46 gallon bow front ph is out the roof

[MossyOakMama]

Freshwater aquarium been set up for almost 3 weeks. Everything else is great but ph is off the chart!!! Help I done a small water change. I know it has to cycle. Any advice would be great. I put 3 plants n there but they r now gone. I have marineland penguin 350 filter. Please again help.

 

[Chiroptera]

Hold on, ph? What's the number at?

 

[MossyOakMama]

8.5 have not gotten it below 8.3. Tried 2 fish in aquarium and they both died.

 

[Chiroptera]

Are all the other readings good? Or is it just the ph?

 

[MossyOakMama]

Nitrate -0
Nitrite- 0
Hardness- 0
Chlorine- 0
Alkalinity- 300 ppm
Ph- 8.4
Just pulled water test.

 

[aqua_chem]

Is that your tank or your tap? Nitrates should never be at 0 ppm except in a limited number of circumstances.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Tank just pulled from there.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Tap water is high ph. No nitrites nor nitrates. Alkalinity and ph is really high.

 

[aqua_chem]

Sounds like my water. You can either fight it with DW, or work around it. Many fish can adapt to that high of a pH.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ok. I am a newbie. DW?? I have a 10 gallon set up and it's doing great. Took me a while to get the water clear. But I ck it and the numbers r great. My 46 gallon is still on the dull looking. Got filters in and running 24/7. I read turn the heater up and leave the light on. I am not real
Sure about that.
In my 10 gal I have a not real sure with the correct names
Tetras
Guppy
Sucker
Shrimp
I just don't want them to die. So I will let this one run for a month r so.

 

[MossyOakMama]

I have stability to put in it also oh lower. When setting up my 10 gal. I was told by local pet store to put distilled water in it when I first started it up. Does this help?

 

[Chiroptera]

DW usually means Driftwood. It can reduce your ph slightly, just like crushed coral can usually raise your ph. And your fish appreciate some natural decor, too.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Thank u. I so love my bigger aquarium but praying I can lower the ph.

 

[MossyOakMama]

With DW let it float r sink it? Also I have read boil it because is tannins........ ?

 

[Chiroptera]

Yeah. There's some really nice driftwood you can buy online, but if you don't feel comfortable with that there's ways to find and sanitize your own. If you're a beginner though, it may be easier to buy online or ask your local fish store where you can buy some nearby.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Going to look now. Just wondering when this ph and alkalinity will ever come down??

 

[Chiroptera]

The ph will probably come down a decent bit with the driftwood, the alkalinity.. not sure, but a lot of the time, fish will adjust to the water.. you don't need to do it the other way around. The ph is a little high.. but hopefully the driftwood will take care of some of it. The rest can probably be adjusted to. Some people lower the water in their old tank if it's small enough and start adding some of the new water from the new tank, some put their fish and some old water in a bucket and do it that way, with an airstone for aeration. I'd look up a guide once you're satisfied that you've done all that you can do, and see if you can make the transfer easier for the fish.

 

[MossyOakMama]

I know this might b a dumb ? But where does the alkalinity come from?

 

[Chiroptera]

I wouldn't know. I've been studying fish a lot the past year, but there's a lot I still need to learn, one of them being alkalinity. I never test for it in my tanks.. I think it's the same as alkalinity in soil when planting plants in a garden. Some fish, like plants, like different alkalinities, but can always adjust. Don't trust me on that, though. Someone will probably correct me by morning. sounds a lot like alkaline.. Like metals, from the table of elements. Maybe to do with how much of that is in the water. Honestly don't know, though.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Thank ya'll for all the information.