Plants for the Acidic Tank
Contents:
re:Acid tolerant plants
by Ed Hengel (Sat, 24 Oct 1998)
Discus in planted tanks
by krandall/world.std.com (Sun, 07 Mar 1999)
RE:Discus & Planted Tanks ...
To make your tank water more acidic you need to add a solution which contains hydrogen ions to your water.
Acidicty: This is a water condition in your aquarium. Hydrogen ions in the water makes it more acid. And its nothing about the 60's and hippies, honest.
Aeration: The introduction of air. See Air pumps ...
Acidic: A water condition which has a pH lower than 7.0. A trend towards acidic water may be a sign of overfeeding.
Acidic Water with a pH of less than 7.
Acrylic A plastic material used to construct fish tanks, filters and accessories.
Activated carbon A commonly used chemical filter media.
Acidic - Water with a pH less than 7.
Acrylic - A clear plastic material used to construct aquariums. It is half the weight of glass and its refractive index is closer to that of water than glass, making it more transparent.
acidic - Water with a pH of less than 7.
adipose fin - The small fin located between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin. It seems to serve no purpose.
alkaline - Water with a pH between 7 and 14. Also known as Basic.
Acidic Water
Acid from fish wastes or decayed food. Acidic water can iritate gills and skin.
White water line. Plants die, fish have frayed fins. Alkaline water can destroy gill and fin tissues. Ammonia becomes more toxic.
Acidic water will dissolve and damage the Pond Snail's shell, so this species is best kept in moderately hard, alkaline water. Feeding foods with added calcium will help the snails have stronger, healthier shells, but this is not necessary.
Feeding: ...
Acidic to slightly alkaline (pH 6.0-7.5), soft to slightly hard.
Feeding
Omnivore: small live, frozen and dry foods.
Soft, acidic water is preferred with plants and rocks being provided for hiding places. A slight current is beneficial. Schools are a must. 6 or more fish is best. Keep with other non-aggressive, small community fish.
pH: Slightly acidic dH: Soft
Temperament: Peaceful active and sometimes wierd acting fish, don't be surprised if they rest on their sides, it's normal.
Adult Size: 10in (25cm) usually smaller ...
If the pH is acidic then the water will have a low kH value. When a high kH is maintained, the pH will stay stable and will then rarely fall.
pH below 7 is acidic
pH 7 is neutral <--- middle ground where it is neither basic nor alkaline
pH above 7 is alkaline ...
Breeding: Soft acidic water, KH below 5, temperature 25 degrees or more. Mating occurs both with pairs or in schoals. The fish usually mate in sunlight near the bottom of the tank.
Preferring soft, acidic waters, these midwater shoaling fishes feed predominantly on small crustaceans, insects, worms, and zooplankton. When spawning, they scatter their eggs and guard neither eggs nor young.
Some fish prefer acidic water, some prefer alkaline water, others prefer water with a neutral pH. (Some fish don't care too much.) ...
Habitat is highly acidic tea-coloured water of between pH 3.5 to 3.7. Found in a peat swamp forest, mostly in well shaded shallow waters (less than a meter deep) or along the vegetated banks of deeper streams. Occurs usually in slow flowing water.
Appears to prefer acidic, softer water but is truly hardy and adaptable in captivity.
Husbandry Information
Feeding ...
The water turns acidic: During the dry season lot of salts, humic substances and organic material reached, step by step, a higher levels while the water level was going down.
Fish adjust quite easily to the well oxygenated ammonia-free aquarium as opposed to the acidic, polluted water in the shipping bags. Immediately remove dead or dying fish. In most cases dying fish will not respond to treatment.
25″ Pencilfish Nannostomus thrive in home aquaria when provided with soft, moderately acidic water, low nitrate levels and temperatures in the range of 72 degrees F to 82 degrees F.
peat This form of dried moss can be used as a filter material to soften water and make it more acidic. peristaltic pump A dosing pump which works by using rollers to squeeze flexible tubing.
The water in the natural habitat of Discus is acidic, around a pH of 6.0-6.5; and is very soft, 0-3 dH. Discus are found in warm water with a temperature of 77-84°F (25-29°C).
The more free hydrogen ions, the more acidic the water becomes. This results in a reading below the chemically neutral 7.0. Since the scale is logarithmic, there are ten times more hydrogen ions in 6.8 pH than in 6.9 pH.
Adjust the pH so that it's slighlty acidic to neutral, and make sure the water isn't too hard, preferably below 15 dGH. Set the temperature at 25 degrees at this time, and cover the tank.
They should be kept in slightly acidic to neutral waters, with pH levels from six and a half to eight. They will thrive in waters with a temperature range from 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
In water solutions, anything below 7 is considered acidic and above 7 is alkaline. Natural tropical ocean-surface seawater has a pH between 8.0 and 8.25 and this is the range that the home aquarist should strive for.
The water in this region is acidic and you should therefore provide your Discus with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. It is also important that you keep the water in the aquarium soft, 0-3dH is recommended.
Breeding/Reproduction: A breeding tank should be set up with soft acidic water, a sponge filter, and most importantly either many fine leaved plants or a spawning mop.
As the city is built on the lowlands, some of the streams are acidic because of the underlying peat (remnant of the peat swamp forest).
