Lost second fish

[Magnum Man]

have you used aquarium salt in that tank

 

[Country joe]

have you used aquarium salt in that tank

No,never

 

[Magnum Man]

Are you using House Softened water for the tank???... usually things like drift would will help lower Ph... but salt sneaking in from stones or as aquarium salt, or using house softened water will often raise the Ph...

 

[Essjay]

shop bought rock

Is the rock some form of calcium carbonate - for example limestone or tufa? If you can take a photo someone will be able to identify it.

 

[Colin_T]

Get a glass of tap water and leave it on the bench. Test the pH when you first do that and 24 hours later.

Take some gravel out of the tank and put it in a bucket of tap water. have a second bucket of tap water next to it. Monitor the pH over a few days. If it goes up, then the gravel is raising the pH. If the pH doesn't change, then put the gravel back in the tank and try other things. You will have to move one item out at a time and check the pH of the water in the bucket each day to see if something is affecting it.

Don't use an acid buffer until you have tested everything in the tank. If there is something in the tank raising the pH, adding an acid buffer will only drop the pH and then it will go back up again the next day, and that is bad for the fish (fluctuating pH).

 

[gwand]

My aquarium shops ph is 7, the manager said mine at 8 is to high, he said for me to test my tap water which I did and ph was 7, he says there must be something in my tank that causing it, and for a start to do 10% water changes every two days and see if that brings it down, then if that doesn't work to use waterline acid buffer ph 6.5 or 7.2
My aquarium has small pea gravel, shop bought, bog wood and shop bought rock, live plants, and the filter is filled with sponges and one box of juwel Cirax a biological filter medium, and that's it, so can't understand why 5 mins from me there ph is different.

Is there calcium carbonate in the rock or sand? That will increase pH. Sand from a beach is particularly good at raising pH since it has crushed coral.

 

[Country joe]

Is the rock some form of calcium carbonate - for example limestone or tufa? If you can take a photo someone will be able to identify it.

The rock is granite bought in aquarium shop as was the bogwood, yes I'm using tap water, I've tested it and it's ph7.

 

[Naughts]

Tap water tested after being sat in a clean glass for 24 hours often gives a different reading. The gases are dispersed and you get the true (often higher) reading.

 

[TC33]

Tap water tested after being sat in a clean glass for 24 hours often gives a different reading. The gases are dispersed and you get the true (often higher) reading.

Agree, my tap water reads 7 out the tap and 8 a day later. So its worth waiting before you test.

If it reads 7 after a day then I would guess something in your tank is altering the PH. In which case do as Colin suggests.

 

[Country joe]

Get a glass of tap water and leave it on the bench. Test the pH when you first do that and 24 hours later.

Take some gravel out of the tank and put it in a bucket of tap water. have a second bucket of tap water next to it. Monitor the pH over a few days. If it goes up, then the gravel is raising the pH. If the pH doesn't change, then put the gravel back in the tank and try other things. You will have to move one item out at a time and check the pH of the water in the bucket each day to see if something is affecting it.

Don't use an acid buffer until you have tested everything in the tank. If there is something in the tank raising the pH, adding an acid buffer will only drop the pH and then it will go back up again the next day, and that is bad for the fish (fluctuating pH).

I've started with the gravel tonight, then after the wood and last the rock.

 

[Fishfunn]

Hello:
How are you measuring your ammonia? I found test strips to be unreliable, and I have to use a liquid test kit for ammonia. A high pH can be an indication of ammonia present.

If you already know this procedure, then please disregard it.
The proper acclimation of new fish to a tank is very important for their immune system. After acclimating the water temperature in the holding bag to the tank water, add 1/2 cup of tank water into the holding bag every 10 minutes until it’s full. This ensures that no water parameter shock is done to the fish after release into their new tank water.

 

[Country joe]

If you already know this procedure, then please disregard it.
The proper acclimation of new fish to a tank is very important for their immune system. After acclimating the water temperature in the holding bag to the tank water, add 1/2 cup of tank water into the holding bag every 10 minutes until it’s full. This ensures that no water parameter shock is done to the fish after release into their new tank water.

Did thT

 

[Fishfunn]

Did thT

Hello:
How are you measuring your ammonia? I found test strips to be unreliable, and I have to use a liquid test kit for ammonia. A high pH can be an indication of ammonia present.

 

[Country joe]

I don't use strips my ammonia has been zero for 3 weeks.

 

[Fishfunn]

ilter is filled with sponges and one box of juwel Cirax a biological filter medium, and that's it, so can't understand why 5 mins from me there ph is different.

My two local fish stores that I do business with both use RO water mixtures in their aquariums. Are you sure your LFS does not do the same? I use a RO system to get the best water quality possible for my soft water and low pH fish.