What Is Going On?

[Kevinator]

There has been a drastic change in the water in my 29 gallon tank and losing a fish a week for the past 3 or 4 weeks. My water conditions were ideal up til a couple weeks ago. Now my nitrate is way out of wack and I can't get my PH and Alkalinity up no matter what treatment up! I have tried every treatment I could think of. I have not added or taken anything out. I have had this tank set up since July. My other water stats including Amonia is ideal. What is going on here???

 

[dthoffsett]

What is your PH at? How often do you do water changes? The most effective way to remove nitrAtes is to do a water change. The levels can also raise if you are overfeeding.

 

[kribensis12]

When you do a water change, you NEED to vacum the gravel, or water changes wont be very effective for long.

 

[Kevinator]

When you do a water change, you NEED to vacum the gravel, or water changes wont be very effective for long.

I do exactly that! I do a 25% water change about every 2 weeks. My PH reading is 6.2.

 

[dthoffsett]

When you do a water change, you NEED to vacum the gravel, or water changes wont be very effective for long.

I do exactly that! I do a 25% water change about every 2 weeks. My PH reading is 6.2.

Depending on your current stocking, you might consider doing a 25% water change every week and see if that helps.

What is your PH out of the tap?
To slowly raise your PH you could add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the water with water changes. You kind of have to experiment with how much will raise your PH, however, adding it every water change can be kind of a pain. So, a more long term solution would be to add crushed coral (in a filter bag) to your filter. It will be a slow process, but eventually your PH & KH will raise.

 

[kribensis12]

What's in the tank?

 

[Kevinator]

What's in the tank?

2 Kissing Gouramis
6 Baloon Mollies
3 Swordtails
6 Guppies

 

[pauly]

Yep add baking powder (yes the stuff you make cakes with). That'll raise your Ph instantly. Dont add it directly to your water, add it to clean water during changes. I use 1tsp per bucket with every water change.

Also, add a handful of crushed coral (inside some nylon) to your filter. This will increase the buffering capacity of your water in the long run (helps to prevent sudden swings in your Ph).