pH fluctuation

[NewFishKeeper]

Hello again!

Another piece of advise if you guys would be so kind!!!

O.K, Sent the tank up, added 6 Neon Tetras, got snails, added 2 clown loaches, tested all levels today, Ammonia at 0.25ppm, Nitrite at 0.5ppm, Nitrate at 10ppm, and pH has gone from 7.8 on the previous test, to 8.2 this time.

Why would the pH do this? Is it O.K, or do I need to do something to bring it back down?

Thanks in advance!

NFK

 

[poikilotherm]

Do you have anything in the tank that could be driving the pH up, like limestone or coral?
Also, what is your tank water's KH and GH (hardness)? Low KH can make your pH unstable, and high hardness can cause elevated pH.

Don't use chemicals to bring it down. Find out your water's hardness. If it's high, you could add driftwood or peat. Those may discolor your water somewhat, but I don't mind it. Neons and Clown Loaches prefer pH below 7.5, Your tank is cycling, and your pH may change during the cycle.

Are you using tap water? If so, what are the parameters of it (pH, KH, GH in particular)?

 

[NewFishKeeper]

Hi there!

O.K, until this moment, I'd never heard of KH and GH tests. No of the people in the LFS mentioned anything about that kind of test.

The water hear comes out of the tap at about 7.6 pH.

What kind of signs would the fish display if they were not happy?

(Apart from floating upside down at the top of the tank!!! )

Thanks again

NFK

 

[TankGirl]

There may be differences between the tests, for whatever reason, but I would really put pH issues on the back burner until you get the tank cycled. You will need to keep that ammonia down, and next the nitrite, until your cycle is complete - so those are the parameters I would concern myself with. I think the folks at the LFS very often cause people undue alarm by recommending they fool with their pH in new tanks, but that is just me

To do that you will need to do frequent partial water changes, which means your pH will likely stay pretty close to your tap, unless you have some serious buffering, calciferous objects in the tank. Even if you do, it is not going to change your pH overnight, or even in a few days.

HTH

 

[BrianNY]

I soooooooo agree with Tank Girl here. PH is really quite incidental to most aquarium fish. They can adapt to wide range of PH. Let your tank properly cycle first, in time the PH should gradually decline.

You should however know what your KH and GH are. These are simple tests and your lfs has test kits on hand. As Poikilotherm stated. It's the hardness of the water that controls PH stability.