Would Like To Increase Ph

[rgrrmg]

I would like to bring my PH up to as close to 8.0 as I can.
Any suggestions on how much baking soda I should add, or even if I should?

Here are my stats as of this morning:
Day 12, 24 Hrs.
12 Gallon tank
Temp.: 84 Deg. F
Ammonia (PPM):0.0
Nitrites (PPM):~2.0
PH (PPM):7.4 (Down from 7.5 Yesterday)
Nitrates~6.0


Thanx.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Are you doing a fishless cycle?

Personally I would just keep it right where you have it. The only time I would mess around with the pH is if it got down close to 6.5, where the bacteria will slow down/stop there ammonia/nitrite processing.

During a fishless cycle, the pH will fluctuate a lot! As I have found out! I am doing a fishless cycle right now on a small tank, and the pH from the tap is 7.6. A week later it was off the charts at 8.8+, and yesterday it is back down to 8.0. This is because ammonia is alkaline (basic) and will raise the pH in most cases. But once the cycle is done, and I have a fairly steady ammonia level (at o ppm) my pH value should be pretty stable, and so should yours.

-FHM

 

[rgrrmg]

Are you doing a fishless cycle?

Personally I would just keep it right where you have it. The only time I would mess around with the pH is if it got down close to 6.5, where the bacteria will slow down/stop there ammonia/nitrite processing.

During a fishless cycle, the pH will fluctuate a lot! As I have found out! I am doing a fishless cycle right now on a small tank, and the pH from the tap is 7.6. A week later it was off the charts at 8.8+, and yesterday it is back down to 8.0. This is because ammonia is alkaline (basic) and will raise the pH in most cases. But once the cycle is done, and I have a fairly steady ammonia level (at o ppm) my pH value should be pretty stable, and so should yours.

-FHM

Thanks FHM,

Yes it is a fish-less cycle, and so I won't add any.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yup, just keep a close eye on it. What is your tap water pH? If it gets low, just do a water change to bring it back up.

-FHM

 

[rgrrmg]

Yup, just keep a close eye on it. What is your tap water pH? If it gets low, just do a water change to bring it back up.

-FHM

tap water PH is 7.5.

Thanks FHM

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yup, just keep a close eye on it. What is your tap water pH? If it gets low, just do a water change to bring it back up.

-FHM

tap water PH is 7.5.

Thanks FHM

Yeah, a 7.5 is a good pH level. A lot of fish can be kept at that level!

-FHM

 

[discus_lover]

Nitrite
The by-product of ammonia breaking down is nitrites. Nitrites are also highly toxic to aquarium fish. If too many nitrites are in the circulatory system of a fish, their organs will shut down, and the fish will die. Cloudy water does not necessarily indicate high nitrite levels - the water can be crystal but still contain high levels of nitrites.

Just as with ammonia, frequent water changes and biological filter supplements are the best way to get rid of excess nitrites. If fish seem to suddenly die, without appearing to be ill or gasping for air, it is wise to check the nitrites.

 

[OldMan47]

This is a fishless cycle Discus Lover. You are right but there are no fish in the system to be harmed this time.
pH will drop as the nitrites and nitrates accumulate because some of the nitrates are in the form of acids which, of course, will drop the pH.

 

[discus_lover]

yes,rightly you said...

 

[rgrrmg]

This is a fishless cycle Discus Lover. You are right but there are no fish in the system to be harmed this time.
pH will drop as the nitrites and nitrates accumulate because some of the nitrates are in the form of acids which, of course, will drop the pH.

I guess on the same topic, what amazes me is I always thought since I'm adding 2.5ML of ammonia ( which brings it up to 3PPM in the tank) in the morning and 24 hours later I see 0.0PPM ammonia but my Nitrites have remained at 2.0 PPM for the last 4 days. My Nitrates have not varied from ~5-6PPM??
I thought as the ammonia goes away, the Nitrites and nitrates should go up...

 

[fatheadminnow]

This is a fishless cycle Discus Lover. You are right but there are no fish in the system to be harmed this time.
pH will drop as the nitrites and nitrates accumulate because some of the nitrates are in the form of acids which, of course, will drop the pH.

I guess on the same topic, what amazes me is I always thought since I'm adding 2.5ML of ammonia ( which brings it up to 3PPM in the tank) in the morning and 24 hours later I see 0.0PPM ammonia but my Nitrites have remained at 2.0 PPM for the last 4 days. My Nitrates have not varied from ~5-6PPM??
I thought as the ammonia goes away, the Nitrites and nitrates should go up...

I have noticed this as well? Maybe it's just a weird phenomenon?

Do you have plants in your tank? Plants can use ammonia as an extra source of nutrients. However, it is extremely unlikely that the plants can use that much ammonia in one day.

-FHM

 

[rgrrmg]

This is a fishless cycle Discus Lover. You are right but there are no fish in the system to be harmed this time.
pH will drop as the nitrites and nitrates accumulate because some of the nitrates are in the form of acids which, of course, will drop the pH.

I guess on the same topic, what amazes me is I always thought since I'm adding 2.5ML of ammonia ( which brings it up to 3PPM in the tank) in the morning and 24 hours later I see 0.0PPM ammonia but my Nitrites have remained at 2.0 PPM for the last 4 days. My Nitrates have not varied from ~5-6PPM??
I thought as the ammonia goes away, the Nitrites and nitrates should go up...

I have noticed this as well? Maybe it's just a weird phenomenon?

Do you have plants in your tank? Plants can use ammonia as an extra source of nutrients. However, it is extremely unlikely that the plants can use that much ammonia in one day.

-FHM

Funny you mentioned plants, I had 5 live plants in the tank up until yesterday when I removed them. I was thinking they might skew my data based on what I had read on this forum.

 

[drobbyb]

I would like to bring my PH up to as close to 8.0 as I can.
Any suggestions on how much baking soda I should add, or even if I should?

Try here. During a fishless cycle it is fine to use baking soda.

I would only use it once the pH has started to fall off as a preventative measure.