How to Use Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) for a Fish Aquarium

Keeping your fish healthy not only involves a good diet and clean tank, but also requires that you monitor the aquarium water. Balance the pH and water hardness with baking soda and a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Baking soda
  • pH test paper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add 1 tsp. of baking soda for every 5 gallons of water in the aquarium. This will help level the pH of the aquarium.

    • 2

      Use soft or treated water to ensure that your aquarium does not have water hardness. Collect rain water or purchase treated water and fill the aquarium with the new water.

    • 3

      Test the pH to be sure that you have achieved the desired effect. Take a sample of the aquarium water in a plastic cup and insert a pH test strip into it for several seconds. The test strip will turn either red, blue or somewhere in between. Consult your color chart to see what the result is. The desired pH is around 7 (which is neutral), give or take 0.5 points.