It is important that you have the proper water conditions for your glofish. An often-overlooked component of water quality is pH. In today’s article, I will discuss the best pH level for glofish.
Glofish pH level
The pH level for your glofish tank will depend on the species of glofish. Currently, the five types of glofish are tetras, barbs, danios, bettas, and sharks.
Glofish tetra pH level
The pH level for a glofish tetra tank should be between 6.5 and 8. It is okay to vary slightly above or below this range, but you should strive to keep your water close to a neutral 7 pH.
Glofish barb pH level
The pH level in a glofish barb tank should also be kept in waters close to neutral pH levels. The ideal range for a glofish tiger barb is 6.8 to 7.8.
Glofish danios pH level
Glofish danios prefer a slightly basic water pH, with an ideal range of 7 to 7.8.
Glofish betta pH level
Glofish bettas should ideally be kept in water that has a neutral pH level of 7. It’s fine if the water is slightly acidic. A healthy range is 6 to 7.5.
Glofish shark pH level
Glofish sharks thrive best in a neutral pH level of 7. However, they can adapt to water that is in the 6 to 8 range.
Now that you know the proper pH levels for glofish, you probably want to know the best way to test the pH level.
What happens if you have wrong pH level in glofish tank?
While Glofish are not hard to keep alive, the wrong pH level can have a detrimental affect on your glofish. It can stress them out, and cause them to swim in weird patterns. Sometimes, it can cause them to swim sideways. It can also cause your glofish to stop eating.
If your pH is way off, it can even cause your glofish to die.
How to raise pH level in glofish tank?
An easy way to increase the pH level in your glofish tank is to add baking soda. The general rule of thumb is to add 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every 5 gallons in your tank. You should remove your glofish from the tank when you add the baking soda so that the fish don’t think it’s food and try to eat it before it dissolves.
You can also add an aerator or water bubbler to help increase pH levels. This helps oxygenate the water, which in turn reduces carbon dioxide and raises the pH.
Lastly, you can help increase your pH level by performing regular water changes. Aside from increasing pH, this will also help remove harmful bacteria and increase oxygen levels in your glofish tank.
How to decrease pH level in glofish tank
If your glofish tank has a high pH, there are a couple ways you can lower the pH. You can help decrease the pH by adding driftwood or peat moss to your glofish tank. Both of these materials possess tannins, which reduce pH levels.
There are also some water conditioners that you can add to your water to help reduce the pH levels.
How to test pH level in glofish tank
Checking the pH level of your glofish tank is very easy. The quickest way is to use a digital pH tester. All you need to do is stick it into your water, and it will give you the pH level with only a .01 margin of error.
You can find digital pH testers on amazon for around $10. Some of them do need to be recalibrated every couple of weeks to make sure they are accurate.
Some of them can also send out an alert when the pH reaches an unhealthy level.
Another easy way to test the pH level in your tank is to use test strips. What I really like about test strips is that they can also test for harmful compounds such as ammonia and nitrite.
If your test finds any ammonia or nitrate in the water, you should apply a conditioner immediately, as both of these compounds can be deadly for your glofish.
