Ph Rise Will This Harm My Fish ?

[MrWhite]

I have tang cichlids that should have a high PH of around 8-9 ive been checking my ph its been around 7-7.4 for about 2weeks witch is fine because they can tolerate it but i just added more rock to the tank today exactly the same rock thats already in the tank ( ocean rock ) just tested my water again and its gone up 8.8+ i no that its better for them this high but will it affect them that its gone up all of a sudden im keeping a eye on them they all look fine i dont really wana move the rocks will this stress my fish ??? my ph should stay steady now should i just leave it see how they go on ??

 

[minxfishy]

Are you sure they are the same rocks, strange it should rise so suddenley.

Whilst a more preferred ph for them, I would keep an eye as thats quite a leap in a short period of time, although Ive heard (and dont take this as being true, cos Im not sure where I heard it), fish will tolerate a sudden rise in ph, better than a sudden drop.

Have you done a w/c recently, has your tap ph risen by any chance, this does happen when water boards mess with their chemicals.

 

[MrWhite]

is definitely the same rock as it was the left over rock that i hadn't broken up yet i also just noticed some of the rocks have small shells embedded in them and yes i done a very small water change after i added the rocks only 10litres out 5litres back in just tested my tap water its not changed

Thanks for the reply minx

 

[minxfishy]

I would guess its the shells then.

Keep an eye on them as I say, if needs be, do some more water changes to get it back down a little, although this will cause it to fluctuate, so little by little.

 

[MrWhite]

should i do like 10% every hour ?

 

[minxfishy]

Hmmm dont know, do me a favour, take one of the new rocks out, add it to a bowl of tap water, test ph 1st, then an hour later and see what reading it gives. See how rapidly its changing.

I would leave them for now, see how they react, ph shock can take a while to show, any strange behaviour then do a water change to lower it slightly. They should be ok.

Im hoping someone with more knowledge of ph changes and effects to fish will pop on and see this soon as Im sure they would be able to explain it better and tell you how it will effect them.

 

[Truck]

rapid PH changes, can cause swim bladder, i wouldnt take the rocks out, however i would recommend you test your KH.

 

[MrWhite]

Hmmm dont know, do me a favour, take one of the new rocks out, add it to a bowl of tap water, test ph 1st, then an hour later and see what reading it gives. See how rapidly its changing.

I would leave them for now, see how they react, ph shock can take a while to show, any strange behaviour then do a water change to lower it slightly. They should be ok.

Im hoping someone with more knowledge of ph changes and effects to fish will pop on and see this soon as Im sure they would be able to explain it better and tell you how it will effect them.

I done this when i bought the rock it raised my ph just over 1 i think it may be the shells but there's only 1 small shell i can see thanks for helping out minx i appreciate it i hope my fish will be ok

I cant test kh i haven't got a kh test kit

 

[MrWhite]

Just checked my ph its gone back down to 7.4 why did i get they huge change in ph does this mean things will be fine now or do u think i may of harmed the fish ?

 

[Truck]

what could be causing the PH swings

test your KH

 

[WILDER]

I would remove the new rocks you have put in the tank if the ph swing as only happened due to adding the rocks.
Get you some info in ph shock so you no what to look out for.

pH Shock

Info taken from here.
http/groups.msn.com/FishHealth/phshock.msnw

As its name suggests this condition occurs when a fish is introduced to quickly into a new environment which has a very different pH from the one it came from, when the pH is adjusted to quickly and the fish have little or no time to adjust themselves, or when the pH is to far outside the fishes normal range.

It is very important that any change in water chemistry is made slowly and fish should never be exposed to changes of pH greater than 0.5 of one unit on the pH scale in either direction.

Avoidance is by far the best solution because in most cases the symptoms don't appear until the second or third day by which time the damage has been done and the fish will probably die.

A fish suffering from this condition will show all the typical signs of shock -

Lying on the bottom and paying little or no attention to its surroundings and ignoring potential threats.
It may even lay on its side or go upside down completely.
There could be other signs to, related to Acidosis and Alkalosis
Excessive mucus production.
Rapid breathing.
Swollen abdomen. (Alkalosis only).
If the condition is allowed to go on for one or two days then the chances of a successful remedy are greatly reduced because a lot of damage will have taken place. If the symptoms are spotted early enough there are a couple of things that will help.

Begin to return the pH to the original pH in steps of 0.4 of one unit on the pH scale and allow 3 hrs in between the adjustments. Make these adjustments until the pH is returned to a safe and satisfactory level.
Treat the tank with a broad spectrum anti-Bacteria/Fungus compound to prevent secondary infections of the Skin and Gills.
Prevention is easy. A successful treatment isn't!

 

[MrWhite]

Damn they are Lying on the bottom and paying little or no attention to its surroundings and ignoring potential threat well the ph has gone back to normal so i would say its gone back to its stable ph i hope my fish dont die i will be gutted i don't no what to do i think i will just have to see how the days go by ill keep a close eye on them

 

[WILDER]

Good Luck.
You maybe want to think of removing the rock and getting the shell bits out.

 

[MrWhite]

will do is there anything else i should do i have 8 fish i dont want them to all pass away what are the chances of them dieing

 

[WILDER]

It says in that article to fetch ph back to original ph, but you would think that would cause more stress. .
If the damage has been done there not much to be done.
You could maybe add a bacterial med like the article suggests.
Just hope and pray the fish will make it.