eh i dont even test the ph in my tanks i just wing it and theyve done fine. maybe cheap fish too i think the real problem would be fish munching down on the roots. or even i have these dumb frog things uhh african clawed frogs i think theyre called and the shit a bunch but they dont have teeth and i dont think they are capable of eating roots and i know from about two years of neglect that these frogs are invincable, they dont need light ph never bothered them and they only eat a few frog pellet things a day, i keep them in my aquarium cause they eat up the krill on the bottom before it rots and theyre shit helps build that beneficial bacteria base