Tests Are In, Help!1111

[nate9]

ok i tested my tank just now and found the following:

-0 ammonia
-0 nitrite
-0 nitrate
-8.8 or higher PH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is this the cause of my popeye disease?? i bought some little tablet things that are susposed to bring it down, does anyone know how effective they are or is there any other way to correct that??

also i bought a second filter for the tank now i have an aquaclear 70 and a biowheel 150 on my 55 gallon tank, is this too much?, is there a such thing as over filtration? or will this just do good things.

i also bought some medicine for the popeye so lets see how that works out.

 

[teaker1s]

there is no such thing as too much filtration, unless it's massively disturbing the water like a tidal wave.
some fish are more sensitive to ph than others although many get used to water conditions some breeds don't.
wrong water ph can cause stress which in turn can make fish more prone to illness

 

[nate9]

are u sure there is no such thing as over filtration? An anonymous source says there is

 

[Fella]

It would be very odd to have 0 nitrate, as thats typically only associated with having very heavily planted tanks.

PH is something that shouldn't really be controlled chemically, in order to bring down PH, it is much safer to use more "natural" methods. This includes adding peat to your filter, and using bogwood rather than rock as decor.

 

[nate9]

ya the nitrate was actually at around 10 but it was hard to read so i just put 0. do u mean peat like peat that you use to cover poop

 

[teaker1s]

technically you could over filtrate as the bacteria change the nitrite into nitrate-symptoms of high nitrate would be caused by over feeding or over stocked aquarium or dead plant matter.
controlled feeding and removal of waste matter eg dead leaves and vacuming gravel if excessive waste build up occurs can control nitrate levels in association with water changes.

it must also be said that turning over water and introducing air by splashing lowers co2 in planted aquariums

 

[nate9]

i dont really have a problem with nitrates, its the PH

 

[teaker1s]

aquarium peat or water softener blanket(ion exchange resin) will both lower ph. be careful with aquarium peat as its less gentle at altering ph values

 

[steelhealr]

That pH is very high....have you tested your tap water? In general, many fish can adapt to various pH's but if the number is way out of range, it can as mentioned above cause stress that can lead to disease. You should know why the pH is so high.....what's in your tank re: substrate, rocks, etc?

Agree also, that, in general, there is nothing wrong with overfiltration unless it is disrupting the tank.

SH