Ph Too High...
- Thread starter ojo
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drobbyb
Bowhead
Have you tested your tap water?
Truck
UKAPS
any rocks in the tank?
drobbyb
Bowhead
Ok that means that something in the tank is driving it up (or possibly co2 in the water, but doubtful with a change that big). If I were you I would test the substrate and all ornaments (rocks, decorations, etc) with a drop of vinegar If it fizzes, then it is contributing to your raising pH.
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ojo
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yes i have a beautiful sandstone cave.... your going to say thats my problem arnt you. ill take it out.
is there anything i could coat it in?
drobbyb
Bowhead
I would test it. Just put a drop of vinegar on it or set it in a bucket of tap water for a few days then test the pH of the water in the bucket.
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ojo
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Truck
UKAPS
gravel, is it crushed coral or aragonite sand?
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ojo
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not sure, think it aragonite sand, coud be wrong though.
i also have bogwood, is that ok?
i did vinegar test on sandstone it didnt fizz, dose it have to be dry to test?
drobbyb
Bowhead
I think sandstone is ok, but I am not 100% on that. Ideally it should be dry, but I think wet you would still see some sort of reaction. Try putting it in a bucket with water and see if it changes the pH over a couple days. Do the same with a cupful of the sand.
Bogwood would lower your pH so I doubt that's the problem.
Bogwood would lower your pH so I doubt that's the problem.
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ojo
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that sounds like a great idea, ill do that with both rock and sand seperatly, will post my results in couple of days. cheers.
discus_lover
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Ways to Raise Your pH
As stated above, it is generally a better idea to acclimate your fish to the pH of your water than to adjust your water to suit the pH preference of your fish. However, some people still like to match the natural environment as close as possible or have a pH that is way outside the range that is acceptable to their specific species. If this is the case, there are several methods you can use to raise your pH.
● Water Changes – Over time, the pH in your aquarium will drop. The most effective method to raise it back up to the level of your tap water is to simply perform regular water changes. If you do not regularly do water changes, you may need to do several smaller ones (each separated by 24 hours) so that you do not shock the fish by making them go from a low pH to a high one immediately.
Vacuuming all of the uneaten food and waste will also help to counter the tendency for the pH to drop over time.
● Rocks or substrate - Add some rock work or substrate to the aquarium that has the effect of raising the pH. For example, crushed coral is used as the substrate in many African cichlid tanks (African cichlids prefer a high pH). Limestone and petrified coral will also do the trick. If you do not want to add these rocks to your aquascaping, you can add a bag of crushed coral to your filter or hide some of these rocks behind the rocks you do want to showcase. For example, I have an African cichlid tank that uses lace rock for the caves and I hide petrified coral pieces behind my rock wall.
Read the article on the site entitled Adding Rocks and Wood to Your Freshwater Aquarium for more information on which rocks will raise your pH.
● Aeration – Increasing the oxygen concentration in your water will serve to drive down the carbon dioxide concentration. As discussed above, less carbon dioxide translates to a higher pH. Therefore, you can increase the aeration in the tank to raise the pH. To read about aerating your aquarium, reference the article entitled Properly Aerating your Aquarium in the article section of this website.
● Baking soda – Adding baking soda will raise the pH, but remember that this will need to be constantly added (you cannot just add it once and forget about it). You also need to be careful not to add too much at one time and cause a severe spike as this could kill your fish. It is best to gradually adjust the pH if you decide it must be adjusted. A general rule is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons. Dissolve the baking soda in some water before adding it to the tank. Also remember that the above ratio of 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons is just a rule of thumb. For your specific case, take it slowly so you do not shock or kill your fish.
● Shells – Adding shells to your aquarium will raise the pH.
● Removing Anything that May be Lowering the pH – Below is a list of ways to lower the pH in your aquarium. Study this list to see if you are accidently using any of these methods and getting a low pH as a result. For example, maybe you placed a piece of drift wood in your tank without realizing it would lower the pH. If this is causing you problems, remove the drift wood.
● Chemicals – There are several commercial buffers currently available on the market. However, these are generally not recommended as they can lead to large spikes in your pH and usually only serve as a temporary fix. They will not in general, maintain the pH in your aquarium. However, if you have tried everything else and nothing is working, the buffers may do the trick.
Ways to Lower Your pH
Lowering the pH is often more difficult than raising it. There are some methods you can try though.
● Filter Through Peat Moss – Filtering through peat moss is the most effective way to lower your pH. Some people also use peat moss in their substrate for the same effect.
● Add Carbon Dioxide – As we have talked about multiple times, increasing the carbon dioxide in your tank lowers the pH. Therefore, pumping in more carbon dioxide would result in a lower pH.