As free carbon dioxide is the form that is toxic to fish, high toxic concentrations are only normally found in neutral or acidic waters. Most surface waters, in their natural surface state contain low concentrations of carbon dioxide (<6 mg/l).
This is because is originates from the Niger River delta where the soft acidic waters of the Niger and its streams and tributaries meet the slightly salty, alkaline water of the Delta.
The species on Sri Lanka prefer slightly acidic to slightly basic pH and medium hard to hard water, while those native to Borneo and the Malay Peninsula that occur in blackwaters prefer very acidic and soft water.
The lower the number, the more acidic the water is. The higher the number, the more alkaline the water is. A value of 7 is neutral. Most freshwater fish prefer slightly acidic water to neutral water in a range from about 6 - 7.5.
Something with a pH lower than 7 is acidic. Something with a pH higher than 7 is basic. Water has a pH of 7 naturally, but the water you are using in your tank will be different because of the chemicals that are suspended or dissolved in the water.
- pH - pH measures whether your water is basic, acidic, or neutral. A pH of zero is the most acidic, 14 is the most basic, and 7 is neutral. Most fish prefer a pH in the range of 6.4 - 7.
They need soft and acidic water with a low PH value, a PH of 5.5 to 6 is preferable. They hardly eat dry foods, best is to feed them live foods or frozen food, like bloodworms, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae.
The pH scale ranges from 1 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline). A pH of 7 is neutral.
Widely used by Takashi Amano in his nature aquariums, this plant prefers acidic water. It is in fact, not a grass-like plant, but a stem plant with a tiny distance between leaves on the stem, creating a look of grass.
Discus come from the warm, soft, acidic waters of the Amazon River. It's no surprise then that discus thrive when these conditions are replicated in the home aquarium. For both general maintenance and breeding of discus the pH should be kept at 6.
Some fish prefer soft, acidic water, while others prefer hard and alkaline water. There are varieties that thrive in water with low mineral content, while different ones will become sickly in such conditions.
The first comprises those for which soft, acidic conditions are essential. Some require a very low level of hardness, with a typical pH of around 6. The second group prefers hard, alkaline conditions.
Discus prefer slightly acidic water with a pH between 6.2 - 6.6, and an alkalinity (carbonate hardness) level in the range of 1 - 3 dKH.
0 is acidic. Fish can survive in a pH range from 5.0-9.5. Most freshwater tanks should be kept slightly acidic (6.5-7.0) for egg-laying fish, and slightly alkaline (7.2-7.6) for live-bearing fish. However, there are exceptions (i.e. Cichlids 7.5-8.5).
Water should be on the acidic side. Rainwater is often used to lower the pH, however care should be taken to ensure that the water is not contaminated with toxins.
This member of the Characidae family thrives in slightly acidic water with stable water parameters. To breed Neon Tetras, separate a pair into a "breeding tank" with no lighting at first, and gradually increase lighting until spawning occurs.
They like slightly acidic water, with a pH between six and eight. They eat flake and freeze dried foods, and should occasionally be frozen foods, such as: daphania, plankton, beef heart, brine shrimp, glass worms and blood worms.
The pH of a solution measures how acidic or alkaline it is. pH values range from 0 to 14. A neutral solution has a pH of 7. A pH less than 7 indicates an acidic solution while a pH greater than 7 indicates an alkaline solution.
Aquarium setup: Axelrodia stigmatias (Pepper Tetra) should be kept in soft, acidic water. The aquarium should be well planted and contain fine leafed plants. The plants should be planted densely so that hiding places are created.
Water maintained under higher temperature also tends to be acidic.
You can also observe some mild pH fluctuations during water changes.
If you have a planted tank, you can observe considerable pH fluctuations during day and night hours.
This may vary slightly as some fish prefer acidic water and some prefer alkaline water. Ideally, you should check the pH of your tank water and try to find fish which are compatible with your pH. There are chemicals available to change pH.
Other Tetras which need acidic water include the Blue Neon Tetra - Hyphessobrycon simulans, the Flag Tetra - H. heterorhabdus, H. metae, the Loreto Tetra - H.
The Five Banded Barb prefers a well-planted tank of at least 30 gallons with soft, slightly acidic water. Rocks and driftwood can be added to the aquarium, but leave plenty of space for swimming.
These fishes should be kept in small species tanks filled with moderately acidic and soft water. Starhead killies prefer rather cooler water with temperatures around 22 degrees centigrade.
It tends to be more tolerant of acidic water than other Daphnids, and often exceeds 6 mm in length.
The level of water's pH can range from any where between 1-14. Water of pH 7.0 is called neutral and is neither acidic nor alkaline instead a balance of both. pH levels above 7.0 are considered alkaline and those below 7.0 are acidic.
pH - Is the measurement of how acidic or how much alkaline is in your water.
Phosphate (PO4) - A nutrient which in excess fuels most aquarium algae.
Photoperiod - The length of time aquarium lights are on for.
Aquarium Requirements: Prefers bright light and soft slightly acidic water. But it will tolerate almost any normal Aquarium conditions. Fishes love to hide among the roots and enjoy playing around it. Makes a good shelter for sunny days.
pH - Indicates how acidic or alkaline your aquarium water is. pH is an acronym the power of Hydrogen.
 See also: Water, Fish, Aquarium, Plants, Species
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