Sorry For This - Need Help Lowering Ph.

[mike_danger]

Hey all,

Ive looked through the forum, but havnt found anything to help my specific problem.

I have been esting my ph, and it is steady at 8.0, which i think i too high.

I have also tested my tap water, this is ph 7.0, this is what i would like my tank to be, so why is it so much higher in the tank?

the tank is 65l, external filter and i have a piece of bog wood in there.

I have in there, 1x red claw crab, 1x brown zebra plec, 1x ram, (i also want to get shortly some neon tetras, zebra danios etc) so i think it should be around ph 7.0, or perhaps you will say that it doesnt need to be lowered.

any help would be great,

thanks, mike

 

[SkiFletch]

how old is your tank mike? do you have a testkit to read ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and if so could you tell us what those readings are? also, what type of test kit do you use, liquid or strip?

 

[Clairel]

Strange really if you tap water is 7 and your tank water is 8 especially as you have bogwood in there, which is supposed to lower ph naturally...

My ph is 7.5 and my fish are fine....

As long as your fish are ok with ph 8, i wouldnt worry, i also wouldnt mess about with chemicals to lower your ph, as you will have to do this EVERY time, and you will need to get it exactly the same...

C x

 

[mike_danger]

Hey,

my tank is 11 months old, but ive had the new filter about 3 months, but did us new and old filer togeather for over a month.

Ive got a freshwater master test kit, ive just tested the rest so here you go...

ammonia - 0

nitrate - 80-160 (is very sark red, so i think this is bad)

nitrite - 0

thanks, mike

 

[SkiFletch]

thats kinda odd with a higher pH and bogwood as Claire mentioned. If the pH is stable at 8.0 there shouldnt be anything to worry about unless you're keeping discuss. stable pH is way better than using chemicals to try and get ideal pH.

one other question, what is your substrate made out of and do you have any kind of stones in the tank, if so what kind

 

[mike_danger]

Hey,

My substate is sand, and yes i do have some rocks but i dont have any idea what they are, just some cobble type rocks i got from 'pets at home'.

I also have a couple of small plants.

I have a chilid that i go today and want to get some neon tetra, do you think the high ph will be ok for them?

also i think my nitrate is dangerously high!

mike

 

[SkiFletch]

yeah your nitrate is getting up there. some water changes will bring it back down though. do a few 25% or so changes over the next few days and see what happens with the nitrates. it COULD be that some of the rocks or your substrate contain calcium carbonate which is leeching out into your tank. CaCO3 isn't toxic to fish, but it does buffer pH at around 8... that could be the reason you're pH is higher than tap.

as for the neons, ask your LFS what the pH of their water is... if its significantly below 8 you'll have to very slowly acclimate teh neons by adding tank water to the bag you float a little bit at a time. try to bring the bag volume up to 3 times what it comes with in the store over the course of a couple hours. adding a little of your tank water each time. you might get them through the stress if you do it slowly

 

[The-Wolf]

Ive got a freshwater master test kit, ive just tested the rest so here you go...

Are you testing pH or pH high?
I'm guessing pH high

yes i do have some rocks but i dont have any idea what they are, just some cobble type rocks i got from 'pets at home'.

also i think my nitrate is dangerously high!

mike

hopefully this will help you with your rock id
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=55806

nitrAtes are considered safe upto 40ppm, over that yes it can cause all sorts of problems with fish.
I would do 25% water changes daily untill the nitrAtes are below 40 ppm, this may also help your pH problem too.

 

[CFC]

Another reason why the pH rises after it has been added to the tank is CO2 content. Tapwater often has high concentrations of CO2 which temporarily acidifies the water but as it is so unstable the CO2 is soon dispersed from the water after being drawn from the tap so the buffers in the water can push the pH up to its higher level.

Try filling an empty bucket with water and allow it to sit for 24 hours with an airstone running in it, if it is due to CO2 levels in the tapwater after 24 hours the pH should test at 8.

 

[mike_danger]

Hey all,

thanks for the tips so far, ive taken some picss of my rocks for you to look at.


I have removed this one now, as im planning on geting some more bog wood...

I have 7 of these in may tank, you can see them all in this pic...

Do you think removing that rock will help, or do you think the other rocks are bad too? Also is more bog wood a good idea?

thanks, mike

 

[SkiFletch]

more bogwood couldnt hurt. those round rocks look like a quartz or other crystal type rock that wouldnt be adding anything to your water. that top one may have had some calcium components to it. but even then, your problem may still be what CFC wrote. a good test for his thought would be to leave a gallon jug of tapwater out for 48 hours and then test for pH. if your tapwater does have a lot of gasseous CO2 in it, then it'll evaporate and the sitting tapwater should have a higher pH