Acidic pH

[noelberg]

I think the big question that remains, Petsmart chick, is what IS your pH?

Lots of good posts on this thread, but I'd like to know if you have a problem or if we're making mountains out of molehills

 

[PETsMARTchick]

I don't have a test kit. I just test my water at work because it's free. So...when I go to work on Friday I'll test the water and get back to you. Til then, all I know is that the test strip is a yellowish orange color and the chart says it's acidic. I'll give you the exact number Friday night. Thanx for your help!!!!

 

[rollntider]

also pet smart sells these fizzy tabs by jungle that makes your ph 7.0, it is called correct PH also aqurium phamacuticals called proper PH i use these and my PH is also between 6.8 to 7.2 . I used to use baking soda all the time but i got tired of having to calculate how much after water changes, the proper PH / correct PH does the guess work for me....

 

[pete28]

what made you decide to add the spring water? just wondering if it was becasue you thought it was cleaner than your tap or had a different ph level. Most of that water has been processed andmost likely will not contain any natural elements in it to help out your tank in any way. as far as adding chemicals to change your ph i would recommend against it. if the fish are happy and there is no disease or anything in the tank i would say leave it alone. if you are really concerned however i would check the ph weekly and if it still lowere than you would like proceed from there. also waste products overfeeding can definitely contribute to the ph level becoming acidic because of the production of ammonia and nitrite

 

[Bangin]

I'm with pete28 on this. You should use your regular tap water, instead of using spring water. I learned to not use any chemical buffers, especially the ph up & down (those with phosphate), because of the algae breakout they caused.

 

[silver]

Petsmartchick........I thought you wanted to RAISE you PH But Sky042 said that the Baking soda LOWERED the PH and you asked where you could get it............I thought you wanted your PH raised not lowered

(( confused ))

 

[PETsMARTchick]

Petsmartchick........I thought you wanted to RAISE you PH But Sky042 said that the Baking soda LOWERED the PH and you asked where you could get it............I thought you wanted your PH raised not lowered

(( confused ))

Sky042 said the pH lowered and baking soda fixed it.

 

[Sky042]

Petsmartchick........I thought you wanted to RAISE you PH But Sky042 said that the Baking soda LOWERED the PH and you asked where you could get it............I thought you wanted your PH raised not lowered

(( confused ))

I said my PH and KH have been falling drastically because of the fishless cycle. I used sodium bicarbonate to raise my PH back up and also restored some KH.

 

[PETsMARTchick]

So I finally tested my water. Here are the results:

pH: 6.2 (Acidic!)
Chlorine/Chloramine: 0
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: .5
Alkalinity(kH): 120
Hardness(gH): 75(soft)
Ammonia: .25

Keep in mind my tank is still cycling. It's only been set up for about 2 1/2 months. So my pH is bad right? What should I do(now that I have the results)? Thanks for the help!

 

[Sky042]

So I finally tested my water. Here are the results:

pH: 6.2 (Acidic!)
Chlorine/Chloramine: 0
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: .5
Alkalinity(kH): 120
Hardness(gH): 75(soft)
Ammonia: .25

Keep in mind my tank is still cycling. It's only been set up for about 2 1/2 months. So my pH is bad right? What should I do(now that I have the results)? Thanks for the help!

soft acidic water. I'd love to have that. neons/cardinals, Discus, freshwater stingrays' and hordes of other nice fun fish. you could simply add a little baking soda to bring it up a notch if you want to.

 

[PETsMARTchick]

So I finally tested my water. Here are the results:

pH: 6.2 (Acidic!)
Chlorine/Chloramine: 0
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: .5
Alkalinity(kH): 120
Hardness(gH): 75(soft)
Ammonia: .25

Keep in mind my tank is still cycling. It's only been set up for about 2 1/2 months. So my pH is bad right? What should I do(now that I have the results)? Thanks for the help!

soft acidic water. I'd love to have that. neons/cardinals, Discus, freshwater stingrays' and hordes of other nice fun fish. you could simply add a little baking soda to bring it up a notch if you want to.

Neon Tetras like a low pH? Maybe that's why mine have been doing suprisingly well.

 

[Bol]

Could you get the same tests run on your tap water?

 

[leanne]

Forget the pH, I'd be more concerned about the ammonia level if you have fish in there. A suboptimal pH that is constant is better for your fish than trying to bring it up. Bringing it up will cause the fish stress every thime you alter it. I'd say just leave it as it is and allow it to come up gradually as you do your water changes with tap water.

 

[PETsMARTchick]

Could you get the same tests run on your tap water?

I can get my tap water tested in a week. I know the ph of my tap water is higher than 7.0.

 

[Sky042]

Could you get the same tests run on your tap water?

I can get my tap water tested in a week. I know the ph of my tap water is higher than 7.0.

if thats the case you need to know whats causing your PH to drop. Unless you added so many chemicals when you were trying to get to 7.0 that now the water is plunging downward.