How to raise ph?

[Trioracles]

I need a quick fix for my ph Lvls. What are some ways to raise my ph Lvls?

 

[Mebbid]

I need a quick fix for my ph Lvls. What are some ways to raise my ph Lvls?

As long as your pH is 6.6 - 8.3 and you aren't keeping very specific types of fish then you don't need to fiddle with your pH. Trying to change it will just cause more problems down the road as stability is far more important than an exact number.

What is your pH hanging at and what fish do you keep?

 

[Trioracles]

I have goldfish right now and my ph is like 6.5 which is horrible. I just went out and bought arm and hammer baking soda to temporarily relieve the problem. Are there any more long term methods? I heard lime stone works but are there any more ummmm attractive solutions? Lime rocks don't exactly look the best lol

 

[Trioracles]

6.4* my fish r feeling very lethargic and hanging around the surface for air. They r only active when they see me

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I have goldfish right now and my ph is like 6.5 which is horrible. I just went out and bought arm and hammer baking soda to temporarily relieve the problem. Are there any more long term methods? I heard lime stone works but are there any more ummmm attractive solutions? Lime rocks don't exactly look the best lol

First off, what is your water change schedule look like and what is your tap pH?

Second, be careful with the baking soda, it can cause a massive swing in pH if you're not careful about it.

Third, crushed coral in your filter or substrate can certainly help just like limestone. In fact, is the same material. Calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate aids in stability because it is not really soluble like baking soda or potassium carbonate(pot ash).

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Trioracles]

First off, what is your water change schedule look like and what is your tap pH?

Second, be careful with the baking soda, it can cause a massive swing in pH if you're not careful about it.

Third, crushed coral in your filter or substrate can certainly help just like limestone. In fact, is the same material. Calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate aids in stability because it is not really soluble like baking soda or potassium carbonate(pot ash).

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Once a week I do50% water change and the tap is about 7.0 I'm guessing cuz I live in ny. My goldfish r just hanging at the bottom of the tank not doing anything. I really don't wanna use baking soda but I feel if I don't do something, it might worsen. How many teaspoons per gallon?

 

[trennamw]

What size tank? And how much do you feed and vacuum? What's the temp? What kind of filter, are there plants, what else can you tell us?

Their symptoms don't strike me as a pH issue.

I would get your pH up slowly with a series of small water changes. Or for instance take out half the water and let the replacement water drip in from a bucket with a knotted airline tube (look up drip acclimation).

Nothing keeps pH up forever. KH measures stuff that helps buffer pH and it gets used up. You don't want to rely on just adding stuff to the water because that increases total dissolved solids and can subject the fish to osmotic stress.

Give is some more info and we will help more. But so far it sounds like the last thing to do is add more to the water. What's the KH and GH of your tap water?

 

[jlk]

Once a week I do50% water change and the tap is about 7.0 I'm guessing cuz I live in ny. My goldfish r just hanging at the bottom of the tank not doing anything. I really don't wanna use baking soda but I feel if I don't do something, it might worsen. How many teaspoons per gallon?

What size is your tank and how many/what type of goldfish? Numbers for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Is this a new tank? This information is vital in helping us to help you better!

Before adding chemicals, start with water changes immediately. 50% right now then in an hour, change another 50%. Repeat the same wcs but slightly larger (60-75%) tomorrow.

Before adding chemicals, you need to determine the cause of the ph crash. Overstocked tanks with an insufficient wcs are a common reason as is tap water that is lacking in KH and GH. Investing in liquid tests for GH and KH or taking a tap and tank sample to a decent lfs for testing should be your next step in addition to the wcs. Please ask any questions!

 

[Trioracles]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312156 umm I asked another question here with pictures if that helps .

 

[jlk]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312156 umm I asked another question here with pictures if that helps .

I just read this. An extremely low ph is enough to make any fancy feel unwell and create slime coat issues. Goldfish do best in hard, alkaline high ph water. However, you did not mention your current tank size, number of fish or present parameters in your other thread.

If you do not have any test tubes at the moment, you still can perform all of the tests as long as you have a clean white or clear container that you can close. Just measure out 5mls (1tsp) of tank water and perform the test. Rinse well with plain tap before performing the next test.

In addition to determining the cause of your low ph and adjusting it gradually with water changes and possibly adding a natural or chemical buffer (depends on your tap gh and kh), have your fancies been through a full course of praziquantel to eliminate gill and skin flukes? This will be the next consideration after stabilizing your tank and ensuring its healthy. Flukes are the most common menace for goldfish and can cause long term health issues if not addressed.

