Well anyways I heard bettas live in 6.5-7.0 ish. I just got a free test kit and was checking my PH for my drinking water which I always use for my bettas and it was 7.6 or more. I might have done the testing wrong since they told me to fill the water to the line and there's like 3 lines. Most of my bettas have live in 7.6 since forever and nothing have happen...yet. So should I lower the PH or keep it at 7.6

If your bettas seem okay, don't mess with the ph at all.
In fact, 7.6 is not bad for a betta.
The ph of my water is in the high 8's and mine all seem fine - although I do
The key is to keep it steady - they do best when there are no major swings.

Whew I'm glad I'm not alone. I freaked out when I saw the PH.

Ditto what Bettamomma said. Never mess with a stable pH unless you are certain it is causing problems for your fish.

Yep...... Momma is right.

Btw..... jungle makes these water testing dip strips... they got good ratings. The 5 in 1 is pretty darn accurate.... not to mention there is no need to mess with getting the right amount of water in the dang little vials.

Hmmm can't really agree with teh test strips and accuracy, they are mediocre on pH but everything else is either vague or off vs my drop based titrations...

Maybe as a quick and dirty but I wouldn't count on them for any accuracy.

Personally, I TOTALLY disagree.

Bettas typically live in small, unfiltered environments with no bio-load to remove ammonia from their water. Ammonia is very toxic to fish, and a lot of the disease that bettas are prone to is directly the result of their being made susceptible because of the ammonia in their water.

Ammonia is more toxic the higher the pH of the water, and practically non-toxic the more neutral to acidic the water is - it's a fact. High ammonia levels in soft, acidic water will not have the same impact on a fish that it will have in hard, alkaline water.

There are pitfalls to playing with the pH of your tap water - it can be tough to regulate it and keep it consistent. But in my opinion, it's better to find the right conditioners that will work to keep your tap water more neutral-to-acidic than to expose your bettas to the debilitating effects of toxic ammonia.

Now, some betta types are less prone to issues with ammonia. Veiltails are pretty sturdy. Many can adjust to a higher pH. BUT if you're trying to keep bettas with more developed fins, which are very sensitive to the quality of their water, you need to keep them in more neutral or acidic conditions. OR keep them in aquariums with a bioload capable of neutralizing the ammonia the fish produce.

Why do you think betta keepers boil Indian almond leaves and add it to their water? is it only because of the medicinal properties? NO! it naturally lowers the pH and creates a more appropriate environment for bettas.

BettaMomma - you put a halfmoon in your tap water and you'll lose it - GUARANTEED!!! First its fins will split - the initial sign of ammonia poisoning. No amount of salt or Maracyn 1 or Maracyn 2 is going to clear that up.

is it bad if i never check my ph all my fish are going fine

As I said in my PM - I know how to handle my high ph problem - hence the reason I do water changes on my 2.5 gallon tanks every 4 - 5 days - to keep ammonia levels down.

betta keepers also use ial water in their tanks to stimulate their natural environment. bettas in the wild have natural ial water.

i kept my bettas in a ph of 7.5. never had a problem. although i do 80% water changes every day and 100% water changes every monday and thursday. so there really is not a chance to get a buildup of ammonia. where the ph would effect the toxicity of ammonia is when the tank is filtered and not being changed out as frequently. the smaller the tank, the more more frequent the water changes.

also, it has been proven that the ph will affect the male female ratio in spawns. the lower the ph, the more males. the higher the ph, the more females. by the high ph i mean ph levels 7.5 and over. after we moved we went from city water to well water. the well water has a ph of 7.0. the last spawn i did i raised the ph level, acclimated the bettas to the higher ph and let them spawn. breeders will often do this when line breeding. they have more females to work with.

Maggie, you and I have talked about this before - I understand the concept of maniupulating the pH to bring about a specific end. If you want more girls in your spawn, there are people that would agree you could raise the pH of your water to make it more condusive to having females.

AND most types of tropical fish can become accustomed to different pH. If you're willng to change your bettas' water every day to reduce the ammonia, more power to you. Considering your well water is at 7.0, I'm not sure why you would want to raise it for the fish you're maintaining day-to-day.

Still, 7.0 is considered the ideal pH, especially if you're dealing with a more sensitive type. Any fish with longer, more developed fins is going to have issues with the quality of their water - the blood circulation is compromised in these fish, and they are very sensitive to ammonia, nitrites, etc. Also, I think just considering the natural biotype of these fish - warm somewhat stagnant water, full of vegetable matter (including Indian almond leaves) it only makes sense that they're going to prefer a more acidic, softer water. Just for kicks, I tested the pH of the water my last bettas from Thailand came in: it was 6.6!!!

I guess we all have to figure out what will work for us. The only time I have ever had trouble with my fish is when their water was out of wack. As I have used conditioners to lower the pH and the hardness, I've had better luck with my bettas.

Yeah - I got your PM, BettaMomma.

you know what hal, that is what it all boils down to. whatever you are comfortable with. i think it is good to try out others ideas. but everyone will do things a bit different. it doesn't mean that one way is better than the other. that is one of the aspects that i find most interesting about fishkeeping. the differences in opinions and experiences.

