Messed up water?

[Bo Sox Fan]

Good Afternoon-
I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank which has 4 endlers livebearers, 3 gold barbs and a blue gourami in it. All the fish appeared healthy up until this morning. Water tests showed that the pH was high and I put in some pH Down and changed about 1/4 of the water. I also checked the ammonia and nitrite levels which were both normal. One of two female endlers died shortly afterwards and the other fish seem to be swimming in strange pattern. For example the gold barbs are huddled up in the extreme upper back corner of the tank and the endlers are huddled on the bottom. Do you have any ideas as to what this could be? Thanks for your help!

 

[Dragonslair]

It is always sad to hear of fish dying.
Can you tell me how "old" was the water in your tank, before you changed it, and is the Ph in your area normally high?
How many points did you try and bring down the Ph by? What type of filration are you using. You say the Ammonia/Nitrite levels were normal. Normal to what?
To give you an indication of what maybe wrong you need to answer these basic questions. I assure you they are very relevant to giving you an answer.

 

[Alien Anna]

Sounds like pH shock to me. I really think that blasted pH Down stuff should be banned - I'm sure it's killed more fish than its ever helped.

Why did you use it? Did you have a problem in your tank before? Personally, I'd do another 20% w/c with plain old dechlorinated tap-water and try to raise the pH a little back to what it was.

I have some 6 year old cardinal tetras who have spent most of their life in pH 8 water, without any apparent ill effects, despite originating from a place with pH 5. I know people round here who keep angelfish, and even manage to breed them, at high pH's, whatever the books say.

Do what I do - put some bogwood in your tank. Slowly and steadily it will lower your pH a little and soften your water, without any fatalities.

Sorry about your fish.

 

[Bo Sox Fan]

The pH was at least 7.8, maybe higher, and the ammonia and nitrite were 0. THe water in the tank was last changed about 2 weeks before. Thanks

 

[lordmoose]

Sounds like pH shock to me. I really think that blasted pH Down stuff should be banned - I'm sure it's killed more fish than its ever helped.

Well said AA.

 

[sandyd]

Hello, you said that your Ammonia and NitrItes are 0, do you know what your nitrAtes are? When a tank cycles, it goes from ammonia to nitrItes to nitrAtes. If your nitrAtes are high, that will also affect your fish. As for your PH, I am not sure what your fish need, but i also thin the ph up and down do more harm than good. I think most types of fish can adjust to a different ph then their norm, and i think that a stable ph is better for them, then one that has to be chemcially maintained. I have lost many fish by using the ph up and ph down, i may be wrong, but my fish have all adjusted to my ph and are very happy that i am no longer adjusting it with chemicals. Good luck Sandy

 

[mrV]

I wouldn't use any pH buffers, or pH down -products. But if you use, you should lower pH just by degrees. Too quick change means trouble. pH is logarithmical funkction which means that

1 degree change means 10 times difference in acidity.
2 degrees -> 100 times
3 dergees -> 1000 times

So changing pH, e.g., from 7,8 to 6,4 means, you changed acidity 25 times lower. Changin pH from 8,5 to 6,7 means the acidity changed 63 times lower.

Safety way lower pH is to add CO2. H2CO3 is a weak acid (Ka = 4,3 * 10^-7 mol/l). When pH < 8,0 only 1/400 of CO2 changes H2CO3.

And when using CO2, it's good fertilizer to plants, but you have to check pH and KH too, then check from some pH-KH-CO2 table, if there is too much CO2 or not. Those tables you find from internet, e.g. www.dennerle.de

Another way is use turf as a filter-material. Add un(?)-fertilized (turf without any fertilizers) into some porous bag (e.g. pantyhose) and put it into your external filter. Turf must be changed at times.

 

[Mogo]

mrV,

You use the panty hose as well Why spend the $3 for one filter media bag, when I can make about 50 from a pair of $2 stockings!!!

 

[mrV]

You use the panty hose as well

Nope, I don't use them, but my aquarium does

It's a cheap way to make some porours bag. But because I don't feel it very... hmm... comfortable to buy panty hose from store, I ask some of my friend to buy them to me B) (uncoloured ones)

 

[Mogo]

I think you do use them

Kind of takes me back to dying green tights, for a Halloween costume a few years back. It was a two person costume, and although I think I looked okay in the green tights, the full grown adult male counterpart of the costume looked....well...need I say more