pH too high?

[ryanp]

Hello all,
I love this forum, but I don't have a reason to post very often. However, my roommate recently bought an electronic pH meter so he can run CO2 injection, and just for fun I checked the pH of my tank. It was at 8.1. This seems pretty high to me, but all of my fish (neons, plecos, gouramis, swords, corys, etc.) seem to be doing just fine. I know the best indicator of water quality is fish and plants, and they all seem to be ok. So, should I be worried about it? I have some pH down formula that was given to me, but I don't like to use chemicals if I don't have to.

Thanks!
Ryan

 

[MyCatsDrool]

if the fish are fairing well, i would not do anything. pH is funny in that if it is stable, the fish will usually adjust and be fine.

test your tap water to see if that is the source of the high pH. If not, look to any calcium carbonate sources in your tank like dried/crushed corals, sea shells, etc.

to bring it down naturally if you desire, try peat or driftwood.

 

[Idealconcepts]

As MyCatsDrool stated, if they are fine do not do anything, and check your water out of the tap to see what the Ph is. Your fish can be more stressed out with swings in Ph, such as always trying to lower it and doing a water change that will raise it back up.

 

[7Enigma]

That pH is completely fine. Once your roommate begins the CO2 injection, you'll be glad its that high (especially if he overdoes it at the beginning). With a good 30ppm your tank pH will drop to 7.1 which is a perfect place to be in any tank. I wouldn't worry about it in the least.

 

[ryanp]

so, CO2 injection lowers pH?

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I'm considering doing CO2 injection on my tank as well...

 

[neilanh]

Did you check the accuracy of the electronic unit against a chemical test set?
I'd be curious to know how close the 2 different test types faired against each other.

 

[ryanp]

Did you check the accuracy of the electronic unit against a chemical test set?
I'd be curious to know how close the 2 different test types faired against each other.

I'm not sure. It came with a pH 7.01 solution that you use to calibrate it, and I think that's it. Is there another good way to calibrate?

 

[neilanh]

So when you put the tester in the 7.01 solution it reads 7.01?

If you have a standard pH chemical test set, you could just test with that and compare the readings.

 

[7Enigma]

Did you check the accuracy of the electronic unit against a chemical test set?
I'd be curious to know how close the 2 different test types faired against each other.

I'm not sure. It came with a pH 7.01 solution that you use to calibrate it, and I think that's it. Is there another good way to calibrate?

Most pH probes need to be calibrated to a minimum of 2 points for accuracy. That means you get a high pH buffer and a low pH buffer to calibrate the probe accurately. Normally 4, 7, and 10 are used.

 

[tropicfishman]

if your fish are fine then your fine, PH is more about stability than a dead set PH

 

[7Enigma]

if your fish are fine then your fine, PH is more about stability than a dead set PH

While that's completely true, I'd want my newly purchased pH probe to be accurate, especially if the OP's roommate has plans on injecting CO2.

 

[Lepomis]

You mean a one point calibration isn't any good? lol. Seriously as everone said stability is the key. However the high pH may shorten the lifespan of some fish and could me detremental to sucessful reproduction (if that is even a concern).

 

[ryanp]

alright, thanks for all the great info. Where could I get 4, 7 and 10 pH solutions? And I'm pretty sure my pH is fairly stable, but not certain. I haven't gotten a chance to test my tap water's pH yet, but will definitely do that.

 

[7Enigma]

alright, thanks for all the great info. Where could I get 4, 7 and 10 pH solutions? And I'm pretty sure my pH is fairly stable, but not certain. I haven't gotten a chance to test my tap water's pH yet, but will definitely do that.

Any chemical supply store should have it most likely. It should be cheap stuff too. They are just colored buffers that have been pH'd to 4, 7, and 10. If I remember correctly 4 is red, 7 is yellow, and 10 is blue.