Hi Some Advice On Ph Plz

[aaron11]

hi ya fellow fish keepers

My ph is at 6.2 its light blue just after yellow
I have the ph up and down and test stuff

I put 8 drops in, i dont know how much my tanks holds its sort of circular
I will phone the lady i got it off tomorrow and ask her

I have had it set up for about 3 months, for 3 weeks it was empty

Is this a problem if the ph is getting low?? it seems to have dropped i have an ammonia kitt given to me which i will get in the next day or so but it expired 3 months ago will it be ok they said it works ok as they tired it against a new one

I have 4 bristle nose cat fish
12 guppies
ten platties
ten neons andddddddddddd 2 babies already

What should I do
also do i wash the filter sponges in the tap water, I didnt know that was a no no till reading this forum
Should i wash the sponge out in the bucket of water i take out when i stone gravel

my tank is pretty heavly planted, thanks to the man who gave me half a bucket of plants

I dont want my fish to cark i love them and get so much enjoyment out of them
Any advice greatlful received

I changed water 20 percent every second day, and fish have been added slowly over 2 months
thanks

the ph in my other tank which has 25 ish guppies and 5 neons and 6 cat fish (all given to me for 60 cents each lol) is about 6.4 thank you

 

[Pleccy]

Never wash the media in tap water, chlorine and heavy metals (and also chloramines) are lethal to filter bacteria and this will cause an ammonia spike in the tank, which will spell trouble for the fish.

The best pH range for most tropical fish (there are exceptions so do your research before buying fish) is between 6.0 and 8.0, with 6.5 - 7.5 being best for the common community fish like guppies. What type of tank do you have and what are the dimensions? It's no good guessing when dosing chemicals as it could have serious consequences for the inhabitants. I don't use chemicals for altering the pH as they can do more harm than good in my opinion.

 

[waterdrop]

aaron11, Welcome the to TFF!

You've got a whole bunch of very standard beginner questions and problems. The members here are great and will get you up to speed on these things. Glad you've found a good place for info and I suggest you begin reading the "pinned" topics at the top of our forum while waiting for specific help here in your thread.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[aaron11]

HI ya luke thanks yes I just read that see someone who had fish for ten years on and off dont know !!!! not to wash a filter out in the tap I never knew that they dont tell you all these things at the pet shop !!!

I will get the literage off the lady today as I dont know how many it is coz its a curved thing dunno how to measure I phone her now ! hehe

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome Aaron. there is a link in my signature to fish-in cycling because your predicament is so common. It will give you the information you need to help your fish survive. If you drian the tank to about 2/3 full and refill it using measured gallon bottles or 2 litre bottles, you wioll soon get an idea of how much water your tank holds. It will also help you control any chemical build up that you are facing right now.