Super alkali tank

[anti_lite]

i have a 5 gallon tank with just two little female guppies in it... and a peice of drift wood i got from a lake here. i also have some java moss and some plant i found in the lake in there too. the moss was perty much all dead when i got it... from local pet shop... and well... i tore off most of the brown parts. well.. anyways.... the ph is always 7.5 .. i put ph down in it all the time... and ive been doing water changes like every two days... 2 gallon ones. and the water always rises back up. it seems to be helping the moss though... cuase its starting to show new growth. whats making the ph do this?? i thought maybe from the decaying moss... but i dont know. tell me what yall think. thanks ... peace

 

[luma]

I can not tell you what is causing the high PH. But any wood you put into your tank you should boil for a hour or so to make sure you get all the muck out of it. I have lost a whole tank once because I stuck a piece of wood I found into the tank.

 

[Great Lakes]

You PH of 7.5 is not a crisis. In a smaller tank, paramters fluctuate easier. If you PH wants to be 7.5, let it. The fish will acclimate to it. What are your PH levels of the water you are adding at water change intervals?

 

[adeyc]

Sounds to me like you just added the driftwood to the tank without treating it first. Chances are it will be the tannins seaping from the wood thats turning the water alkali. What you need to do with the stuff is to boil it a few times untill the water remains clear. that way all the tannins (which are benaficial in small amounts) and impurities are removed.
Do you know your water hardnes?
Anyway best thing to do is like g.l. said, your fish will acclimatise to that Ph.
But chances are it's your drifwood thats causing the problem.

 

[anti_lite]

yeah... it probably is the driftwood then. the ph of tap here is right around neutral. i will boil if for a while and then put it back. thanks yall... peace

 

[mrV]

"the tannins seaping "

Aren't tannins slightly acidic?

EDIT. Tannic acid reduce pH values alitte, not increase it. Sometimes it is proposed that you put mangore or mopani i your tank to reduce pH value. But you have to brush it good before putting in the tank, or water become yellow/brown. You cannot boil tannic acid away, because it comes all the time...

Im very interested in your gravel and other material. Is there any clam-shell, or crushed coral or any white stones?

Or maybe i didn't understand exactly what "adeyc" wrote.

And you should check your KH-value, because too little carbonate-hardness causes changes in pH-value. KH should be 2 dH in minimum...

 

[Macquatic]

You're going the wrong way ade I'm afraid, bog/mopani wood will tend to make the water more acidic with the tannins leaching. I would look at other decor for the cause. anti_lite, test the water from your tap, if it's the same as your tank just leave it alone. Your lfs will be using the same water and the fish will be used to it Mac.

 

[Alien Anna]

Speaking as a person with water coming out of the tap at pH 9.0, I really can't understand what this poster is worrying about! My LFS even keep anglefish at a barely lower pH, with no problems (except they refuse to breed). If you buy fish locally, they tend to be acclimated to local conditions, unless your LFS uses an RO unit.

I've stabilised my Amazon tank at 7.0 - 7.5. If it stays like that, I'll be happy.

 

[adeyc]

Wooops. Right enough guy's sorry. thats what I get for posting at a sensible time of the day. Disregard that post.

 

[Macquatic]

:laugh: Too early for you ade. Mac.

 

[mrV]

... test the water from your tap...

... the ph of tap here is right around neutral...

 

So, there must be something in aquarium that causes that  pH rises. And one reason is that you tank is really small, so the water values change quickly.

I recommend for new hobbyist to buy 150 liters aquarium in minimum (about 40 US gallones). It's easier to take care of bigger tanks. Water values don't change fast, and it's only recommended for "old" hobbyist to keep small under 100 liters tanks - because they have experiences to change water values if needed.

When you read magazines faq, you will see that most new hobbyist have bought small tanks and now they are wondering why they have problems...

You should check all decoration you have in aquarium, that they don't cause changes in water values..