Ph At 5.0

[meljhu]

I have just tested my fish tank today for the first time and the ph level is 5.0, Im new to tropical fish and dont know what to do next. I have had my tank running for 2 years with coldwater fish, 4 danios, 2 neon tetras still left. Put a heater in to convert to tropical 2 weeks ago and have added 1 male siamese fighter. 3 platys, 1 dwarf gourami and 3 gold barbs. All fish are lively and seem very well but cant understand why my ph is so low. My ph in the tap water is 6.5. Can anyone help me please on what to do.

 

[Pheonix]

what tank decoration do you have in the tank? rocks and the like? it could be something thats in the tank thats leaching out something to be dropping your PH

 

[WILDER]

Need to look at your stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate.
How many gallons is the tank or litres.
What substrate are you using.
And ornaments like bogwood.

 

[meljhu]

Need to look at your stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate.
How many gallons is the tank or litres.
What substrate are you using.
And ornaments like bogwood.

My tank is 22 ltrs, plastic plants, ammonia level was 0 - 0.6, nitrite was 0.3, nitrate 7. No subtrates, not sure what that is.

 

[WILDER]

Bad water quality, severely overstocked, all you should have in that tank is a betta.
An immediate water change, that why your ph is low, don't do a large water change dont want to swing that ph to fast.
I would rehome the rest there not going to make it ammonia poisoning.


http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...a_poisoning.htm

Neon tetra are shoaling fish and need 10gal and should not be kept in a group of no less than six.
Barbs some are fin nippers so shouldnt be kept with gouramis, they both need tanks of no less than 15gal.
Danio are active fish and should not be kept in anything less than a 20gal.

 

[meljhu]

Bad water quality, severely overstocked, all you should have in that tank is a betta.
An immediate water change, that why your ph is low, don't do a large water change dont want to swing that ph to fast.
I would rehome the rest there not going to make it ammonia poisoning.

We are just doing a gradual water change now to see if that helps. The aquatic shop told me I could keep 15 fish in there. We are just in the process of buying much larger tank. The advice is much appreciated as we are new to tropical fish and want to try get things right before we go bigger.

 

[WILDER]

Pass this info nto the lfs as they need it.
http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginner.../a/fishcalc.htm

 

[jayjay]

Some that information is abit 'iffy' as well though. Inch per gallon doesn't work really, surface area the same. An extremley over filtered tank, is the safe way to have overstock tanks.

 

[meljhu]

Bad water quality, severely overstocked, all you should have in that tank is a betta.
An immediate water change, that why your ph is low, don't do a large water change dont want to swing that ph to fast.
I would rehome the rest there not going to make it ammonia poisoning.


http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...a_poisoning.htm

Neon tetra are shoaling fish and need 10gal and should not be kept in a group of no less than six.
Barbs some are fin nippers so shouldnt be kept with gouramis, they both need tanks of no less than 15gal.
Danio are active fish and should not be kept in anything less than a 20gal.

Will transfer some of the fish into the new tank and hopefully they will be okay till then, Probably im best keeping my betta and gourami in the small tank. The ones i thought were tetra arent they are rasbora borapetensis. (just found them in my book) Will be back asking what I can keep on here before I go to buy my next batch....

 

[WILDER]

Could get a tank for the betta to reduce the load for now.