Extremely High Ph!

[dstev]

Hi,

I've just bought a API Freshwater Mater Test Kit. Too my horror, after doing the high range pH test, the pH of my tank is around 8.5!. I had this tested at Pets At Home with the same test kit about 10 days ago and it was about 7.2.

I have 5 Neon Tetras (which I am amazed they have survived!), 2 silvetip tetra's, 3 black neon tetra's, 5 red platy's and 1 rainbow shark. I also have around 10 plants, an air stone and my last water change was on Sunday (25%).

Does anyone know what maybe causing this sudden increase in pH?

 

[tom130691]

dont ever trust p@h test in my exp
i also use api master kit
my result theirs
ammonia 0 0
nitrite 0 0.25
nitrate 5 5
ph 8.0 7.0

unless you seen them do the test then i would go by your own results mate i didnt get ot see their test being done but they tryed telling me a load of crap tbh

edit test you tap waters ph if its similar to the tank your right

 

[dstev]

dont ever trust p@h test in my exp
i also use api master kit
my result theirs
ammonia 0 0
nitrite 0 0.25
nitrate 5 5
ph 8.0 7.0

unless you seen them do the test then i would go by your own results mate i didnt get ot see their test being done but they tryed telling me a load of crap tbh

edit test you tap waters ph if its similar to the tank your right

OK I'll check the pH of the tap water next time I do a water change. To be fair to p@h I watched them do the test so I am pretty sure it was correct. Are there any in tank factors that alter the pH?

 

[tom130691]

loads of things affect the ph tbh plants rock wood ect ect
mine was around 7ish during the cycle now its always 8
dont ever use ph adjusters though

 

[ellena]

I've just posted something similar and FHM said water movement drives off CO[sub]2[/sub] which raises the pH. I think most 'bog standard' tropocal fish can adapt to a range of pH as long as the change is gradual.
Ammonia will also raise pH, and maybe carbonate containing stones like limestone (or do they just increase kH? )

 

[Truck]

Aeration will only drive off CO2 if it is being injected, if it is at equilibrium it wont have any effect.

 

[dstev]

Aeration will only drive off CO2 if it is being injected, if it is at equilibrium it wont have any effect.

When you say water movement, do you mean flow of my tank. My pump is kicking out a fair old flow, which maybe I can reduce. I also tend to have my air stone on for 10 hours a day, I could reduce this. Would this help?

 

[Truck]

The airstone isn't really doing anything, unless you're injecting co2 also.

 

[three-fingers]

It's doubtful it would help. It depends on the tank, how highly stocked it is and how much mulm is built up (mature tanks have more). If it's a relatively new, clean tank that's not highly stocked, it probably wont make a difference.

Easy to find out, take a small sample of tank water in a clean bottle, test the pH before, and then shave the bottle vigorously for 30 seconds. Now test the water again, if the pH has gone up, then there was enough CO2 in there to cause a difference.

Do you have plants? If so, you should probably turn the airstone off anyway to maximise the chances of CO2 building up for them.

Test the tap water as mentioned. There's not really much problem with having a pH of 8.2, it's actually great for some fish. Not so good for some wild-caught or sensitive fish originating from acidic water, but otherwise it's fine.

You may have seen the P@H test, but did you check the date on the test kit bottle? Can you trust they don't occasionally accidentally mix the lids of the kits when using them? (this can cause big inaccuracies over time, due to small amounts of reagents mixing with each other) And if it was a test strip...while, there's your problem (they are so easy to mis-use that the results are often very far off).

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yup, an air stone; reduced water pressure (water in your pipes vs. water in your tank), will gas off Co2.

When Co2 gasses off, the pH increases.

There are different factors in a tank that will have a different effect on this.

-FHM

 

[tom130691]

my plants are doing fine with the air stone on for 10 hours a day
surely there is co2 in this air anyways need more nitrates for my plants as my test today came out with none (been going down from 10 for the last few weeks)

 

[fatheadminnow]

my plants are doing fine with the air stone on for 10 hours a day
surely there is co2 in this air anyways need more nitrates for my plants as my test today came out with none (been going down from 10 for the last few weeks)

With a lot of surface agitation (air stone) Co2 is on average around 8 ppm, which is just fine for a low-tech planted tank.

-FHM

 

[three-fingers]

Of course they are doing OK, but if you want them to grow faster, then removing the CO2 would give them more CO2 (which is usually limiting).

I never said you needed to do it, just that it would be better for them plants, nobody eve suggested they should be doing badly because of the airstone .

Equilibrium value of CO2 in the water should be around 0.5ppm from the sources I've read, the more surface agitation, the further it will be drawn towards this. The difference probably wont be that big though, unless it's a massive airpump, I just like to get everything best for the inhabitants of the tank, more CO2 usually = faster plant growth = lower nitrates and higher oxygen levels. Apart from at night, that is, when the plants dont photosynthesise to use CO2 and create oxygen, which is why some people use an air pump on a timer to run when the lights are off.

 

[tom130691]

Of course they are doing OK, but if you want them to grow faster, then removing the CO2 would give them more CO2 (which is usually limiting).

I never said you needed to do it, just that it would be better for them plants, nobody eve suggested they should be doing badly because of the airstone .

Equilibrium value of CO2 in the water should be around 0.5ppm from the sources I've read, the more surface agitation, the further it will be drawn towards this. The difference probably wont be that big though, unless it's a massive airpump, I just like to get everything best for the inhabitants of the tank, more CO2 usually = faster plant growth = lower nitrates and higher oxygen levels. Apart from at night, that is, when the plants dont photosynthesise to use CO2 and create oxygen, which is why some people use an air pump on a timer to run when the lights are off.

lol my pump is opposite on during day off at night
but the plants have got the nitrate down to 0 now so i expect them to not do so well now?

 

[fatheadminnow]

Of course they are doing OK, but if you want them to grow faster, then removing the CO2 would give them more CO2 (which is usually limiting).

I never said you needed to do it, just that it would be better for them plants, nobody eve suggested they should be doing badly because of the airstone .

Equilibrium value of CO2 in the water should be around 0.5ppm from the sources I've read, the more surface agitation, the further it will be drawn towards this. The difference probably wont be that big though, unless it's a massive airpump, I just like to get everything best for the inhabitants of the tank, more CO2 usually = faster plant growth = lower nitrates and higher oxygen levels. Apart from at night, that is, when the plants dont photosynthesise to use CO2 and create oxygen, which is why some people use an air pump on a timer to run when the lights are off.

lol my pump is opposite on during day off at night
but the plants have got the nitrate down to 0 now so i expect them to not do so well now?

.5 ppm, well, I guess the sources I read were not right? lol

People, including me, dose Potassium Nitrate to up the Nitrate level. This should be done with a higher lighted tank, and of course, when Co2 is injected into a tank.

-FHM