# pH and water hardness



## SillySnail (Apr 1, 2012)

So in my 2.5 gallon tank (with a filter no heater... yet) I have never checked or even knew to check water pH and water hardness with my previous bettas. In joining this website recently I have seen posts about it. Is it wise to check both of those levels?? I know bettas like a neutral water pH so 7.0 but what about water hardness????


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## Beall (Apr 9, 2012)

Bettas enjoy softer waters. as far as water hardness goes, Between 50-200 parts per million( ppm)


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Unlike their wild cousins, betta are highly adaptable and can live at almost any normal range pH (between 6.0 and 8.0) and hardness (not like the liquid rock that some cichlids like). What is more important that you keep the water parameters the same in his tank. Rapid swings will cause stress, and stress kills. If you're not an experienced fishkeeper it is just better to not fiddle with pH and hardness. Mostly people worry about water hardness and pH when keeping other fish like tetra and guppies.


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

If you're not trying to grow any plants, you're best off just leaving it all alone. As long as it's constant, your betta is fine.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Even most basic/easy plants will adapt to water conditions out of the ideal.


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## SlabSided (Mar 1, 2012)

The water out of my tap is 7. However, once it goes in the tank with the gravel and rocks, it goes up to 8 (not sure how long it takes to do so). So every time I change the water, even a partial change, there is going to be a fluctuation. Is that going to cause undo stress? Or will he get used to that too?


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

SlabSided said:


> The water out of my tap is 7. However, once it goes in the tank with the gravel and rocks, it goes up to 8 (not sure how long it takes to do so). So every time I change the water, even a partial change, there is going to be a fluctuation. Is that going to cause undo stress? Or will he get used to that too?


No, I wouldn't worry about that, either. When you do a full change, he gets re-acclimated. And for partial changes, the KH in your water will buffer fluctuations, as well. So, when you add more water with a slightly different pH, it'll be so diluted down between mixing with the other water and the KH buffer that it isn't going to cause a problem. And, because of the small concentration, he should adjust to it easily. Same as when you remove a bit of cup water and add some tank water while acclimating a fish.

And honestly, the most important thing to be stable in your tank, even above pH, is KH. For example, in some tanks with CO2 injection, pH can fluctuate between 6 and 8 over the course of a day, but as long as the KH stays stable, it does not cause a problem for fish. Your KH will remain stable with water changes, as long as you're always using the same source water.


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## SlabSided (Mar 1, 2012)

Oh, good. Thanks. My first betta died within a week so I'm hyper sensitive about everything with the new guy. So far so good!


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