High PH 7.8 - 8.0 & cloudy water

[Dbnsa]

Hi guys, thought I would give you an update on how my tank is doing.

After chatting to you I decided to do a 50% water change followed by 20% changes every day until the tank came right.
I also against your advise went and got some liquid ph down as my tap waters ph is over 8ppm.
So I did the 50% change and added the ph down. Then every two hours I checked the ph level and added the ph down until I was happy. I then did a 20% water change on the second day. Then checked the ph level and adjusted it the same way I did the day before.

The photo shows you the result of what I did. I have also put in a piece of drift wood to help stabilize the ph level.

In conclusion, what I think was the problem here is that the ph was way to high, causing an ammonia bloom which in turn caused an algae bloom.

So note to anyone that is frustrated with their tank and is having the same problem I have had. Check your ph level.

 

[gilpi]

So your advice to us is to go buy a pH buffer in order to keep the ammonia down??!

What you most likely have is a bacterial bloom due to as you said..."poor cycling". Adding a pH buffer makes a bad situation worse.

Sometimes taking a step back and going back to the basics is not a bad idea.

 

[Brookster123]

Your true ph from tap will not show until 24 hrs after it is "tapped". My ph is crazy high if I test it right from the tap yet all my tanks range from 7.4-7.6. Hmmmm, adding bottled magic may help short term but I hardly think it is a long term solution, will most likely only cause issues down the road.

 

[Dbnsa]

I'll be testing everyday for the next week or so to make sure it remains stable.

Sorry didn't mean ammonia bloom. Just ammonia. I had algae bloom on my mind when I wrote it.

I'm not saying that a ph buffer is the answer. But in my case after trying everything i could think of and trawling the internet for hours looking for answers. The ph buffer seems be working. Even if it is for the moment.

I'm just really happy to have come home from work, switch on the aquarium light and see an almost crystal clear tank. Something I haven't seen since the beginning of December and even before then.

I'll keep you in the loop as to what happens over the next week.

 

[Delapool]

Just out of curiosity, the tank has remained clear? No sign of any returning cloudiness?

 

[Dbnsa]

The second water change was yesterday so it's been about 24 hours. This morning it was clear it has remained clear the whole day. Usually by this time the tank would be milky again.

 

[Delapool]

Well good luck with it and I'd be keen to know how it goes. For the life of me I can't think how that has worked but it has so I hope it pans out well. You didn't replace filter carbon at the same time (it looked like your filters took carbon)?

 

[Dbnsa]

Hi no I haven't replaced the carbon yet. But it is the next thing yo get done.

 

[mrvincent]

Don't ajust PH while there's fish in the tank !!!!

For cycling, just wait nature does it for you... You may add BBs in bottle to help...

When you'll do your WC, PH will be unstable...

 

[Dbnsa]

I realize that the ph will be unstable on water changes. But my plan is to change the water and then watch what's happens. But I'm hoping to only change the water next week again. I want to leave the tank alone now to see what will happen. If it will resort back to what it was or if it will stabilize and improve from there.

 

[Dbnsa]

Hi guys,

As promised I would keep you informed with the progress of my tank.

It's been a week since the water change and the ph buffer. The water is still crystal clear. Ph is stable at 7.2.

Fish are really happy and so am I.

No sign of algae or bacteria bloom.

I'll give another up date next week.