New To the Sport

[Stubby]

I have recently started a small 5 gallon tank for the kids

Have live plants 2 tetra, and 4 neons

The take was up and runnign for 2 weeks before i added fish

MY ph seems to be very alkaline, and 8.5 or even 9

should i be worried

my ammonia is at 0.0 to 0.6
i understand that the water hardness may be keeping this down

should i be worried about my ph

and how the heck to i know when exactly the tank has " CYCLED"

thanks

J

 

[brookie]

any thing bove a 7.8 is bad. mine is even high at a 7.8 which is also bad at pet or aquarium stores they have ph down the ph level should be at about 7.4 i think

 

[Aienu]

I have a natural pH that is very alkaline for my area. You might want to buy some distilled water and use a 50/50 mixture (this was what was suggested when I was setting up my fry tank) and seems to be working so far. My pH is down to 7.2 But it was naturally 8.4--you might want to use a stronger mix since your pH is so high. Kind of a pain, but it works.

 

[Alien Anna]

Sometimes the pH of an uncycled tank stays very high, if your local tap water is very high. Quite honestly, you shouldn't be worrying so much about your pH as your ammonia level - ammonia is deadly poisonous to fish and it is possible they won't make it

For more information on cycling and new tanks in general, please follow the link in my sig and read all about it. It should give you the basics.

I also have to warn you that your tank is too small - although people imagine a small tank is good for a beginner, in fact they are very much more difficult to keep stable and the slightest problem can wipe out your fish. Tetras (and that includes neon tetras) are schooling fish and the minimum size of a school is considered to be 6-8 individuals. Since the rule-of-thumb is "1 inch of fish (not including tail) per US gallon of water", you are already fully stocked (depending on the species of "tetra" you have - the could grow to anything from 1" to 3" when adult).

Generally I'd say that a 10 gallon tank is the bare minimum for a permenant tank (except for a single betta tank or a hospital tank) but a 20 gallon isn't significantly more expensive and significantly easier to maintain.