This is odd

[Kiara]

Ok, so in one of my other posts, I mentioned how my pH and alkalinity went crazy, I did my very first waterchange yesterday, on a new tank that already has 14 fish in it, since I was given all wrong information at PS. Tank was set up last sunday and by monday the fish were already in there.

Yesterday, my ph and total alkalinity spiked to the max color on my test strips, and I freaked, today they are back to normal, what is up with that. I didn't add anything to the water other than the declorinator and bacteria starter. Here on the forums (sry can't remember name) someone thought it was my gravel, and I thought so too after reading the bag, but now everything's back to normal (ph is somewhere between 7.2 and 7.8 and total alkalinity is back at 180.

What did I do? And how do I keep it from spiking again? Was it cuz I didn't do the water changes until yesterday? I'm really confused now...

Thanks in advanced

 

[WILDER]

You will get ph swings in a cycling tank.

 

[rdd1952]

Ammonia will cause the pH to rise and in a cycling tank there is plenty of ammonia present. The lack of a water change may have caused it. Did the pH drop back down after or before you did the water change? If the pH was back down after the water change then it was probably only lowered becase you replaced high pH water with lower pH water.

If your tap water pH is considerably lower (or higher for that matter) you have to be careful during water changes that you don't change so much water as to cause a huge sudden pH swing. For instance if your tap pH is 7 and your tank pH is 8 then a 50% water change would swing the tank pH from 8 to 7.5 immediately which can be very harmful to the fish.

Does that bag the sand/gravel came in mention that is raises pH? Do you remember what the name of it is?

 

[Kiara]

I tested the water a couple of hours after I did the water change, and the ph and alkalinity were still high, when I tested it this morning (almost 24 hours after waterchange) it was back to normal.

I have the bag of gravel right here (didn't throw anything away from the set up yet )

It is Top Fin Premium Quality Aquarium Gravel, on the back it says "CAUTION: Gravel may contain minerals that affect water pH. Monitor your water pH after adding gravel and adjust as necessary to avoid sudden pH changes.

so other than water changes, how do I adjust the ph lvls, or will the water changes alone help it?

Thanks again

 

[cyprinut]

Really, at this point you're probably best to just forget PH and keep doing water changes as necessary to keep ammonia and (soon) nitrites down. When nitrites start to spike it may take 2 more weeks for them to begin falling, so hang in there and keep changing water, probably every day. Feed very very little. Suddenly, one day the nitrites will begin to plunge rapidly and you'll be almost there. Don't sweat the ph- it will normalize as your tank gets through it's cycle and gets a litte more settled in.

 

[rdd1952]

Really, at this point you're probably best to just forget PH and keep doing water changes as necessary to keep ammonia and (soon) nitrites down. When nitrites start to spike it may take 2 more weeks for them to begin falling, so hang in there and keep changing water, probably every day. Feed very very little. Suddenly, one day the nitrites will begin to plunge rapidly and you'll be almost there. Don't sweat the ph- it will normalize as your tank gets through it's cycle and gets a litte more settled in.

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I agree. I think you have seen the "spike" (for lack of a better word) in your pH. What ever was in the gravel has probably run it's course and now you pH is back to where it will stay. Keeping the ammonia and nitrite down to safe levels is the most important thing till the tank cycles.

Edited for spelling.