Image Credit: Joan Carles Juarez, ShutterstockĪmmonia is a waste product that is excreted by goldfish via the kidneys and the gills. Never put anything into your tank if you don’t know what it is, like rocks and leaves since this can alter your pH. Indian almond leaves and driftwood, on the other hand, are known to decrease the pH of water, making it more acidic. Crushed coral and aragonite, for example, are known to increase the pH of water, making it more alkaline. This means they will not alter the pH or hardness of your water. pH is one of the easiest water parameters to control because it can be altered with things like specific substrates and tank additives.Īlways check to verify items are inert before adding them to your tank. Acidic water can lead to burns and pain, while alkaline water usually does not unless it is exceptionally high. However, many people have reported their goldfish doing well with pH slightly below 7.0, or up to 8.5.Īcidic water is more dangerous to goldfish than alkaline water is. Goldfish usually prefer neutral to slightly alkaline water with a pH from 7.0–8.0. Everything below 6.9 down to 0 is considered acidic, while everything above that up to 14 is considered alkaline. Tap water usually measures at a pH of 7.0. This is a measurement of how acidic, neutral, or alkaline your water is. Heavy metals and other parameters you may never need to check are also specialty tests that have to be purchased separately from most test kits. For liquid test kits, you will likely have to purchase GH and KH tests separately from the main kit.Ĭhlorine is usually included on test strips, but it is otherwise considered more of a specialty test. It’s rare for test strips to check ammonia levels, which are extremely important to monitor in a goldfish tank.Ĭonfirm the kit you purchase can, at minimum, measure pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Liquid tests are preferred by most for their high level of accuracy, but test strips can be an effective way to check your parameters, especially in a pinch. There are two types of tests that can be used to test most water parameters. The 5 Critical Water Parameters to Measure Other water parameters you may need to check include chlorine and heavy metals, like copper. GH and KH are important but not a major factor in the average goldfish tank. The most important water parameters for you to track in the average goldfish tank are pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
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