Water changes causing fish deaths

[Sleeveless]

I looked at SeaChem Alkaline Buffer and it is really sodium bicarbonate, so your pH will definitely go up if you add that.

According to SeaChem, you have to use Alkaline Buffer along with Acid Buffer to get the pH you want.

Seachem - Acid Buffer

www.seachem.com

In order to adjust pH gradually, or if water is soft or not well buffered, use Acid Buffer™ with Alkaline Buffer™. When using Alkaline Buffer™ & Acid Buffer™ together to target a specific pH, utilize the suggested ratio chart.

HINT: First determine the amount of Alkaline Buffer™ needed for the volume of water. This should be determined based upon your desired alkalinity (KH). Then, divide by the number in the middle column to obtain the correct amount of Acid Buffer™ required.

Acid Buffer	Alkaline Buffer	pH
1	1.3	6.5
1	2.0	7.0
1	2.5	7.5
1	4.0	8.0

Yup. I dose at a ratio of 2:1 for a ph of roughly 7. In my photos, the second pic is after I put in alkaline and acid buffer.

 

[Fishfunn]

Ok, you should be good as long as your pH matches the water you are adding to. If you still have questions, I would call that company, AquaFX, their water experts are very knowledgeable and experienced aquarists. I have been to their facility several times since they are only a few miles from my house.

 

[Sleeveless]

Ok, you should be good as long as your pH matches the water you are adding to.

And there is the issue. All water is treated exactly the same. It always comes out the same roughly ph of 7. The tank is always 8. That’s the same water I treated with yet always goes up. Even the treated water. I’ll post up again tomorrow after both samples have sat for a day then show the rise in ph.

 

[Fishfunn]

And there is the issue. All water is treated exactly the same. It always comes out the same roughly ph of 7. The tank is always 8. That’s the same water I treated with yet always goes up. Even the treated water. I’ll post up again tomorrow after both samples have sat for a day then show the rise in ph.

I would call that company, AquaFX, their water experts are very knowledgeable and experienced aquarists. I have been to their facility several times since they are only a few miles from my house.

 

[Fishfunn]

Do you run activated carbon in your filter? I had that raise my pH before.

 

[Sleeveless]

Do you run activated carbon in your filter? I had that raise my pH before.

Nope. Only time I ran it was at the end of a worm treatment to clear any remaining meds.

 

[16gallontanker]

What state you in? What kind of fish you have? Because I have heard that some fish like hard water and others like soft water and different areas have different kinds of tap water.me personally I live in north Texas and we have hard water but none of this has bothered any of my fish and I use sechum prime and Stability and filters in all my tanks and just recently added a 2nd filter to my 20 gallon and also could you be overstocked ?it maybe how big is the tank?and how many fish you putting in it ?

 

[Sleeveless]

now my mind is really going nuts. For craps and giggles I tested my hospital tank. Same water. PH is 6.8. WTH. If that is the case then it is my substrate in the main tank. That is seachem flourite. Seachem says it won’t change PH but so do half their products say they won’t do something. Example: root tabs won’t raise hardness yet my gh did in fact go up with their root tabs. So I can’t say I trust it. If I have to swap out my substrate to get more in range for my fish, I’m not going to be a happy camper. Good lord.

Only other slight possibility is the Fluval ceramic rings in my filter media. See conflicting data I like about whether they raise ph or not.

 

[Fishfunn]

now my mind is really going nuts. For craps and giggles I tested my hospital tank. Same water. PH is 6.8. WTH. If that is the case then it is my substrate in the main tank. That is seachem flourite. Seachem says it won’t change PH but so do half their products say they won’t do something. Example: root tabs won’t raise hardness yet my gh did in fact go up with their root tabs. So I can’t say I trust it. If I have to swap out my substrate to get more in range for my fish, I’m not going to be a happy camper. Good lord.

Only other slight possibility is the Fluval ceramic rings in my filter media. See conflicting data I like about whether they raise ph or not.

Check this out, another person who had the same setup as you experienced pH increase and he was suspecting Flourite https://forum.seachem.com/forum/sunken-gardens/21900-increasing-ph-impact-of-flourite

 

[Colin_T]

My only issue now is PH still going from 7 to 8.2 overnight from the RO water with offgassing. Problem is, it doesn't jump until its added to the tank and agitated so there is still a stress factor event though my alkalinity is consistent 5 degree.

There is another possibility for the pH to go from 7 to 8.2, the pH test kit is faulty.

Assuming you haven't already done this, take a sample of the r/o water that is fresh and another sample that is a week old to a pet shop and get them to check the pH of both samples. You take your test kit and test the same samples at the same time. If you get different readings for the pH, one of the kits is stuffed.

 

[Sleeveless]

There is another possibility for the pH to go from 7 to 8.2, the pH test kit is faulty.

Assuming you haven't already done this, take a sample of the r/o water that is fresh and another sample that is a week old to a pet shop and get them to check the pH of both samples. You take your test kit and test the same samples at the same time. If you get different readings for the pH, one of the kits is stuffed.

I have not, but have compared it to a digital PH tool and it matches from kit to PH test tool. Also, last night was what really got me going with my quarantine tank reading 6.8 and my main tank reading 8, from the same kit. I checked with the low PH and high PH solutions just to make sure it was tracking similar.

 

[Fishfunn]

have not, but have compared it to a digital PH tool and it matches from kit to PH test tool. Also, last night was what really got me going with my quarantine tank reading 6.8 and my main tank reading 8, from the same kit. I checked with the low PH and high PH solutions just to make sure it was tracking similar.

Try adding a piece of Flourite to a test tube with your conditioned water and then performing a pH test.
See if that changes the pH test.

 

[Sleeveless]

Try adding a piece of Flourite to a test tube with your conditioned water and then performing a pH test.
See if that changes the pH test.

That's what I'm planning to do. I'm going to add some to the test cups I have out now. I'm going to monitor them then add flourite to see if it jumps.

 

[Fishfunn]

That's what I'm planning to do. I'm going to add some to the test cups I have out now. I'm going to monitor them then add flourite to see if it jumps.

Try adding a piece of a root tab and any fertilizer you have been using too for a test as well. I would suspect fertilizer to cause a pH jump.

 

[Sleeveless]

Try adding a piece of a root tab and any fertilizer you have been using too for a test as well. I would suspect fertilizer to cause a pH jump.

Root tabs and ferts have not impacted. PH was stuck rising to 8 well before I even used ferts or tabs..