What Is Happening To My Ph,doing A Fish In Cycle?

[maisy12345]

Hi ,i`ve transferred my media from my 28l tank [that wasn`t cycled ,but was doing a fish-in -cycle for 3 months]to my 110l to help it to cycle,,2 weeks after i added it the nitrite has gone up to 0.25 ,the ammonias been 0 for days but has also gone up now to 0.25 and also the nitrates have slightly risen [not quite 0.25 though].But my main problem is my ph it`s gone down from 7.6[in my old tank ]to 6.8[my new tank],and has now gone down over last week to 0,which is really worrying,have tested the tap water ,by letting it stand for a day and it`s 7.6.Have also tried adding api ph up ,but this only raises ph temporary to 6.6,and then it goes down to 0 again ,what `s causing this and what can i do about it?
Any advice would be helpful ,have already done a 50 percent water change last night but my nitrate levels are at 0.25 again ?

 

[marieukxx]

Strang one Maisy I've never heard of 0 PH before. Hopefully someone will be along to help you

 

[StandbySetting]

PH 0? Test kits don't register this value. You can add bicarbonate of soda to increase your PH, 1 tea spoon per 10 gallons to start with and increase as necessary.

 

[KittyKat]

I assume you mean pH 6.0, not 0.

If you are doing a fish-in cycle, leave the pH alone. Ammonia is less harmful to fish at lower pHs (6.0-7.0 is better for most fish than ammonia), but the cycle will probably take longer. My observation is that changes in pH are more likely to stall a cycle than low, but consistent pH.

And yes, keep the water changes up, to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25 ppm. Yes, do use a dechlorinator which will make ammonia less toxic.

If you are doing a fish-less cycle, use bicarbonate of soda to increase pH (do NOT use it if you are doing a fish-in cycle!).

 

[maisy12345]

Hi ,thanks for your replies,Standbysetting ,i made a mistake ,meant 6.0,and won`t bicarbonate affect my corries?
Kittykat thanks will keep doing the water changes,so 6.0 is nothing to worry about?
Thanks Marie ,hope someone will

 

[KittyKat]

Bicarbonate will affect fish, so do not use it. pH 6.0 is great for most Corys, which other fish do you have?

 

[maisy12345]

Hi Kittykat ,thanks for that ,i`ve also got 2 ,pitbull plecos ,dwarf gouramis [1 male 2 female],2 glowlight tetra 3 amano shrimp ,1 freshwater.

 

[StandbySetting]

It wont affect fish, it will increase the KH, thus buffering the PH, I take it the 6.0 reading is the lowest your test kit goes? If so it could be that the PH is in fact lower, which is why I would buffer the water with NaHCO[sub]3[/sub], you want your PH around 7, nitrite is more toxic in an aqueous acidic solution, I presume by nitrate you are referring to Nitrate(III) which has the systematic name nitrite? I presume this because of the small readings you're supplying.

If you go for the lower PH, Ammonia is less toxic, but nitrite is more toxic, therefore finding a balance is better as it reduces the risk of your cycle stalling, just remember to buffer any water you replace when you do a water change.

 

[maisy12345]

How do i buffer water,when doing a water change Standby setting,and kittykats said that bicarb will harm my fish ?I`m talking about my nitrite being 0.25.

 

[StandbySetting]

Bicarbonate of soda wont affect your fish, it reduces the toxicity of nitrite and buffers the KH, you'd need to add some to any water you replace, but the quantity you need to add will depend on the current KH of your tap water, you don't need to know the KH but it would help, add a tsp per 10 gallons and then test your PH, aim for about 7, no higher.

Do not use baking powder, make sure it is Bicarbonate of soda.

 

[coldcazzie]

Personally Maisy, I'd leave the pH alone. A pH of 6 won't harm your fish, and trying to fiddle about with your pH is difficult. I wouldn't do it, and I've been keeping fish for much longer than you!

Whether or not the bicarb will harm the fish I am not sure. But I'd not worry too much about it. Keep doing your water changes, what percentage are you doing each day? Also, do you have hardness test kits or not?

My tap water pH is 7.4, but my tank sits at about 6.2.

 

[maisy12345]

Hi,Coldcazzie ,i`m doing 50 percent water changes ,but it hasn`t gone down [the nitrites from 0.25]from last nights water change,so i was thinking of doing a larger one,i haven`t got a hardness test kit ,how would this help ,thanks for your help?

 

[StandbySetting]

Maisy, I presume you're using an API PH kit? The minimum value on these things is 6, therefore your PH could actually be lower, anything under 6 will generally stall a cycle.

 

[maisy12345]

How do i find out of my ph is lower than 6.0?

 

[StandbySetting]

Using a broader range test kit, which is why I'd use Bicarb to puffer the KH to bring the PH up to levels within the range of the test kit.