Tank Has Cycled.. Ph Is High 8.0

[HasGills]

Tank finished cycling this morning Amm. and Nitrite both 0. Checked the pH expecting it to be close to 7.0 (as thats what the pH was prior to commencing the cycle process) but its at 8.0..

Im pretty sure the high pH is a result of me adding bicarb last week to increase the pH back to 7.0 as the pH dropped it below 6 stalling the cycle.

Im leaving the tank for another 24hrs to see what happens to the pH but if it doesnt fall back to an acceptable range 6.8-7.4 will a 80% water change solve the problem? i.e. dilute the bicarb reducing the pH?

Cheers
HasGills

 

[Squid]

Tank finished cycling this morning Amm. and Nitrite both 0. Checked the pH expecting it to be close to 7.0 (as thats what the pH was prior to commencing the cycle process) but its at 8.0..

Im pretty sure the high pH is a result of me adding bicarb last week to increase the pH back to 7.0 as the pH dropped it below 6 stalling the cycle.

Im leaving the tank for another 24hrs to see what happens to the pH but if it doesnt fall back to an acceptable range 6.8-7.4 will a 80% water change solve the problem? i.e. dilute the bicarb reducing the pH?

Cheers
HasGills

At the end of a fishless cycle you are supposed to do a large 80% water change anyway if my memory serves me right. If your tap water is 7.0 and the current water is 8.0 then an 80% water change will lower the PH to 7.2 which is I believe roughly where you would like it to be. The raise was most definately teh bicarb, but that was the reason for you adding it .

If you do decide on leaving the tank for another 24 hours, dont forget to add some more ammonia or all your fishless cycle hard work will all be lost, as without the ammonia source the bacteria colony may start to die back....

Cheers
Squid

 

[HasGills]

Thanks for your reply..

Great.. I think im getting the hang of this stuff now.. Sounds like I was on the right track.

Yes, I added some more ammonia to keep the bacteria happy.


Cheers
HasGills

 

[BigIan]

I`m guessing you have HUGE Nitrate readings at the moment after the cycle. these will have caused the ph to drop as they turn the water acidic. once you do the water change they should get back to normal.. and in a few months after frequent water changes you`l be back on rtrack

 

[HasGills]

Yes your right.. Nitrates are approaching the top of the chart (160ppm)..

This morning I checked the pH again and its dropped from 8.0 down to 6.6 in around 12hrs ( has a small amount of amm. 0.25 and Nitrite 0.5 left to process). This is after increasing ammonia from 0 to 4ppm last evening. Im now waiting to see what happens when the Amm. and Nitrite go to 0 whether the pH jumps back to 8.0 or stays at 6.6.