# PH Level?



## Hang (Mar 16, 2015)

I heard that a PH level of 7.0 is the best when it comes to water quality. My tap water here has a level of 7.0 so i don't mess with the [PH UP] and [PH DOWN]. Does PH level really matters when it comes to breeding and maintaining?What are some other things that the PH can affect? Say someone keeps their water PH at 7.8, does that affect breeding behaviors?


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## Bailmint (Jun 15, 2013)

I don't think so. 7.0 is the perfect pH.

There's this thing called acids and bases, anything above 7.0 is basic and anything below is acidic. 7.0 is considered just right. I'm unsure about pH affecting breeding behavior but I doubt it, my pH is 7.4 [sometimes 7.0 or under with IAL, which I used for breeding], and my fish still did breed a few days ago.

So I don't think it really affects breeding too much.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

7.0 is not necessarily perfect. Just because it's neutral doesn't make it the correct or ideal pH, though it would certainly be nice if you're keeping a variety of fish since in most cases it wouldn't be difficult to augment the pH to a higher or lower level. Bettas are generally best from about 6.0-7.0, with the acidic side being better. 

Possible effects of pH and hardness:

- Hard water is known to cause fin curling
- Ammonia becomes more harmful the more basic the water, with it being essentially harmless below about 6.0 IIRC
- It's theorized that higher pH leads to more females while spawning
- Basic water is less ideal to breed in, which is part of why IAL is so good
- 

All being said, my pH is 8.0-8.2 depending on the season and I still successfully breed and keep these fish... Honestly there are much more important factors when keeping bettas. Domestic B. splendens are a very adaptable fish. 

Also, chemical pH alterations are almost never the way to go. They lead to fluctuations which are dangerous. Natural alterations, like crushed coral (to raise) or peat (to lower) are much better.


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## Bailmint (Jun 15, 2013)

Yes that's a good point, I noticed they prefer acidic as there's less problems in acidic water [cough fin curling cough]. But IMO neutral water is perfect because I do get a little worried if my water gets too acidic.


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## Hang (Mar 16, 2015)

MattsBettas said:


> 7.0 is not necessarily perfect. Just because it's neutral doesn't make it the correct or ideal pH, though it would certainly be nice if you're keeping a variety of fish since in most cases it wouldn't be difficult to augment the pH to a higher or lower level. Bettas are generally best from about 6.0-7.0, with the acidic side being better.
> 
> Possible effects of pH and hardness:
> 
> ...


Thank you, this is some really good and useful information.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Bailmint said:


> Yes that's a good point, I noticed they prefer acidic as there's less problems in acidic water [cough fin curling cough]. But IMO neutral water is perfect because I do get a little worried if my water gets too acidic.


What are you worried about? The native environment for bettas is acidic, and it's not like any sort of burns or anything will happen in tap or naturally adjusted water. Slightly acidic water is safer than neutral or basic with bettas... Though "safe" is a pretty poor term when talking about this.


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## Bailmint (Jun 15, 2013)

I know it's just the word 'acid' always gets me lol.


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## FinnDublynn (Feb 27, 2015)

The safest pH for your betta, is a stable pH. As long as they're within the range of 7.0ish, they'll adapt. It's massive fluctuation in pH that start to cause trouble, and that's what happens when you use the chemical altering stuff. My pH tends to be about 7.5-7.8 pH, tho I'll be getting some IAL soon, for my little baby, so it may or may not drop after that.

As long as there is no rapid change in pH or wildly fluctuation, they're pretty good at adjusting. 

(Orr... so I've been told. I'm still mostly new at this Betta thing, but I've had experience with other fish and that holds true to many other fish)


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

The level of pH does not matter so much as keeping is stable/not fluctuating. Bettas are very tolerant to high and low pH if they are initially acclimated properly. The comment about hard water causing curlng is just a myth though. I have very hard water and a pH of 7.5, with 4 male bettas (3 of them being long finned) only one has curling. They all have the same water parametes and I do nothing to the water except dechlorinate it. Curling in the fin is a genetic defect but it can take time to show (did not show on my boy immedetly but his fine were not done growing when I got him... Store I got him from uses same exact water) and I've talked with others who have soft water with curled finned bettas.


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