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. Measuring how safe your tank water is for your goldfish, e.g., a low pH doesn’t indicate poor water quality, but it can indicate a dangerous problem for your goldfish.Monitoring the quality of your tank water.Ensuring your tank’s cycle hasn’t crashed.Taken together, water parameters is essential for: Each parameter is an indicator the health and water quality of your tank. “Water parameters” refers to specific chemical properties within your aquarium. What are Water Parameters? You are free to use this image, but please link back to for attribution. Let’s look at the most critical water parameter measurements for your goldfish. Armed with that knowledge, you can use water parameter measurements to maintain a healthy aquarium. To ensure your goldfish live long lives, you need to understand water parameters and how they work. The leading cause of illness and death in goldfish is poor water quality, so monitoring your water parameters is clearly extremely important to the health and wellness of your goldfish.
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