pH a little too low for my liking... how can I raise it?

[carligraceee]

Hey guys. So, I have a 11.5g with five fish in the tank. I do weekly water changes and test the water at least once a week.

These are the parameters as of last night.

pH: 7.0
ammonia: .1ppm (had a small ammonia spike, it is going down)
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrates: 2ppm
temp: 78 f

I need my pH around 7.6, how can I increase the pH naturally that won't harm livebearers? I heard baking soda works as well as crushed coral as substrate but I can't find that anywhere where I live. Will baking soda hurt my fish? Please give me some options that are safe for livebearers and fry. Thank you!

 

[hansgruber7]

I think your best bet is crushed coral. You should be able to order it online for not too much, can't you?

 

[Essjay]

What is the GH of the water? If that also needs to be increased for livebearers you can use Rift Lake salts, and that will increase GH, KH and pH.

 

[Byron]

As essjay noted, the GH is the real issue, as GH and KH are part of the pH issue. Baking soda is not a good buffering, and crushed coral does not add much in the way of actual mineral which is likely the real issue. If you can provide us with the GH, KH and pH of the tap water on its own we will know where to start. Also, what fish precisely?

 

[carligraceee]

As essjay noted, the GH is the real issue, as GH and KH are part of the pH issue. Baking soda is not a good buffering, and crushed coral does not add much in the way of actual mineral which is likely the real issue. If you can provide us with the GH, KH and pH of the tap water on its own we will know where to start. Also, what fish precisely?

What is the GH of the water? If that also needs to be increased for livebearers you can use Rift Lake salts, and that will increase GH, KH and pH.

I think your best bet is crushed coral. You should be able to order it online for not too much, can't you?

Hey guys thanks so much for your replies.

I am aware mollies need hard water but I haven't had any problems and I didn't think that I needed to fix anything... I am very wrong I am assuming lol

- GH is said to be soft to moderate hardness (2 to 8 grains per gallon is what my city's website says)
- It doesn't tell me the KH
- Four mollies (about a year old now) and one platy... plus several fry that will be transported soon to my LFS
- I also have several nirite snails-

 

[Essjay]

Your hardness is between 2 dH/ 34 ppm and 7.5 dH/137 ppm. Even if it's the highest in that range band, it is far too soft for mollies, which need 250 ppm minimum. Platies need over 200 ppm.

Rift Lake salts are the best option for raising both GH and pH. You do need to buy something to measure GH so that you know when you've added the right amount of the salts. Experiment adding it to a bucket of tap water, then when you have the right GH, use that amount for water changes in future. Each water change will increase the GH slightly until the tank water is finally at the right GH for the occupants.

Nerites will be fine in harder water.

 

[Byron]

Hey guys thanks so much for your replies.

I am aware mollies need hard water but I haven't had any problems and I didn't think that I needed to fix anything... I am very wrong I am assuming lol

- GH is said to be soft to moderate hardness (2 to 8 grains per gallon is what my city's website says)
- It doesn't tell me the KH
- Four mollies (about a year old now) and one platy... plus several fry that will be transported soon to my LFS
- I also have several nirite snails-

I will leave it for @Essjay to deal with the grains per gallon conversion as I always get it backwards or something, and she has a chemistry background. This would appear to be soft water however, so increasing GH/KH/pH is needed for healthy livebearers, especially mollies.

EDIT. Essjay cleared it up as I was typing, so there you are now.

 

[Essjay]

@Byron I cheat by using an on-line converter for hardness

 

[carligraceee]

Your hardness is between 2 dH/ 34 ppm and 7.5 dH/137 ppm. Even if it's the highest in that range band, it is far too soft for mollies, which need 250 ppm minimum. Platies need over 200 ppm.

Rift Lake salts are the best option for raising both GH and pH. You do need to buy something to measure GH so that you know when you've added the right amount of the salts. Experiment adding it to a bucket of tap water, then when you have the right GH, use that amount for water changes in future. Each water change will increase the GH slightly until the tank water is finally at the right GH for the occupants.

Nerites will be fine in harder water.

I also think I have some sneaky amano shrimps that gave birth awhile ago. I think they should be fine.

Where can I buy Rift Lake salts? I am in the US.
How can I test the GH? Are the testing strips okay for this?

 

[Essjay]

The best way is by using a liquid GH tester. Some strips only measure up to 180 ppm, and you need to be able to measure higher than this. Liquid testers don't work the same way as ammonia , pH etc. They work by adding drops one at a time, shaking after each drop, until the water changes colour. You count the number of drops this takes. With some brands, the number of drops = the GH in dH; with others you need to do a simple calculation.

This is an example of Rift Lake salts (the amounts they say to use are for the three lakes, you would need to get GH to 250 ppm or slightly higher)

Fritz Rift Lake Cichlid Salt

Fritz Rift Lake Cichlid Salt with ProBiotics is a Multi Lake Formula that helps simulate African Rift Lake chemistry.

fritzaquatics.com

 

[carligraceee]

The best way is by using a liquid GH tester. Some strips only measure up to 180 ppm, and you need to be able to measure higher than this. Liquid testers don't work the same way as ammonia , pH etc. They work by adding drops one at a time, shaking after each drop, until the water changes colour. You count the number of drops this takes. With some brands, the number of drops = the GH in dH; with others you need to do a simple calculation.

This is an example of Rift Lake salts (the amounts they say to use are for the three lakes, you would need to get GH to 250 ppm or slightly higher)

Fritz Rift Lake Cichlid Salt

Fritz Rift Lake Cichlid Salt with ProBiotics is a Multi Lake Formula that helps simulate African Rift Lake chemistry.

fritzaquatics.com

Where can I find liquid GH testers?

 

[Byron]

Where can I find liquid GH testers?

API has a liquid GH/KH test kit, there are likely other brands but this one seems widely available in NA. Online if not a local fish store.