Ph Is 8.8+

[dcj38]

My 90 gallon that i have just set up through the fishless cycle has the ph of 8.8+!!! I checked the tap water coming out of the faucet that I use to do and that is 8.8+ also!!! I added aquarium salt, to soften the water, and I am also using ph down to try and get the ph down. Is there any rocks or anything else I can put in my tank to permantly get the ph down? I just went out and bought $95 in fish and I do not want to lose them!

 

[Bloo]

Are you using a new test kit ? (I take it you are, as you are cycling your tank). I suggest you take a sample to your lfs for testing too - that sounds like an incredibly high pH !

Are you absolutely sure you are following instructions correctly - down to the waiting period to read results ?

 

[dcj38]

im not new to fishkeeping, ive tested with this test kit in my old 29 gallon, and it was fine... Its only about 5 months old. I took a sample of water to 2 other lfs's and they both said that the pH is very high, and that is why I bought aquarium salt and pH down.

 

[Bloo]

Bogwood and peat moss in the filter (which will cause discolouration of the water) are they only things (to my knowledge) that will lower the pH (non-chemically).

What did your shop suggest ? Because surely you're not the only one in your area with such a high pH and they must deal with customers like yourself all the time (assuming the shop is in your water supply area?).

 

[dcj38]

If I put bogwood into the filter will that permanently reduce the pH?? Also if I dont do anything and the pH stays stable will it be ok for the fish considering I have 5 SD's, an electric blue dempsey, and I will have an Oscar soon?

 

[Bloo]

You'd have to put bogwood in the tank and peat in your filter. Yes, it permanently lowers the pH, but over time - it doesn't happen instantly. It also depends on the water to wood/peat ratio.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the requirements and adaptability of those fish at all

 

[dcj38]

what about limestone? Will that lower the pH?

 

[dcj38]

The SD's arent acting wierd, they are just schooling up and down the tank, and I just put the flake food in and the JD seemed more active when I did that, and they all ate some food... You think this description sounds ok?

 

[AMS]

There are no rocks that will lower pH, and no limestone. It will just make the problem worse. And I highly doubt if aquarium salt will lower the pH, marine salt does increase it though. Adding blackwater extract will help, but youll need a ton to get it down to neutral or lower. One proven method would be to mix dechlorinated tapwater with RO water at some ratio depending on the pH you want. Theres a "tap water" filter at dr. smith and fosters for only $26 that will make your water really soft, thus lowering pH. That "tap water" filter could be used in place of the RO water, though it wont be as near as effective as an RO unit, but it is wallet friendly.

Are the fish already in the tank?

 

[dcj38]

yes the fish are in the tank and everything looks ok... What is RO btw?

 

[AMS]

RO is reverse osmosis.

 

[TammyLiz]

I have a Super Walmart near my house and they have RO water that you can put into your own bottles for 33 cents a gallon. Also, Walmart sells RO water in gallon jugs labled "Drinking Water", with a green label, for 64 cents a gallon. This may be a good option for you, half tap, half RO, but I hate having to lug the bottles from the store to the car, car to the house, etc. You'd probably hate it too.
Did you check your KH? If that is really high you are probably going to have additional problems bringing your pH down. I have the opposite problem with my water, KH is 0 and pH drops in the tank.
Limestone will not lower your pH, it will actually raise it. Stay away from that stuff.

 

[dcj38]

well i brought the pH down to 7.8-8.0, but If I keep changing the pH my fish are gonna get disease arent they? One of my friends said that his oscar lives in 9.0 pH water and he says as long as its stable it should be fine... Is this true? My electric blue jack dempsey has been sitting behind this one rock since last night, but Ive had in there for 2-3 days now and he hasnt died so I guess something is going right... Also my SD's are hurtling up and down the tank so they seem fine..

 

[MoreCoffee]

Dont know if you are intending on having live plants in the tank, if so adding CO2 will lower your PH. But in a 90Gal tank you'd probably need a pressurised system ..... a diy/yeast mix might not be the best option for that size tank.

IMO, If you use peat etc to find a 'natural' method to lower your PH that is obviously best. CO2 would be better than any of the PH+/- chemical additives, RO will be the most expensive but is probably your best option in the long term !

 

[TammyLiz]

In my opinion, leaving the pH at a constant level is much better than using chemicals to bring it down. I used to use those chemicals and ended up losing a lot of fish before deciding it was because of the pH fluctuations. This was back when there weren't good forums to ask advice on, so everything I learned was from (bad) experience. There is no way you can keep the pH stable with chemicals. Believe me, I've tried. Use your tap, or use tap/RO, or add peat. The peat will color your water but will not cause large swings in pH. The fish you have come from an area where there are naturally tannins in the water anyway (like from the peat). With that large of a tank, you might consider in investing in an actual RO filter to put your tap water through. Totally depends on your finances.