financial means to travel around the world and collect our fish from their native habitats!

When you bring home new fish, find out what ph the lfs keeps the fish at and try to match this at home.

***Try, if at all possible to stay away from the commercial ph fixing drops you can buy. These will create sudden drastic changes that can shock and sometimes kill your fish. Think STABLE. Also, a lot of these chemicals are removed by carbon, zeolite, etc. that you may have in your filter, so therefore ph would be constantly on the move.

When ph can really hurt you is if all your other water conditions are also bad, this can exaggerate the problems. (I don't totally understand exactly why this is true, but I think that in bad conditions ph can affect their immune systems- if anyone out there does understand this, feel free to correct me.)

I keep my Rummy Nose tetra at a ph of about 8.0. They happily swim around in my 29 gallon with bright red faces and nice color on their tails. (actual specifications in most books call for 6.0 to 7.0) But remember, I bought them at the lfs.

Another thing to think about- some types of rock and other items can throw off ph. That is why you want to carefully consider every item that you put into your fish's home.

**Nitrates- These are the final result of the ammonia-nitrite-process. These are not nearly as harmful as ammonia and nitrite, but nitrates can have a great impact on your fish's long term health. High nitrates can stunt fish's growth, shorten their life span, and many other things.

I have also found from watching my fish that low nitrates improve coloration and fin growth greatly. I like to keep my nitrates below 15 ppm. I have read before that Nitrates are harmless up to 40-50ppm, but try to keep them as low as possible. Nitrates can be kept low by water changes, gravel cleaning, not overstocking, and not overfeeding.

Sometimes your water supply may contain Nitrates, you may want to check.

Also, there is the more practical side of fishkeeping, EX: I think a huge factor in the health and happiness of my rummy nose tetra is their enjoyment of their "schooling buddies" of the same species. Schooling fish should be kept in schools for maximum happiness. A lot of people have the tendency to put 1 neon tetra, 1 gowlight tetra, 1 rummy nose, 1 bleeding heart, 1 emperor tetra, 1 of this and 1 of that and so on. This may also equal 11 schooling fish, but they don't have any " friends " of the same species. I keep 6 neons and 5 rummy nose in my 29 gallon. Sometimes all 11 school together and sometimes they break apart into their respective species.

A great help to water quality, is not oversocking your aquarium. There is no magic number of fish per gallon. The individual fish's behavior often matters a lot more than its size. Obvious example, a big, fat 5 inch goldfish will produce far more waste than a school of 5 neon tetra. Same number of inches, but big difference. Filtration, temperature, etc, must also be a concern.

Remember, there is no magic, perfect one way to keep fish.

Feel free to post comments on any aspects of this that you don't agree with. I won't be insulted.


The rummy nose tetra is probably about my favorite fish ever! This is pretty interesting: There are three distinct types of Rummy Nose tetra. Hemigrammus bleheri (brilliant rummy nose tetra) Hemigrammus rhodostomus (rummy nose tetra, and Petitella georgia (false rummy nose tetra)
-Most of the Rummy Nose Tetra that you buy are actually Hemigramms bleheri. There is lots of other stuff, but you might not be all that fascinate, if you run a google search there are some pretty neat diagrams out there. (although sometimes you will see photos of the different types incorrectly labeled)

One of coolest things about the 3 types is that three areas on the Amazon where they are found don't overlap at all! That is three totally separate areas! Pretty neat, huh?

I researched this before buying my Hemmigrammus bleheri. I know, I am quite the nerd. That is just an interesting tidbit for you.

I think this deserves to be pinned.

One thing to add, pH stability is directly affected by hardness. The higher the KH, the more stable the pH will be, but lower the KH, and the pH can shift easier. So be extra dilligent in checking your pH in soft water tanks.

CatLover, you make an exellent point about pH in the wild vs. the LFS. The pH in my established tanks is always lower than my LFS, even when I compare it right out of my faucet. So, I take special care to acclimate the fish for that reason, if no other. One of these days, I'll have to remember to test the nitrates from the LFS, just out of curiousity.

I like to use the liquid reagent too. One other good point is that some manufacturers will stamp a date on the bottle. That way, you can tell how fresh the stuff is or if the store had it sitting on the shelf for a year. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals date stamps their bottles. I am not familiar with any others that might put a date stamp on their products.

Oh, and congrats on the "sticky". :D

That is very interesting about the hardness. We have very hard water in the part of Texas where I live. I did not realize that.

Very good point about dates, some fish stores tend to leave items out for sale that may be expired.

It is great if you have an ideal ph for your fish, and that is definitely a very important idea that you mentioned acclimating your fish.

I love hearing about other people's methods!

I will definitely be checking dates more diligently and comparing water hardness. :D

I test in the same way you do, I am thinking of putting a RO/DI system on my big tank when it's done, It has an auto filler so it may benifit, i also agree on the solid PH, I try to keep mine at 7.0 at all times, all my fish are used to it Thanks for posting it

I was watching the video of your ghost knife. That is really neat. I think that they are awesome fish. I've never had room for one. Maybe someday.

