Hi I am in a fishless cycle my readings the morning are good but my ph is always 10 in my kit this is on the high end I live in the country so Iam on well water no clorine which is good should I use bottled water to bring it down. Thanks Pat
Ph
- Thread starter pat3612
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Hi Pat
If your test kit is reading 10 then I think there is something wrong with the test kit. Either that or you have some really funky water there. Does the water make your skin peel or burn? If so it may have a PH of 10 but It shouldn't have. Things like bleach have a PH above 10 but even sodium bicarbonate, which is used to raise the PH in tank water, will only take the PH to about 9.
Hypothetically though, if the water does have a PH of 10 then bottled water can be used but will be expensive. A reverse osmosis unit would help to remove the minerals as would distillation and then you could drop the PH with sodium biphosphate sold at most pet shops. Alternatively you can soak peat moss in a bucket of water for a few weeks and it should lower the PH.
Try aerating (bubbling the water with an air pump) the water for a day and then test it. Sometimes this will drop the PH.
If your test kit is reading 10 then I think there is something wrong with the test kit. Either that or you have some really funky water there. Does the water make your skin peel or burn? If so it may have a PH of 10 but It shouldn't have. Things like bleach have a PH above 10 but even sodium bicarbonate, which is used to raise the PH in tank water, will only take the PH to about 9.
Hypothetically though, if the water does have a PH of 10 then bottled water can be used but will be expensive. A reverse osmosis unit would help to remove the minerals as would distillation and then you could drop the PH with sodium biphosphate sold at most pet shops. Alternatively you can soak peat moss in a bucket of water for a few weeks and it should lower the PH.
Try aerating (bubbling the water with an air pump) the water for a day and then test it. Sometimes this will drop the PH.
mark7616
potatoes
I wouldnt bother testing for ph while cycling as the ammonia can affect your ph.
I would agree that the test sounds faulty. Is that from the tank or from the tap? I've never heard of anyone with a pH that high. The water would be almost undrinkable (taste wise). Even sea water only has a pH of about 8.3. How much ammonia are you adding and when are you testing? Ammonia has a pH of about 12 so if you're testiing as soon as you add the ammonia and before the water has a chance to mix, you could be getting a bad reading. I would suggest taking some water to your LFS to have them test it.
What do you have in your tank as far as substrate and decorations?
What do you have in your tank as far as substrate and decorations?
mark7616
potatoes
You shouldnt be testing your water while its cycling as ammonia affects the ph so why say that the test kit is faulty maybe explaining to test his tap water and see what result he gets first would be the best advice instead of taking samples to lfs who will probably be using the same test kuts as he is is pointless.
I assumed (bad idea) that he had tested his tap water but you are correct about doing that. And while it is true that pH usually jumps all over during cycliing, I have never seen a pH get higher (at least not to that extreme). Usually, the effects on the pH are to lower it rather than raise it.
my tap water is 9 maybe something is wrong or maybe Iam not reading it right I live in the country so Iam on well water Ill test it again tonight my tap water and Ill see what it says but my kit is brand new, and whileIam at it Thanks to everyone on this forum who is so helpful great people on here.
It could simply be a matter of your well water has a very high pH. You may have to use some alternate methods to lower the pH (not pH adjusters though). Although most fish can adapt to most any stable pH, I think yours may be too high for quite a few to handle. What fish do you want to keep?
Iam not sure yet thing corys dwarf some neons , I have 2 bettas male female and 2 dwarf frogs but Ive always used bottled water for them.
Mikaila31
Always Watching
What test kit are you using? I have never heard of a ph reading that high. I have well water too and I have a ph of 7.6.
For the neons and cory, you will probably also have to use RO water to keep the pH lower. I'm not certain they will be able to handle it that high. Do you know what your GH & KH are? I presume they are also very high.
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Thats bad advice, Mark. The pH must be monitored whilst cycling as if the pH drops below 6.0 or thereabouts, it will inhibit the growth of the bacteria and stall the cycle.
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So your test kit is faulty?
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