My brother got fish on tuesday, and wants to know if it is ok to use hot tub or spa ph increaser in the tank?

Posted by on . 5 comments.


The fish are african chicleds so they are tropical fish.
The store he got them from (A to Z pets), said that it wouldnt hurt them, but we're not sure.



Comments

  1. 8 In the corner says:
    June 26, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    There is no need to adjust the pH of your water unless it is radically different than the water they lived in at the fish store. Most cichlids (pronounced sick-lid) will do well in regular dechlorinated tap water. I keep 25 tanks up and running and use plain tap water for all my regular partial water changes. I keep a variety of cichlids that, in the wild, come from water that varies from 6.5 to 8.2 in pH. They all live, prosper and spawn in my tap water which is 7.4 out of the faucet.

    pH increaser for hot tubs or spas should not be used for fish of any kind, there are most likely extra chemicals in the mix that would not harm humans, but would be deadly to fish.

    Angels and discus (both cichlids) are pretty touchy about the pH they live in. They both come from South America and live in soft, acid water (pH in the very low range). Angels can be changed over to higher pH if it is done slowly (days, not hours). Discus will not do well if not kept in low pH water.

  2. Kalie B says:
    June 26, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    um well no

  3. Willow Natalia says:
    June 26, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    Check with another pet store or two. What's okay for humans might not be okay for fish. See if there's a fish club in your area, they'd know. Heck, I suppose you could even call the zoo aquarium in your area.

  4. letthereberain says:
    June 26, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    Don't mess with the pH, they will be fine in a lower ph as long as it sustains at that rate. Like going from a ph of 7.2 to 8.0 isn't good. You would be much better off just keeping the ph at the level it is now.
    And if you want to I would suggest putting crushed coral in your filter media, that will higher the ph without having to put chemicals in the water.

  5. Ugly Artwork says:
    June 26, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    Don't mess with the pH, and certainly don't use products that aren't made for aquariums.

    Fish will tolerate a wider range of pH than you think, but no fish will tolerate an unstable pH, and if you start using the pH products, that's exactly what you'll get.

Leave a Reply