Alright guys, no need to argue. This is base on a difference of opinion while I agree that 7.0 PH is ideal for bettas and that regular water cleaning like BM said is a must to keep the ammonia level down. In my betta containers they have this live plant called I-forgot-their-name but they are household plants that are also aquatics too. They suck up the ammonia and nitrite (the bad one, forgot which one too =/)

:goodpost: Justhal, you are right on the topic.:)
I don't have to repeat again what has Justhal had mentioned here and he is totally right. The lower ph is better for the betta for long run. If your water ph falled into 6.8 to 7.5 ph, it is the fine. If your betta still have a lot of problems (fin rot, bacteria infection or ......whatever), try to lower the ph to 6.8 or to 6.5. This will eliminating what you all have betta problems.
As for betta that born in USA, 7.5ph is fine because breeder usually make the babies betta get used to the water but this is depends on who is the breeder is. As for me, I used a lot of IAL so do expected the water ph is 6.8 to 7.2 ph. You can using IAL or black water solution into your water. High ph is good for 2 day but then they start to turn to ammonia that will hurt the betta. I have lost a lot of betta in the end of spring because of this problems and now I have solved my problems. I have pm to a lot of breeders talking about the ph too and they all told me the same thing. As now, I hardly have problems with my all my bettas now. IAL saved alot of all my problems and I seldom using medication at all. I only used anti fungus for fungus and finrot treatment and bettafix.
Linda in Colorado did save a thailand betta from ammonia burning tail and nearly got killed. The tail and the gills of the betta is totally ruined. She did try to safe the betta using only IAL thick solution only. After a month in her hand, the betta did recover 75%. She did send the betta to me and I have been treating him the same with IAL but much less strong. Today, the betta did recovery back to normal after the long fight, growth back the cells gill and also his tail. It is a shock if you see the picture of him while he got into colorado and now. :)
If you think your betta keep having sickness this or that, it is time to lower the ph to 6.5 to 6.8. You will notice the dramatically of the betta getting better. IAL is the first thing you can lower the water ph or using black water solution. Using medication is not a good choice everytime. :) A healthy right environment is the best to keep the betta happy. :)

Wow, this thread makes me thankful for my stable pH of 6.8 :blink:

Great. Tell us your experience synirr. :) It will be helpful afterall. :) I think I have two tupperwares that ph might gets to 6 to 6.5 tonight in my ceramics studio. I can see the color of the yellowish from IAL. I will check it tomorrow what the ph reading. The betta just loves it and more active than my others. LOL

I haven't used this yet but I heard from other breeders who using this are very good for the bettas. I am sure going to order this a bunch end of the month.

http://www.ibcbettas.com/ibc_sales.htm#Atison

Atison's Betta Spa

NEW! For the first time, available for the Betta hobbyist in a easy-to-use format: Wild almond leaf extract, and a lot more, in one
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125 ml bottle

The Wild Almond leaf extract will create a more natural
environment for the Betta fish. The leaves contain humic acids
and tannin and are known to have antibacterial properties. Contains Yucca extract that will bind the ammonia (NH3)
in the water. Contains calcium needed to activate the muscles and to develop strong bones, teeth and scales. Lowers the pH of the water and absorbs harmful chemicals. Adds essential trace elements to the water. Ideal for conditioning the Betta, promotes spawning, activity and colors. Colors the water via natural tannins, lignins and fulvic acids. Will make the bubble nest stickier. Produced with natural ingredients. Recommended for fishes that prefer tannin stained black-water streams, the natural habitat of the Betta. Recommended for all fresh water fishes kept in small containers without filters, specially during transportation.
For a limited time until Oct. 15th, 2005 only: Buy all 4 Atison's products and get 10% off!!!

$ 3.50

mine is 6.2-6.5 range i forgot what it was on the test kit but i think it was 6.2 or 6.5

I decided to swing back by here for 10 seconds to post a bit of a warning.

If your bettas appear to be perfectly healthy and you are having no problems with them, PLLEEEEEEEEEASEE don't mess with your ph. I have watched a betta die within 30 seconds because of a pretty major ph swing (upon a STUPIDASS idea of mine to try a PUR water filter to fill up my tanks - VERY HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED). Anyway - after I put him back in his tank, he smacked his head on the glass wall in his tank, tried to jump out a few times, then shoved himself upside down in his plant and died. Right before my eyes. Within about 30 seconds' time.

so PLEASE - if you do decide to mess with your ph - DO IT VERY SLOWLY and KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON YOUR FISH, and THEN MAKE SURE THE PH ALWAYS MATCHES DURING WATER CHANGES. And please don't do it unless you're having problems.

any time that you make changes to your fish's environment you should do it slowly. you don't just plunge the fish in an environment he is not acclimated to.

when we were in process of moving, i tested our new water and found out it had a lower ph than what my fish were acclimated to. so one whole day of moving was to acclimate my bettas to the new water like they were new fish. they had no problem with it, but i did it very slowly. i also kept water from our old house on hand in case one did have a problem acclimating.

Exactly, and nowhere was that mentioned in this topic so I wanted to point it out.

I completely agree. I now work at Petco and had a lady come in last night and 3 of the 4 fish she bought had died within a day. When I tested her water, her pH was 8.4+ (the highest the test strips go) and her hardness was over 300. The pH at the store is 7.0. Now I'm sure she just tossed the fish in, which is definitely going to kill them. I'm sure BM will go into depth about her acclimation process if you ask her.

I would definitely get your water tested if you haven't yet. I'm lucky to have very soft tap water, but cursed that my stupid neighbors haven't chlorinated it in like 2 years... so we have a buildup of ammonia. Sucks a lot worse than pH.

I ordered some of that Atison's Betta Spa from the IBC shop thing... they said it was out of stock when I ordered, but as soon as they get it in I should be receiving some. I'll tell you guys how it is :)