Ideal pH Level For Betta Fish? (Betta Fish Ideal Water Parameters)

Bettas are easy to take care of fish and are also a good option for beginners and experienced aquarists. Their colorful fin and excellent personalities attract many fish owners to have them as their pets.

When you provide them with their ideal living conditions, they will thrive. So, knowing a betta fish’s ideal water parameters is crucial to keep them happy and comfortable. This article will discuss the ideal pH level for betta fish. So, let us find out.

Betta fish’s ideal pH level is between 6.5 and 8. You can use a digital meter or a chemical test kit to measure the pH level. Adding baking soda and seashells will help raise the pH, and adding driftwood and aquatic plants will help lower the pH of your betta fish tank.

This article will discuss the ideal pH requirement of a betta fish. Also, we will discuss how to increase and decrease the pH level. So, let us get into it.

What should be the ideal pH for betta fish?

The ideal pH level of your betta fish should be 7.

The main factor to consider here is to provide your betta fish with a consistent ph level.

Your betta fish will thrive between the water pH between 6.5 and 8.

Inadequate water pH level can make your betta fish suffer and make them come under pH shock.

Your betta fish can even pass away instantly because of pH shock.

So, it is necessary to provide your betta fish with an adequate and stable pH level.

Ensure all these things to keep your betta fish tank pH level stable and in the ideal range:

1. Clean the tank and filter regularly.
2. Remove dead and decaying plants and fish from the tank.
3. Add an air pump to your betta fish tank.

Clean the tank and filter

Cleaning the tank and filter is something we should always do to ensure ideal living conditions.

Also, keeping it clean will keep the pH level at its ideal range.

Perform a regular water change of at least 30% and clean the filter regularly every month to ensure clean water conditions.

Cleaning the gravel and performing a water change will eliminate excess waste and food, preventing your betta tank water from becoming more acidic or alkaline.

Also, remove algae from the tank and clean the decorations regularly.

Remove dead plants and fish.

You should remove all the dead and decaying plants, fish, and invertebrates from the tank as soon as you see them. 

Dead fish, plants, and invertebrates will spike the ammonia level of your tank, increasing the pH level.

Add an air pump

Adding an air pump is also the best way to maintain the pH level of the tank.

More oxygen will be in the tank; the pH will stand in its ideal range.

Adding an air pump with a bubbler will ensure enough oxygen in the tank.

Betta fish ideal water parameters requirements

Bettas are easy to take care of but can suffer from life-threatening conditions when living in inadequate water parameters.

Providing your betta fish with ideal water parameters and stable water temperature will ensure their faster growth and development.

Particulars	Betta Fish Requirement
Water temperature	Between 75-82 °F
Water pH level	Between 6.5 and 8
Water TDS level	Between 200-400ppm
Ammonia	0ppm
Nitrite	0ppm
Nitrate	Below 20ppm

Maintain the water temperature between 75-82 °F.

The water pH level should be between 6.5 and 8.

The water TDS level of your betta fish tank should be between 200-400ppm.

Consider adding a heater to your betta fish tank, as they require a heated tank.

Keep a regular check on ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and maintain ammonia and nitrite at 0 ppm, whereas nitrate should be below 20 ppm.

Also read: What Is The Ideal pH For Freshwater Aquarium?

How inadequate pH level will affect betta fish?

Bettas are known to be hardy fish that are easy to take care of, but living in inadequate water parameters, they will suffer.

Even a slight change in water parameters can make your betta fish suffer from a life-threatening condition.

Let us discuss the issues our bettas can go through with too high and too low pH levels.

Issue betta will face due to too high pH level.

A too-high pH level can affect your betta fish critically.

It will damage their skin, eyes, and gills.

Also, they will be unable to excrete their metabolic waste, resulting in a toxic build-up within their bodies.

All these issues can even make your betta fish pass away.

However, your betta fish can live at a pH that is not too high, but keeping them in their ideal range is crucial.

Also read: Why Is My Betta Fish Not Active?

Issue betta will face due to too low pH level.

Too low a pH level will also make your betta fish suffer from critical conditions.

Your betta fish’s reproductive cycle will be affected due to too low a pH level.

It is also possible that they even stop breeding altogether.

Also, in the worst case, they will start producing a lot of mucus, clogging their gills, and they will suffer breathing.

Your betta fish will come under high-level stress due to inadequate and unstable water pH levels.

How can we measure the pH level of a fish tank?

Now that we are familiar with the issues that your betta fish will suffer from because of inadequate pH levels, it is necessary to know how we can measure the pH level of a fish tank.

There are two best ways to measure the pH level of your betta’s tank, one is a digital pH meter, and the second is a test kit.

The digital pH meter will tell you the accurate pH of your betta fish tank. 

The test kit will also show an accurate result, but less than the digital pH meter.

We recommend using the VIVOSUN pH and TDS meter as it will show you the accurate result. 

You can buy this product at amazon: VIVOSUN pH and TDS meter.

