Gravel Raised Ph

[misssteppy]

Hi

I added gravel to my son's 10 gallon tank and it raised the PH from (6.8 - 7.2) to almost 7.6. (Used API test kit)
I was hoping to add a Betta to the aquarium over the next few days and I think the PH is too high for a Betta.
If I change the water will this change the PH? Or will the gravel slowly leach whatever it is back into the water and keep it at almost 7.6 permanently?
I have filter media in my established 55 gallon that I will transfer to the 10 gallon once a fish is purchased.

Thank you for any advice

 

[phocoena]

did you change the water at the same time you added the gravel?
Did you also test the tap water? That can change from time to time.

I have white stuff in my gravel which I think may be Quartz, and my pH stays the same but the hardness is raised.

 

[misssteppy]

did you change the water at the same time you added the gravel?
Did you also test the tap water? That can change from time to time.

I have white stuff in my gravel which I think may be Quartz, and my pH stays the same but the hardness is raised.

Hi

Yes, I changed the water the same time I added the gravel.
I didnt test the tap water prior to the change. Maybe the tap water had a higher PH than usual?

 

[shi24137]

My tap ph is 6.4 and my tank ph is 7.8, different types of gravel(in my opinion) do raise the ph. Adding a Co2 system for plants will lower it a bit and they also make chemicals specifically for raising and lowering the ph.

 

[phocoena]

How much later after the water change did you change the pH?
What I have done is use one of my water changing jugs, put some gravel in with some water and tested the gravel after 0, 24, hours etc.

But check the tap water pH as well.

 

[the_lock_man]

Hi

I added gravel to my son's 10 gallon tank and it raised the PH from (6.8 - 7.2) to almost 7.6. (Used API test kit)
I was hoping to add a Betta to the aquarium over the next few days and I think the PH is too high for a Betta.
If I change the water will this change the PH? Or will the gravel slowly leach whatever it is back into the water and keep it at almost 7.6 permanently?
I have filter media in my established 55 gallon that I will transfer to the 10 gallon once a fish is purchased.

Thank you for any advice

If your gravel has a high level of a carbonate in it (for instance, crushed coral), then it will raise pH. If your water has a considerably lower pH, then water changes will lower it, but the gravel would then start to raise it again.

However, it could conceivably be a change in tap water chemistry that's caused the leap in pH. Take a cupful of tapwater, leave it for 24 hours, and then test its pH, and see what the level is (the 24hour period will allow various things, such as CO2, to dissipate, to give a truer pH reading).

The good news is that absolute pH level isn't a particularly important factor for a fish's suitability, what is far more important is a stable pH (and carbonate hardness, KH). So long as you acclimatise your fish properly, then a betta will be perfectly happy in a stable pH of 7.6 - mine lives in a pH of 7.8. If it is the gravel that is causing the pH to rise, then I would suggest 2 small water changes per week (max of about 20%), rather than 1 big one.

My acclimatisation procedure is to float the bag unopened for 20 minutes, to equalise the water temperatures. I then open the bag, and for the next 1½ hours, I add about 15ml of tank water to the bag, every 5 minutes. This will gradually equalise the pH, KH, etc., before I release the fish.

Good luck.

 

[the_lock_man]

they also make chemicals specifically for raising and lowering the ph.

They do, and they leave you open to dangers.

If your tap water varies greatly from your tank water, you cannot do emergency large water changes, because the rapid change in pH will be harmful to the fish. In very hard water, such as mine, the pH altering chemical will only have a temporary effect - the hardness of the water causes "buffering" of the pH - in other words, it will just zip straight back to where it started - again, a fluctuating pH is harmful to the fish.

As above, fish acclimatised correctly will be perfectly happy in a pH higher than their "norm". (In fairness, a hardwater, high pH fish does not tend to do well in low pH, soft water).

I strongly recommend not trying to adjust a pH, it's not worth the effort.

 

[shi24137]

Yes, I never use chemicals to lower the ph, I've heard it is dangerous, but isn't it also true that a higher ph makes ammonia more toxic to fish? I've read it a few places and am not sure, but it would explain why a lot of my fish died from .25ppm ammonia.

 

[the_lock_man]

Yes, I never use chemicals to lower the ph, I've heard it is dangerous, but isn't it also true that a higher ph makes ammonia more toxic to fish? I've read it a few places and am not sure, but it would explain why a lot of my fish died from .25ppm ammonia.

Quite right - for the same concentration of ammonia, at higher pH levels, more of it is ammonia, and at lower pH levels, more of it is ammonium.

But since a properly cycled filter gets rid of it all anyway, then pH doesn't matter from that point of view either.

 

[misssteppy]

Thank you for the advice everyone!

My tap water is 7.2 and my aquarium water is a bit under 7.6.

However, it could conceivably be a change in tap water chemistry that's caused the leap in pH. Take a cupful of tapwater, leave it for 24 hours, and then test its pH, and see what the level is (the 24hour period will allow various things, such as CO2, to dissipate, to give a truer pH reading).

My acclimatisation procedure is to float the bag unopened for 20 minutes, to equalise the water temperatures. I then open the bag, and for the next 1½ hours, I add about 15ml of tank water to the bag, every 5 minutes. This will gradually equalise the pH, KH, etc., before I release the fish.

I will do what you said the_lock_man. Thank you!!

 

[phocoena]

Do you have the high range pH test? Or you got the tests as the master kit (it is API?) then you should have it to get a better idea.

 

[misssteppy]

Do you have the high range pH test? Or you got the tests as the master kit (it is API?) then you should have it to get a better idea.

I have the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It tests PH, High PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.

Thanks!