Ph In My Loach Tank- I Think Its Too Low

[shelaghfishface]

hia i have clown loach in a 4ft tank,lots of common aquaria plants that they seem to enyoy scoffing,and 1 large pretend rock,with hidy holes (( they have lots of free room) also hace 2 large air stones at the back of the tank

what is absolutley crucial to keep an eye on???

ammonia-0
nitrate is 10
nitrite is 0
PH is 6.8
temp is 76-78

they have 1 common plec in there and a siamese fighting fish,all my tanks have this PH but i was wondering if it needs to be higher with the loaches in there, i have aquarium salt,but nervous about putting it in there,as its not good with loaches " so i have read"
so basically should i be worried about the ph or concentrate on the temprature,

ps they were moved into this tank yesterday,as the2 i had are getting bigger and i also got 2 more a bit bigger again ( about 3 inches)
also do i need to do lots of water changes on the tank, or is it a once a week job?

i had 4 clown loaches once before that i got off ebay,they all died within 2 weeks of whitespot,not sure weather they arrived with it or weather i caused it, i treated them in half doses, but they didnt make it..
so you can understand why i want everything to be perfect for these guys

your experienced input would be very warmley welcomed

shelagh xxxxxx

 

[Lateral Line]

Your tank stats sound fine. Slightly acidic, low nitrogen, high Oxygen.

You certainly don't want to add salt. All the fish you have in there are freshwater fish. Freshwater fish evolved without salt. Some can tolerate salt pollution better then others, but in the end, the salt causes the kidney to work harder, and generally results in premature failure leading to the death of the fish.

Assuming the tank is cycled somehow, there should be no need for more frequent water changes.

 

[rossyt99]

Agree with LateralL.
>I have some C.Loaches in with PH6.5 and are thriving!

(Do yours burrow in sand/ make click noises at night??)

 

[shelaghfishface]

thanks for that, i wont add the salt, if no need, i was just worried about the ph and the pack of salt says that it can buffer this, but a t the same time worried as you say about them being fw and not needing it so thankyou, the tank was cycled about 5 months ago, but recently stripped down to clean and change after the others died,but the filter was put into another tank and kept running all the time, i am keeping my eye on the water tho,tests,and weekley water changes

no ROSSY i havent seen then burrowing in the gravel, but they do move it about quite a bit,and the plants have taken a beating,but as long as they are happy and healthy
and i havent heard them clicking yet either, but mine is a very noisy house so maybe i wont for a while yet, have heard lots about it and would love to hear it one day tho

 

[mikev]

Supporting pH with salt? This is a new one... One uses *soda* for buffering, and only when needed.
Anyway, don't use salt, the *only* use for salt is as a temporary medication in a few very special cases (Ich is one, btw).
If you want to play this safe, check your kH too. If it is low and you don't buffer, you may have a pH crash eventually.

As LL said, your parameters are fine. Your temp is on the low end of what clowns need, so if it raises a bit in summer (say up to 82F) it is still ok...

As for Ich: it comes with the fish and it is *very common* with clowns. To play this safe, watch the fish for ich very carefully for up to 3 weeks, and best have a good ich med on hand just in case you need it. If you do happen to get an ich breakout, treating quickly is essential.

Good Luck!

 

[loachman]

Slightly acidic is good for loaches, as is softer water. It mimics their natural habitat well. Good aeration is a must.

However, I've not had any trouble with keeping them in hard water with a pH closer to 8.0. Most freshwater fish are pretty adaptable to anything in the 6.0-8.0 pH range as long as it's stable.

 

[shelaghfishface]

oh thanx everyone, now i feel better, i am watching them like like a hawk for signs of ich,but fingers crossed ill be wasting my time X

while were on the subject can you recomend a good ich treatment, just incase, i think i used interpet anti white spot last time, as the pic on the front was clown loaches, but if anything more suited to them would love to knw about it

shelagh xxx