Bringing Ph Down

[Soliquid]

So, I invested in a test kit today that's got the whole deal - it tests for pH (regular and high range), nitrite, nitrate, ammonia.

I did the test and here are the results:

pH 7.8+
Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia 0

The tank has been cycling for about two weeks now, with 30% water changes every day. I was surprised by the 0 readings and did the test twice just to be sure.

I am alarmed by the high pH! I got myself a bag of pH down powder, and added a huge tablespoon of it during my water change. I then tested the water again, and got 7.4.

Now, I am told that my local water here is quite alkaline, so that explains why my fish (tetras and bristlenose algae eater) has been struggling to survive.. But this is proving quite difficult. I believe that I need a pH of about 6.5-6.8 for tropical fish, right? Do i have to keep heaping on this pH powder until I get the right readings?

I also dumped half a bottle of live bacteria (Stress Zyme - Biological Filtration Booster) into the tank - I hope that will help also.

The tank currently has 3 surviving tetras, no bristle nose, two little plants, two bits of driftwood (one which refuses to sink after two weeks!), pebbles of course and not much else. I originally intended to go to my LFS to stock up on fish. Is this a bad idea given what I have just seen?

Does anyone have any tips on how to get my pH right? I am in a quandry at the moment!

 

[funkyhoney]

So, I invested in a test kit today that's got the whole deal - it tests for pH (regular and high range), nitrite, nitrate, ammonia.

I did the test and here are the results:

pH 7.8+
Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia 0

The tank has been cycling for about two weeks now, with 30% water changes every day. I was surprised by the 0 readings and did the test twice just to be sure.

I am alarmed by the high pH! I got myself a bag of pH down powder, and added a huge tablespoon of it during my water change. I then tested the water again, and got 7.4.

Now, I am told that my local water here is quite alkaline, so that explains why my fish (tetras and bristlenose algae eater) has been struggling to survive.. But this is proving quite difficult. I believe that I need a pH of about 6.5-6.8 for tropical fish, right? Do i have to keep heaping on this pH powder until I get the right readings?

I also dumped half a bottle of live bacteria (Stress Zyme - Biological Filtration Booster) into the tank - I hope that will help also.

The tank currently has 3 surviving tetras, no bristle nose, two little plants, two bits of driftwood (one which refuses to sink after two weeks!), pebbles of course and not much else. I originally intended to go to my LFS to stock up on fish. Is this a bad idea given what I have just seen?

Does anyone have any tips on how to get my pH right? I am in a quandry at the moment!

The way I read this is that you've only had the tank going for 2 weeks and already have several fish in there?

If that's the case the tank will not be cycled yet and would explain why your fish have been dying, the water changes would help to remove the ammonia but wouldn't exactly leave a stable environment in there for any fish. You should really wait until the tank stabilises until you put fish in, and the stress zyme won't work very well if you're doing large water changes every day.

With the whole fluctuating PH issue, you're best to try and lower it with some bogwood maybe, but having the PH sit at 7.4 would be better than trying to lower it every single time you do a water change as that will cause some pretty big fluctuations.

What you have to do is ease up on the water changes, probably doing 15-20% every second day so you're not syphoning out all your stress zyme and water you've already lowered the PH of; in time the tank will stabilise, but don't add any more fish until then!

 

[Underwurlde]

Cycling will cause pH to swing a lot. Fiddling with pH is a bad idea (unless you are manic enough to want to get it just right & start off with RO water). I would not say a pH of 7.8 is particularly high, but it is getting there....

Andy

 

[Soliquid]

so when you say 'stabilised', do you mean a sustainable bacteria colony?

Seeing that my ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are barely registering, should I dump more enzymes into the tank and not cycle at all for about a week, just to allow the bacteria to fester a little?

The pH will never go down I don't think, given that the tap water is also reading 7.4 according to my test. This means that I need to add lower pH powder every time i do a water change?

 

[backtotropical]

Hi,

Just to re-iterate, you are better to have a steady PH rather than a fluctuating PH because you are constantly trying to change it. Do not use PH adjusting powders, as these will almost definitely cause these unwanted fluctuations, especially when doing water changes.

If you want to lower your PH naturally, try adding some bogwood. This will lower the PH (probably quite slowly which is what you want) and will keep it stable, unlike Ph adjusting powders.

Are you sure you done the nitrate test properly. I have never heard of anyone (other than heavily planted tanks and even then not often) who has 0 nitrate. i am also surprised that ammonia and nitrite are both 0 if you have been cycling the tank with fish for 2 weeks. What filtration are you using?

You could cut back on water changes but you need to keep an eye on your water parameters if you do. Ammonia and Nitrite must stay below 0.25 if your fish are to survive and keep nitrate below 100.

A PH of 7.8 is fine for 99.9% of fish so long as it is stable.

To summarise, keep PH stable and ammonia and nitrite below 0.25 and nitrate below 100 by doing water changes.

If you can do this, you will be fine. Don't buy any more fish until your tank is cycled. It would lead to disaster.

Also, are you using dechlorinator?

Hope this helps.

Backtotropical

 

[dwarfgourami]

My local tap water has a ph of between 8 and 8.4, yet I have successfully bred and raised successive batches of bristlenoses (sold the last lot yesterday); they don't mind alkaline water at all. Tetras might, that would depend more on the species. But as others have already said, the reason for your problems is more likely to be the fact that the tank is new and unsettled.

 

[Soliquid]

I guess my tank needs more time for bacteria to grow. I don't use a dechlorinator, because I thought that using it will also remove ammonia which is needed by the bacteria to feed on?

I notice also that i don't have any algae growing.. I think I should keep cycling then. For the first week I didn't change the water at all, thats when it started getting murky and I started with the water changes. This second week I got a bit paranoid about the murky water so I have been doing ~ 40% water change every day. It's a bit too much, hey?

 

[dwarfgourami]

No, you're fine to use dechlorinator, it won't remove the ammonia. And tbh if you are cycling with fish, you do need to remove excessive ammonia by water changes, the bacteria will grow on what's left.