Alkaline levels very High

[EP13B]

Hey

well im having trouble with alkaline levels in my tank, and i cant get them down.

after discovering that the alkaline levels are off the scale i decided to test the tap water i used to fill the tank, i found that to is very high in alkaline.

its so bad even my plants are dieing, i have a good filter as well as an extra pump for bubbles.

can anyone suggest some methods to lower the alkaline quickly, as my fish aren't to happy at all!

cheers
Thanks in advance

 

[judcoynehunter]

have you any bog wood a ph corrector will work but i dont like to use them my water is also very alkaline i used peat fiber in my fliter for my discus to create acidic water also blackwater treatment

 

[EP13B]

nope no bog wood, my only option my be ph corrector

any other ideas or products?

cheers

 

[judcoynehunter]

use the ph corrector wisely as chemicaly changing water is very hazardous be carefull

 

[EP13B]

ok thanks alot

cheers

 

[confusedmanc]

hi,

i would try and steer away from chemical additives as it can be a bit dodgy getting the balance right, especially when you start doing water changes, i would go with the peat fibre - pack some into a nylon stocking, tie it shut, then rinse it thoroughly so all the loose bits come out (kinda unsightly if they start floating round the tank) then just add it into your filter housing andd monitor the pH levels, that should work


HTH

 

[tstenback]

How are the fish doing? If the only effect of the high alkalinity is that plants are dying, are you sure that it is the alkalinty that is causing the plant deaths. Plants will fade away for a variety of reasons such as light, growing method, nutrient deficiency, algae competition etc. If your fish are doing fine then i would not add chemicals to the water to adjust the KH. Doing this will put you in a situation where if you forget to add the chemical or add too much you could end up with PH problems in your tank. If you raise the KH the PH will also rise and if the KH drops the PH drops as well. so if you get on the chemical bandwagon you will have to use them regularly and pay for them regularly and be prepared for trouble if your schedule gets interrupted. JMO

 

[karrihug]

my plants don't do well when i have bubbles in the tank. i turned off my bubbler and the plants perked right up. i was told the bubbles forced all the co2 out of the water which the plants need to be healthy

 

[EP13B]

yeah i have also had a couple of fish die and the rest are a bit lazy, everything else seems fine, apart from the alkaline levels

 

[tstenback]

What are the other levels in your tank. Lazy fish usually indicates a water quality issue and if they are not at the surface trying to get air then i would look at ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a start. HTH