I got over the fishless cycle and finally got my fish Wednesday. I got 6 Ghost Shrimp, 6 Sunburst Platys, 4 Med Schwartz Cory Cats, 2 Male Red Fire Gouramies (which are very shy if I must say ) 6 Long Fin Turquiose Danios, 2 Black Mystery Snails, and 2 Ramshorn snails. I also got a Java Fern and a Water Sprite. I did the 90% water change Tuesday, and everything was fine when the fish arrived and where acclimated Wednesday. However, when I checked the water yesterday and today, I've noticed that the pH has dropped from 7.0 to around 6.4-6.5 the past 2 days. nitrates was 40 ppm. First off, why would the pH drop to begin with? Also, will it hurt the fish, and what can I do besides a water change to bring it up? When I was doing the fishless cycle I added 1 tbsp full of baking soda to the water, and it brought the pH up, as well as helped in the kH department.
so i went ahead today and did a 25% water change and in the process found a dead ghost shrimp under some decoration. would the dead shrimp account for the low ph? i am missing another one as well. do the fish i have snack on them or tend to hurt them? i like the cute little things, they are fun to watch and dont want to lose any more. also i have my temp at 81 degees, is that too warm? thanks!
so i went ahead today and did a 25% water change and in the process found a dead ghost shrimp under some decoration. would the dead shrimp account for the low ph? i am missing another one as well. do the fish i have snack on them or tend to hurt them? i like the cute little things, they are fun to watch and dont want to lose any more. also i have my temp at 81 degees, is that too warm? thanks!
??) over time especially with a low kh. that is quite a drop.
