Ph Levels

[Queen Bee]

My tank has been operating for about 2 months now. (I also learned the hard way about cycling) The tank has guppies, platys, sword tails, and dwarf gourami.

When starting out my ph was steady at 7.4. It began to climb after a few weeks to 8. I had to start using the high ph test to get my levels and here it stayed for a couple of weeks.

The last few weeks, it has been dropping and now it barely registers a level on the low ph test. 6 is the lowest reading and it is slightly lighter then the colour showed there. I am using the api drop tests.

The only thing I have changed is I am adding more water conditioner than I was for the first month or so. I am doing this because I actually tested the water before adding to the tank (after adding the recommended dosage) and was still reading ammonia in the new water.

Should I be concerned with the ph dropping? My boyfriend lives a block away, and his dip strip test is registering no ph. Something maybe changed in the town water?

I know the fish do prefer a higher ph than I have, and I don't want to harm them in any way. I finally got my tank to where I want it visually. My inch of fish is still not close to the size of the tank. All fish seem fine, except for a sword tail I lost last week. He was panting or gulping at the bottom of the tank. I removed him and put him in a bucket with his own air supply. He didn't eat the next day at all (just lied at the bottom), and the following day he died. The rest of the main tank is still going about their business as usual.

What is going on here?

 

[OldMan47]

A point of interest for me is how often and how much water you are changing. I am not talking about adding water for evaporation but actually draining some out. Do you have any test results besides pH? It is the least thing that you should be concerned with for your fish. If your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are under control and your pH has stabilized, the actual value won't mean much.
The reason that I asked about your nitrogencycle is that an increase of nitrates will almost always be accompanied by a drop in pH. Yours sounds suspiciously like a nitrate build up which is best dealt with using large water changes. At 8 weeks, you are probably at a point in your cycle that ammonia and nitrites are processing properly for the first time and it is driving your pH down. Don't add chemicals to fix pH, change water to improve conditions instead.
This all assumes you have been testing regularly with a proper liquid reagent test kit and know what your numbers are.

 

[Corleone]

Spot on above for the drop.

As for the increase before the drop, dry your rocks and a sample of your gravel and test it all with vinegar or a stronger acid. If any of it fizzes, it'll slowly dissolve in your tank, pushing your hardness and pH. If both processes are going on, you might notice it start to jump up after fixing the drop. pH isn't a critical stat for most fish, but fluctuations are bad.

 

[Queen Bee]

The last few weeks, my nitrates have been reading a 5. Nitrites 0 and ammonia has been between 0 and .25

I am doing 25% water changes once a week. For the first month I was doing 50% once or twice a day as the ammonia was reading .5 to 1 and I was trying to get it under control.

I really didn't want to use the ph chemical to lower the water. I've read too many posts where people say not to do that or have done it with terrible results.

That does make sense about the water conditions leveling out if the tank is now cycled. I'll try the rock test that was mentioned as well.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I was worried that I had done something wrong and would end up harming my fish. I really appreciate the advice!

 

[Corleone]

The tank isn't cycled, or the filter is underperforming if you still have ammonia readings. You should do a water change any time you have an ammonia reading, even a trace.

 

[Queen Bee]

I am running 2 filters in a 29 gallon tank. One is I aqua clear rated for a 30 gallon and the other is the air sponge filter. Both in opposite corners. That should be enough for the tank. Total of 13 inches of fish and one snail.

I tested the water half way through the week and the ammonia reads 0. ( That point I only test ammonia). At the end of the week, I do a full test and that's when I get a .25 reading of ammonia. Sometimes the colour is between 0 and .25

I was actually happy about this. (After a month of 2x a day and 50% changes) Sould I keep a closer eye? I thought tank was finally cycled.

 

[waterdrop]

might check the ammonia reading of your tap water..

 

[Corleone]

Seeing this thread makes me think of something else after your big die-off. The pH swings could have contributed, though I'm still leaning to the ultimate cause being an ammonia spike.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

I was actually happy about this. (After a month of 2x a day and 50% changes) Sould I keep a closer eye? I thought tank was finally cycled.

have you seen any nitrite readings yet? doesn't sound like you're cycled yet to me tbh.

increase your testing to every day, any day that you see any ammonia or nitrite do a large water change to get it down, from the sounds of things this won't be every day but will be maybe twice a week or something like that.

 

[Queen Bee]

I have never had a reading for nitrite. It has always read 0. Only nitrate and ammonia have ever registered a reading.

Will go back to checking levels every day. My tap water does read ammonia even after I add the recommended dosage. I've been adding 5X what the bottle says to get a 0 ammonia reading before I add it to the tank. Does too much water conditioner harm the fish, or maybe that changed the ph??

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you'll still get an ammonia reading after adding the dechlor

it doesn't actually get rid of ammonia what it does is converts ammonia to ammonium which is significantly less toxic to fish (note less, not completely non-toxic). It will still register on your test kit but will be considerably less harmful than ammonia.

too much dechlor won't hurt this fish, not sure about the effects in the pH though?!