High Ph Level

[Mr Short Radius]

Hi.
Im new to the fish tank hobby. I just set up a 55g freshwater tank and I have a pH of 8.2. This is the 6th day of cycling and I was wondering how I can reduce it. My brother lives near me and he had this problem but he fixed it with a water softener. Because Im renting and dont plan to stay here to much longer, thats not a logical option for me. Also, is it safe to tamper with the pH during the nitrogen cycle? Another thing, my ammonia level is at 1.00. Is that too dangerous for the fish? I have live plants in there too. They don't look all that great. I bought some gro-lux bulbs, and some plant ferts. Will that be enough? I know that it will depend on the species, but I don't know what they are. I'm also thinking that the high pH is having an effect on the plants. I would like to bring it down to about 7.0 or 7.2 I think. Thanks for any help that can be offered.

 

[seth]

When my tank first started it stayed in the 1 1.5 ammonia range so i would just do light water changes avaery day

 

[Stone Warior]

or buy some Sulfuric Acid to do it almost instantly its called "PH down"

 

[dwarfgourami]

A ph of 8.2 is not necessarily a disaster, unless you have set your heart on stocking with fish that really cannot adapt to alkaline water (e.g. rams, discus, neons, rummy noses). Most community fish would be ok, and livebearers in particular very happy with that. The risk with using ph down is that you might end up with a fluctuating ph, which could put more strain on your fish than one that remains steadily high. Anyway, ph can be higher during the cycle, so unless your fish demand it, I would leave well at the moment. For a gentle lowering of ph you can always add a bit of bogwood; it will only do a little, but is very gentle- and looks nice.

 

[geezer]

my ph was high in the beginning too but since I have added live plants it has decreased. (from 8 to 7.4)

 

[Mr Short Radius]

the tank is my daughter's tank, she is pretty set on neons. Also, live plants are a must. I read that plants like a somewhat lower pH. The pH is now at 8.0. I've been thinking of getting some kind of a portable type of water softener just for the fish tank. Or is there some kind of filter that can soften the water?