To add on to a great 'sticky', from what I have seen, fish prefer a more STABLE pH over one that is EXACTLY what the 'book' says it ought to be. Like CatLover, I have kept neon tetras in 8.3 pH water. I acclimated them to that pH all day long, just a little at a time, but once I put them in the tank, they we're perfectly fine. As long as the pH does not change rapidly then they can usually tolerate higher or lower pH levels.

It's important to remember though where the fish come from and whether or not they were collected from the wild. For example, a wild caught neon tetra still needs water parameters that mimic that of the Amazon, whereas a tank bred neon is more likely already adjusted to what is coming out of most faucets.

ive never once tested my water ever for anything. i add dechlorinator durin my twice weekly water changes and let the fish rock out with whatever they get.

ooooh fer teh noobzor fish keepers im jedi elite so "do as i say not as i do."

The big thing with fishkeeping is, if it works for you, then go for it. You'll notice that what works for you, won't work for anyone else. I used to go without testing my water, and my fish did fine. I didn't start testing til I started overstocking my tanks and adding expensive fish. I didn't want to lose my blood parrots to too much ammonia or nitrite, you know? I believe if you play your cards right and understand the nitrogen cycle and do regular water changes, then you can get away without testing your water.

Water testing is a really good thing to do, but it's not ENTIRELY necessary. You can keep an aquarium and not have a test kit.


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As most of you probably know, the most common types of tests are for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and high range pH. Although equally important, you rarely see KH or GH in a testing kit. If you really want to keep track of your water quality, be sure to pick these up. I'll be sure to list some reasons why in a few minutes...


Keep an eye on your fish, watch them, observe them. Learn their habits and normal behaviors. If you notice they are acting funny or strange, or are changing colors or fading, be sure to test your water for at LEAST ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. An ammonia spike due to overfeeding, a new addition, or some other source could be stressing your fish out. This ammonia, if left unchecked, quickly turns into nitrite which can be even more deadly to your fish. To a lesser extent, a high nitrate reading can cause stress in your fish.

A pH test is one of the most important tests that you have at your disposal. Your pH should be around 6.0 - 8.5 on average. Most fish are adaptable to these levels. Fish that tend to be on the 6.0 side will have a more difficult time adjusting to 8.3 or higher levels and vice versa. The higher your pH, the more toxic and deadly ammonia and nitrite become to your fish.

KH and GH are equally important, however. These two control how 'stable' your pH is. KH is carbonate hardness, GH is general hardness. Normally the higher your pH the harder your water. The reason pH adjusters are not good for your aquarium is because when raising your pH, you must also add the right amount of chemicals to bring up your GH and KH or your pH will fall as quickly as it went up. Drastic changes to your pH are very deadly to your fish. The same goes for lowering your pH. You must first strip your water of any 'buffers' or in other words, the GH and KH. These values keep your pH from changing one way or another. This is what keeps your pH stable. To lower it however, you must remove these. This can be very disasterous though, as by lowering the hardness of your water you are opening yourself up to a rollercoaster ride with your pH levels.

While there are many chemicals on the market to lower or raise your pH, there are many natural products that can accomplish the same task in a much safer way.

Be sure before you add any of the following to your tank that you understand that these can AND will adjust your pH and hardness levels.

If you are looking to lower your pH, try peat moss or driftwood. Driftwood leaches tannins into the water which will acidify it. Not only will it to that, but it will also 'buffer' the water or keep your pH at the lower levels. This is important because you don't want it to rapidly jump back up to what it was originally at. It does take a little bit of time for this to work, and if you have extraordinarily hard water, you can always use chemicals to take care of some of the hardness so the tannins can do their work.

If you are wanting to raise your pH, there are several types of 'stone' available. One way to tell if a rock or stone is going to raise your pH is the vinegar test. Place a drop on the rock or stone you are going to put in your aquarium and if it fizzes, it will leach calcium into your water thus raising the pH and hardness.

There are several types of substrates on the market today such as cichlid buffers that raise and maintain pH levels necessary for cichlids. Aragonite and crushed coral substrates for example help to maintain pH levels above 8.0.

Before adjusting your pH however, see what your tap water tests. See if there are any fish that like the water that naturally comes out of your faucet. Fish prefer a more stable water and you will be able to enjoy your fish more if you aren't constantly having to adjust the water parameters. So before adjusting it, remember that most fish are able to adapt to certain pH levels. Such as CatLover's rummynose and neon tetras. Both acidic loving fish are living perfectly in alkaline water. Of course, be sure to find out what the pH of the water where you purchase them is. Make sure it is close to yours. If not, it will take a bit of time to get them acclimated, if it is even possible. Most fish that are commercially bred are already accustomed to higher pH levels. These fish will almost readily adapt to your aquarium and will live long healthy lives as long as you provide them with a stable pH.

Well, I know that short little post turned into a long rambling article, but I hope this helps!

Do you think that I should try to lower my ph even though my fish are doing well? I wasn't planning on it, but I'm curious what you think...