PH is at 7.8-8.0 - advice?

[crankwalk]

Hello, sorry in advance for such a basic question but I tried the search feature (won't look up "PH", needs 4 characters) and looked in the FAQ and Newbie sections and am unable to find an answer.

I just got my water test kit and decided to check Trevor's water.. it had a PH of between 7.8 and 8.0 judging on the color of the "high range" ph kit. I tried the regular range kit and it turned a deep blue that didn't match any of the colors on the card.. so I had to try the higher range one and the color fell within the higher range :\

I also tested water right out of the tap and the reading was identical. Currently my male betta is in a 2.5gal tank with no gravel or plants while his 3gal eclipse is being cycled.

What is the ideal PH for bettas? The test kit directions listed different PH for different fish.. and if 7.8-8.0 is too high, what is the best recommended way to lower it? I haven't seen any behavioral changes in Trevor but I've been using dechlorinated tap water ever since I got him (3+ months ago)

Thank you for the advice

 

[Tolak]

If the fish is fine in that PH, don't mess with it. Adding any chemicals to lower PH is tricky, and usually leads to PH swings, not good for fish.

The best way to lower it is to start with ro water, though I don't think you are going to invest in a ro unit for a 2.5 gallon tank. Purchasing distilled water is probably a better option, start water changes with 10% distilled, 90% tap. Gradually work it towards a 50/50 mix.

Tolak

 

[Saucy]

Actually, if he's used to the higher pH, it should be fine for him. I'm sure BettaMomma will be here to tell you about her pH problems later. Don't worry! And don't mess with it if he's healthy and happy.

 

[daudy_dojo]

if you have lowered the pH before.. i would avise this...

3 days before a water change get atleast 3G of water ready witha buffer in it and a air stone thing in it! make sure you have it being swirled around it will be fullll of oxygen!! ok so then you can change the water and slowly acclimate him to the new pH but you have to be careful and watch what you do results could be horrific i have had to do with on many occasion cause my water supply gets a shifted pH every other wweek!

 

[crankwalk]

thanks for all the responses.. i'm going to keep an eye on him and now that i have my test kit, test it regularly. i didn't know how high it was before i got the kit but he seems to have acclimated well to the higher PH

bettamomma if you read this how high is your PH?

 

[BettaMomma]

Hi!

Well.. my ph sits at a lovely 8.4. Always has been, and as long as I live here, it always will be.

Everyone seems to do fine with it - the only thing noticable is I think they're a tad bit more prone to fin problems, but I've never had anyone that's had massive problems with it.

One issue I had with ph was when I had decided to try to work out some of the possible heavy metal problems with my water, and I went out and bought a PUR tap filter spicket add-on. HUUUUUGE mistake. It really badly messed with the ph of the water and instantly killed my little Jack. Luckily nobody else had the same after-effect, cuz everyone got the same water changes from that spicket.

BUT... with ph of my tap water naturally this high, once they are used to it - they do fine, as long as you don't mess with swinging it at all. The only problem with it is that you have to acclimate them for a LOOONG time when you bring a new one home. The last 2 boys I got were acclimated from small cups (petco cups) for almost 6 hours - I put just a couple tablespoons of tank water in, and cup water out every 15 - 30 mins.

So all in all - I'd say that unless you are noticing major problems with them, don't worry about the ph - just test it randomly and make sure it's not bouncing up and down.

 

[crankwalk]

Thank you for all that info BettaMomma.. i'm just going to leave the PH alone, but right now Trevor is having problems that I'm trying to take care of. He's listless and not his normal self. I just posted up a very long post with pics last night.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=97162

 

[Elisabeth83]

I was just in a shop yesterday asking about a certain fish and was told they like a low PH well here in Stockholm the tap water sits at 7.5-8.0. They said they used some PH down stuff but I said I wasn't too comfortable using any of that stuff..then they said a natural way is to add a piece of wood to the tank. Something like driftwood or bogwood. The wood lowers the PH.

I read that fish that live in high PH water are more prone to bacterial infections but if your betta has been living in higher PH water and is ok..then I wouldn't mess with it. My betta is in a bowl and has been living with higher PH water for around a year now and he's fine

 

[KageBunshin]

Bettas in the wild prefew PH a little lower than 7. I use Indian Almond LEaves to fix all my PH problems.

8.4 sounds a little bit high.

 

[BettaMomma]

Yep, 8.4 is extremely high.
But- I have 11 tanks to try and maintain.. so messing with the ph is out of the question. As long as it stays steady it's not that bad.

I can't use IAL for mine for ph purposes, either, because I don't prepare the water before water changes - what comes out of the tap plus dechlorinator is what they get - and I just drop IAL into it in leaf form - in small doses.

As long as your ph doesn't swing all over the place it should be okay.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Bettamomma, do you think it would be safe to keep bettas in tap water with a ph of 9+, assuming i aclimate them over a long period? The other thing I know is my pH tends to drop to about 8.4 after a while, atleast in my 20 gal, when I don't control it with chemical, which I'm tryign to get away from