● Add Wood – Many types of driftwoods will lower the pH. To read more about using wood in your aquarium read the article on this site entitled Adding Rocks and Wood to Your Freshwater Aquarium.
● Chemicals – There are many products on the market today that will lower your pH. However, just like the chemicals that raise the pH, these pH lowering compounds do not maintain a stable pH
As stated above, it is generally a better idea to acclimate your fish to the pH of your water than to adjust your water to suit the pH preference of your fish. However, some people still like to match the natural environment as close as possible or have a pH that is way outside the range that is acceptable to their specific species. If this is the case, there are several methods you can use to raise your pH.
● Water Changes – Over time, the pH in your aquarium will drop. The most effective method to raise it back up to the level of your tap water is to simply perform regular water changes. If you do not regularly do water changes, you may need to do several smaller ones (each separated by 24 hours) so that you do not shock the fish by making them go from a low pH to a high one immediately.
Vacuuming all of the uneaten food and waste will also help to counter the tendency for the pH to drop over time.
● Rocks or substrate - Add some rock work or substrate to the aquarium that has the effect of raising the pH. For example, crushed coral is used as the substrate in many African cichlid tanks (African cichlids prefer a high pH). Limestone and petrified coral will also do the trick. If you do not want to add these rocks to your aquascaping, you can add a bag of crushed coral to your filter or hide some of these rocks behind the rocks you do want to showcase. For example, I have an African cichlid tank that uses lace rock for the caves and I hide petrified coral pieces behind my rock wall.
Read the article on the site entitled Adding Rocks and Wood to Your Freshwater Aquarium for more information on which rocks will raise your pH.
● Aeration – Increasing the oxygen concentration in your water will serve to drive down the carbon dioxide concentration. As discussed above, less carbon dioxide translates to a higher pH. Therefore, you can increase the aeration in the tank to raise the pH. To read about aerating your aquarium, reference the article entitled Properly Aerating your Aquarium in the article section of this website.
● Baking soda – Adding baking soda will raise the pH, but remember that this will need to be constantly added (you cannot just add it once and forget about it). You also need to be careful not to add too much at one time and cause a severe spike as this could kill your fish. It is best to gradually adjust the pH if you decide it must be adjusted. A general rule is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons. Dissolve the baking soda in some water before adding it to the tank. Also remember that the above ratio of 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons is just a rule of thumb. For your specific case, take it slowly so you do not shock or kill your fish.
● Shells – Adding shells to your aquarium will raise the pH.
● Removing Anything that May be Lowering the pH – Below is a list of ways to lower the pH in your aquarium. Study this list to see if you are accidently using any of these methods and getting a low pH as a result. For example, maybe you placed a piece of drift wood in your tank without realizing it would lower the pH. If this is causing you problems, remove the drift wood.
● Chemicals – There are several commercial buffers currently available on the market. However, these are generally not recommended as they can lead to large spikes in your pH and usually only serve as a temporary fix. They will not in general, maintain the pH in your aquarium. However, if you have tried everything else and nothing is working, the buffers may do the trick.
Ways to Lower Your pH
Lowering the pH is often more difficult than raising it. There are some methods you can try though.
● Filter Through Peat Moss – Filtering through peat moss is the most effective way to lower your pH. Some people also use peat moss in their substrate for the same effect.
● Add Carbon Dioxide – As we have talked about multiple times, increasing the carbon dioxide in your tank lowers the pH. Therefore, pumping in more carbon dioxide would result in a lower pH.
● Add Wood – Many types of driftwoods will lower the pH. To read more about using wood in your aquarium read the article on this site entitled Adding Rocks and Wood to Your Freshwater Aquarium.
● Chemicals – There are many products on the market today that will lower your pH. However, just like the chemicals that raise the pH, these pH lowering compounds do not maintain a stable pH
If it is indeed aragonite sand that would be your problem. Aragonite is typically used in marine or African cichlid tanks to raise the PH & KH. If you would like to have sand that won't raise your ph you can buy some play sand sold at most home improvement/hardware stores.
As for your tetras hanging around the top of the tank, how long has your tank been set up and how did you cycle it? Do you know your current ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels, and do you use a liquid test kit or strips?
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ojo
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If it is indeed aragonite sand that would be your problem. Aragonite is typically used in marine or African cichlid tanks to raise the PH & KH. If you would like to have sand that won't raise your ph you can buy some play sand sold at most home improvement/hardware stores.
As for your tetras hanging around the top of the tank, how long has your tank been set up and how did you cycle it? Do you know your current ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels, and do you use a liquid test kit or strips?
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0.3
nitrate 0.3
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