If you prefer a test kit for measuring the pH level of your betta fish tank, we recommend using the API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT, as it will help you measure the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate of your betta fish tank.

You can buy it from amazon: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT. 

You will find instructions on how to use it for the test kit and digital meter in the box. 

How to increase the pH level of my betta fish?

After measuring the pH level of the betta fish tank, we have to adjust it according to its ideal range.

Now, you have to increase or decrease the pH level of your betta fish tank.

To increase the pH level of your betta fish tank, you can do all these things:

1. Use baking soda.
2. Add seashells to your betta fish tank.
3. Remove driftwood from the tank if any is present.
4. Change the substrate of your betta fish tank.

Baking soda

Adding baking soda to your betta fish tank will help you increase the pH level of the tank.

Baking soda will make the water much more alkaline, which will elevate the pH level of your betta fish tank.

Consider using a teaspoon to pour the baking soda into your tank, as directly adding it from the sachet will mistakenly result in too much baking soda, making the pH very high.

Add the baking soda according to the pH level you want to achieve.

Add one teaspoon of baking soda for every 5 gallons of water.

Regularly check the pH level and continue adding baking soda until you reach your desired pH level.

When adding baking soda, remove all the fish and invertebrates from the tank.

You can add them back after 30 minutes once the baking soda has been dissolved in the water.

Add seashells

Adding seashells to your betta’s tank will help increase the pH level.

Seashells contain carbonates which help in increasing the pH level.

It will submerge in the water and will slowly increase the pH level.

You can buy seashells from any pet or craft store. 

Rinse it in warm water before placing it in your betta fish tank.

Add two seashells per gallon of water to your betta fish tank.

Make sure not to use any seashells that have paint in them.

Also, removing fish or other invertebrates while adding seashells is unnecessary, as it is completely safe for them.

Also read: Can I Put Seashells In My Fish Tank?

Remove driftwood

Removing driftwood from your betta fish tank will help increase the pH level of the tank.

Driftwood produces tannic acid, which lowers the pH level of the tank.

So, removing the driftwood will increase the pH level of the tank.

Change substrate

Gravel and stone are the common substrate aquarist use as the substrate of their tank.

A substrate is a base we prepare for our fish in the aquarium.

Using crushed coral and limestone instead of gravel and stone will help you increase the pH level of the tank.

You will easily find crushed coral and limestone in any pet store.

Consider making a 1-inch thick base as a substrate for your betta tank.

Also, when you change the substrate, the water will get polluted, so consider separating your fish and invertebrates from the tank for some time.

You can add them to their home aquarium once the water clears.

How to decrease the pH level of my betta fish?

We have discussed how to increase a fish tank’s pH level. Now let us discuss how we can lower the pH level of the fish tank.

All these things will help you to lower the pH level of your betta fish tank:

1. Add driftwood to your betta fish tank.
2. Add plenty of live aquatic plants to your betta fish tank.
3. Add peat moss to your betta fish tank.

Add driftwood

Adding driftwood to your betta fish tank will help lower the pH level.

As discussed above, driftwood produces tannic acid, which lowers the pH level of the tank.

Also, adding driftwood to a tank is a common way of lowering the pH level naturally.

There are some things you have to consider when adding driftwood to your betta fish tank:

1. Buy driftwood specially made for aquariums as it will contain no preservations and chemicals that can harm your fish.
2. Soak the driftwood in the water container for 2-3 hours before adding it to your betta tank, as it will help you eliminate any leftover dirt and debris.

Add aquatic plants

Adding aquatic plants to your betta fish tank will also help you lower the pH level of the tank.

We all know that plants consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen in the daytime.

This process gets reversed at nighttime; at night, plants consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide makes the water acidic, lowering the pH level.

There is nothing to worry about for too low a pH level, as plants will keep the pH level at the ideal stage.

Add peat moss

Adding peat moss the another best and most natural way of lowering the pH level of your betta fish tank.

Consider getting peat moss made for aquariums, as it will be free of chemicals.

Also, soak the peat moss in water for 3-4 days before adding it to your betta fish tank. 

Not soaking it for 3-4 days and adding it directly to your betta tank will end up making the water brown and yellow.

Also, consider putting the peat moss into a bag and then adding it to your betta tank, as adding it directly will result in peat moss floating in the aquarium.

Conclusion:

The ideal pH range of your betta fish is between 6.5 and 8.

pH levels higher or lower than these ranges will make your betta fish uncomfortable, and they can suffer from critical conditions.

Consider using a digital pH meter or master test kit to measure the pH of your betta fish tank.

You can reach a higher pH level by adding baking soda, seashells, removing driftwood, and adding corals and limestone as substrate.

For low pH levels, you can add driftwood, aquatic plants, and peat moss to your betta fish tank.

Ensure removing dead plants and fish, keep the tank clean, and perform regular water changes to keep the pH stable and in its ideal range.

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Reference: ResearchGate, Wikipedia