Battling Ph

[finchfarm]

Okay, as many of you know, I was having tank problems and had to completely redo the tank and start it cycling again. Unfortunately, we were stuck doing a fish-in cycle. Fortuanately, we only lost one fish and our tank is now done cycling.

Our new "problem" is pH. My pH is 6.0, which isn't really that big of a deal because we have Amazonian fish and they like the water that way. My problem I guess is more my pH tester kit.....the lowest it goes is to 6.0. When we had our tank problem the last time it all started with a pH crash. Because my pH tester only goes to 6.0 my kit wasn't registering a crash, it was registering 6.0 because that's the lowest it can go.

We went to our LFS a week ago to have our water tested to verify that we were done cycling. They tested our ammonia, nitrites and pH. Ammonia and nitrites were good, but they didn't like our pH, and because of our test kit, I really don't like it either; unless I get a new test kit that can read down further I'd like to keep our pH between 6.4 and 7.0. We talked to the LFS owner and while we were discussing our water he asked us what brand of dechlorinater we were using. We said Topfin and he told us that Topfin will lower your pH and suggested we buy some Seachem Prime as it will remove the chlorine and all but not drop the pH. He also told up to use "pH Regulator" (that is supposed to return your pH to 7.0) in our tank after doing a 10 gallon water change.

I went home took out 10 gallons, put the pH powder in the new water with the dechlor and put it in the tank. Over the next few days the tanks pH rose to about 6.4 but never got up to 7.0 like the product said it would. I tested the water again yesterday as Wednesday is my day to do weekly parital water changes. The water was back to 6.0 before the water change. I took out another 10 gallons, used Seachem Prime to dechlor it this time, didn't use the pH Regulator, and tested the water later in the day it it was up to about 6.2. I haven't checked the pH yet this morning.

As said, becuase my pH test kit only reads to 6.0, I'd really like my water to be between 6.4 and 7.0 unless I can get another pH test kit. I mentioned that I'd like a new pH kit that is broad range, because I really don't have a problem with 6.0 since my fish are Amazonian, if I have a test kit that will read down further than that. My mother basically gave me the, "Maybe you'll get one for Christmas" speil.

So, I guess I need to find a way to raise my pH to at least 6.4 until then. The pH Regulator doesn't seem to work, though I only dosed the tank for 60 gallons, not 75. I know coral and shells will help raise pH, but because the tank is Amazonian I really don't want to stick corals and shells in the tank and ruin the theming of the tank. I thought about buying some and putting it in a net back and stuffing it in the filter and see if it will help raise the pH that way. In short, if using the Seachem Prime to dechlor doesn't seem to have any other results that raising the pH by .2 what do you recommend? What are your thoughts until I can get a new pH tester kit?

Side note about pH tester kits: Do you recommend a test kit that uses drops in a test tube, or one of those strips that change color to indicate pH?

 

[Kevstir]

i had exactly the same issue as you, i ended up putting a bit of tuffa rock (got it from pets at home) on the tank and now it sits about 6.6

edit: i also have an amazonianish tank so wasn't wanting to see the tuffa rock, iv just hidden it behind the plants under the filter intake ..

 

[brayer]

I've Recently purchased an API Master Test kit ( Liquid Form ) which has everything you need for testing your water. I have never used the strips before although cheaper, but I just don't trust them as much as the liquid test kits. The kit from my LFS only cost me £16.99 ( British Pounds ) bargin for what you get in the kit. As for rasing your ph ( SAFTLEY !! ) there are many things on the market aquarium salt is good used sparingly or you can also get PH/KH bottles in liquid form, which raise your PH levels slowly and saftley without streesing the fish. Anyway hope this helps alittle.

 

[rdd1952]

Using pH adjusters is one of the absolute worst things you can do. They only put your pH in a constant swing. It goes up when you add it but within a few days to a week, it's back down (or visa versa depending on which way you're trying to go). Most fish can easily adapt to any stable pH butstruggle when it's in a constant swing. If you want to raise your pH, add a small amount of crushed coral to your filter. A teaspoonful should be plenty to get it up to the 6.5 range. You can also put a piece of tufa rock in the tank. Actually, any rock that is limestone based will raise the pH.

As for Topfin rasing pH, I've never heard of any dechlorinator that affects pH. I think the guy you spoke with was just trying to mke a sale aof a higher priced dechlorinator and some pH adjuster.

Edit: I'm not aware of any test kits that will test into the 5s though there may be some out there. My API kit only goes to 6.0. As mentioned get a good liquid kit. Strips are a waste of money as they are terribly inaccurate and more expensive than liquid over the long run.

 

[finchfarm]

Thanks, I'll have to go down to the LFS and see if they have some tuffa rock or some crushed coral that I can put in the filter or something.


Humm, I guess that's a possiblity with the Topfin thing, though we already had the pH adjuster, all we bought was the Seachem Prime. But the Seachem Prime does say right on the bottle that "Seachem Prime is non acidic and will not affect pH". Maybe I'll have to run a pH test on our tap water then fill up a container and put some Topfin dechlorinator in it and test the Topfin dechlored water and see if the pH really drops or not.

 

[rdd1952]

Just keep in mind that the pH of the water can change some just from it sitting a day or so and gassing out chloride and being exposed to the open air. If you do the test, I would do it with both Topfin and Prime so you have something to compare to. The Prime is certainly a good dechlirinator but I'm sure the TopFin would be fine too.