Very Puzzled - Need Help!

[coldcazzie]

That is what I would do. If the kit test from 6 to 7.6 and you are at the bottom of the scale it is certainly possible that you pH is actually less than 6. Given your tank picture and the written description I am having a hard time understanding how your tap is 7.6 and your tank is 6 or less. My tank will go from 7.6 at the tap to 6.2 in the tank but I inject ~30ppm of Co2. Something does not seem right.... Do you add anything other than dechlorinator to your tank? Ever test for water hardness? kH and gH?

The instructions do say that anything lower than 6 will read as 6 and anything higher than 7.6 will read as 7.6, and that any remedial work wont show any change until the water comes back within the range of the test kit. Which sounds spot on the problem that I am having!!

I don't have hardness test kits - never thought I'd needed them before, but considering what the water is doing at the moment I think I'm probably going to have to buy some and test just to be sure they are ok too before I consider restocking. Water is probably soft - we don't live in a hardwater area and with it being so acidic I imagine it's very soft too, but that's just guesswork.

And no I don't put anything in the tank other than dechlorinator and filter boosty type stuff when adding new fish. Also been no medications recently and under rather than over feeding. Not that I can see how feeding would lower the pH, it would affect the cycle rather than the pH I would have thought...

 

[scoliofish]

i was having a similar problem with my 10g tank but i hat an under gravel air pump (no filter and no heater) i only added cold water fish and i dit not have any testers but now when i add more they are fine (sill havent got filter but have heater and live plants)
dont know y

maby your angels are attacking your new fish.

please note i an no expert i amm only 14

 

[coldcazzie]

maby your angels are attacking your new fish.

that's quite possible - I deliberately went for the largest tetras they had to try to eliminate that issue, but they were still very interested in them. Although once the tetras came out of the bags not so much... The angels have always been with larger fish - discus, plecos, etc etc so small fish are quite novel for them!

Anyway, pH test after water change today showed pH of 6.4!! Woohoo a colour other than yellow!! Don't feel quite so much like I'm wasting my time lol, all the aches from lugging all that water about is proving worthwhile.

Once its at 6.8 will leave off for a week and see what happens...

 

[scoliofish]

maby your angels are attacking your new fish.

that's quite possible - I deliberately went for the largest tetras they had to try to eliminate that issue, but they were still very interested in them. Although once the tetras came out of the bags not so much... The angels have always been with larger fish - discus, plecos, etc etc so small fish are quite novel for them!

Anyway, pH test after water change today showed pH of 6.4!! Woohoo a colour other than yellow!! Don't feel quite so much like I'm wasting my time lol, all the aches from lugging all that water about is proving worthwhile.

Once its at 6.8 will leave off for a week and see what happens...

wow that is great i hope it goes bella from now on!

 

[Fishgurl1996]

The first thing an expert will ask you to do is check the PH. best to eliminate the obvious causes and those which are easiest to check first. BTW you're tank is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L!