 

[Trioracles]

I just read this. An extremely low ph is enough to make any fancy feel unwell and create slime coat issues. Goldfish do best in hard, alkaline high ph water. However, you did not mention your current tank size, number of fish or present parameters in your other thread.

If you do not have any test tubes at the moment, you still can perform all of the tests as long as you have a clean white or clear container that you can close. Just measure out 5mls (1tsp) of tank water and perform the test. Rinse well with plain tap before performing the next test.

In addition to determining the cause of your low ph and adjusting it gradually with water changes and possibly adding a natural or chemical buffer (depends on your tap gh and kh), have your fancies been through a full course of praziquantel to eliminate gill and skin flukes? This will be the next consideration after stabilizing your tank and ensuring its healthy. Flukes are the most common menace for goldfish and can cause long term health issues if not addressed.

I have a 70 gal with 6 fancies. I did the bootleg testing xD and it shows that I have

Ph. 6.0-6.4
Ammonia - 0-0.25
Nitrites- 0
Nitrates 5.0

I added baking soda to the tank. I used one of the white plastic spoons u get from ordering take out and scooped a little over one spoon of baking soda into a cup with tank water. Then I mixed it up well and slowly and evenly poured it in the tank. The fish was reacting, but I dunno if they were reacting toward my presence or the baking soda. Anyway, after a while they acted like normal. I noticed some of the fishs fins near its gills were kinda twitching. But then after a while they returned to normal.my snails didn't react to anything , if anything they became more active.

I then took another ph test and it turned to 7.4.

Thanks so much for telling me about the flukes. Am I able to get treatment at a lfs?

 

[Trioracles]

I just read this. An extremely low ph is enough to make any fancy feel unwell and create slime coat issues. Goldfish do best in hard, alkaline high ph water. However, you did not mention your current tank size, number of fish or present parameters in your other thread.

If you do not have any test tubes at the moment, you still can perform all of the tests as long as you have a clean white or clear container that you can close. Just measure out 5mls (1tsp) of tank water and perform the test. Rinse well with plain tap before performing the next test.

In addition to determining the cause of your low ph and adjusting it gradually with water changes and possibly adding a natural or chemical buffer (depends on your tap gh and kh), have your fancies been through a full course of praziquantel to eliminate gill and skin flukes? This will be the next consideration after stabilizing your tank and ensuring its healthy. Flukes are the most common menace for goldfish and can cause long term health issues if not addressed.

What's a good brand of praziquantel that I can buy from a chain store like petland discounts? Thanks!

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I have a 70 gal with 6 fancies. I did the bootleg testing xD and it shows that I have

Ph. 6.0-6.4
Ammonia - 0-0.25
Nitrites- 0
Nitrates 5.0

I added baking soda to the tank. I used one of the white plastic spoons u get from ordering take out and scooped a little over one spoon of baking soda into a cup with tank water. Then I mixed it up well and slowly and evenly poured it in the tank. The fish was reacting, but I dunno if they were reacting toward my presence or the baking soda. Anyway, after a while they acted like normal. I noticed some of the fishs fins near its gills were kinda twitching. But then after a while they returned to normal.my snails didn't react to anything , if anything they became more active.

I then took another ph test and it turned to 7.4.

Thanks so much for telling me about the flukes. Am I able to get treatment at a lfs?

That's a big swing in pH, so I would let them rest for a while. Do you have room in your filter for crushed coral?
Also, a KH test is definitely in order whether you have the kit or you need to take a sample to an lfs.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[jlk]

What's a good brand of praziquantel that I can buy from a chain store like petland discounts? Thanks!

I am not familiar with Petland (southern chain?). Most chain stores do not carry prazi but a speciality lfs will and it's readily available anywhere online (petmountain, drsfoster&smith, amazon, eBay, etc).

The easiest stuff for someone not familiar with is Hikari's Prazipro. It's a liquid form of prazi (prazi as powder does not dissolve in water). It does not affect your good bacteria, plants or inverts and can be safely used even with fry as young as 2-3wks. You will need to treat for a full cycle of 4 weeks or do a repeat cycle of 3wks on, 1wk off, 3wks on. Consensus is out on whether one method is more effectively than another and many serious goldfish owners will just treat for 6wks (seems a bit excessive to me). Please ask any questions!