High pH

[scotmack]

Hi everyone:

I have just aquired my aquarium 5 weeks ago and am having a heck of a time maintaining a neutral ph, I have guppies and tentras and cherry shrimp, the first few batches of guppies died within two to three days, then I tested my ph, it was OFF the chart, after one week of carefulling adding ph down I finally got it to 7.2 and have new guppies and same old tetras and shrimp living there, but each day I test the ph it rises to8.00 and I have to add the drops to bring it back to 7.2, Why does it keep going up EVERY day? Is this something I will have to add on a daily basis, I have live plants and some decorations in there, including a small clay pot, why does it go up every day?

 

[Alaris]

First: you want a STABLE pH not an "ideal" pH. Fish stress out and die when the pH fluctuates. Using pH down takes your pH out of equilibrium. It rises back up trying to achieve equilibrium. Don't fight it. 8.0 is not bad. Using pH down will kill your fish. Throw it out.

 

[Purrbox]

Post split into it's own thread.

I agree with Alaris, a stable pH is much more important than an "ideal" pH. Unless you're trying to breed some of the harder fish varieties, there is no need to mess with it.

What are your test results for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate? These are much more likely to be the culprits for the fishes that died.

 

[AndrewH]

Keep the pH and Temp stable. You're tank is still cycling so you shouldn't be adding more fish. It sounds like you're fish may have died from Ammo or Nitrite Poisoning, I suggest you read up on the Nitrogen Cycle before you lose anymore fish.

 

[DSenn]

Your pH keeps jumping back up because of your hardness levels. Your KH is absorbing the acid in the pH down, and once it is gone, the pH will go back to 8.0. Read up on water hardness (specifically carbonate hardness) and how it affects your pH.

If you want to truly bring your pH down, you need to remove the hardness, and the best way to do this is with an R.O./D.I. unit.

 

[bs6749]

GH does not have an effect on the pH. For the most part it's the carbonate and bicarbonate hardness that buffers the pH and KH is a measure for those two ions specifically.

Do ont add pH Down if you do not know what you are doing. The pH will rise every day after you add pH down until you remove the buffering capacity of the water (KH needs to be lowered). You can use a mix of pure water and your tap water to get your water parameters where you'd lke them but I can tell you that the fish you have will be fine in that pH and I wouldn't mess with a thing.

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

Don't guppies like hard water?

The only thing I've heard of for lowering PH that seems stable is to use drift wood.

I'd let your PH just be.

 

[bs6749]

I know Endlers like hard water but not sure on guppies. I doubt that they'd care in all honesty. They aren't really a finicky fish.

Driftwood may lower the pH to some extent but it's not going to take the water from something like 8.0 to 7.4.

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

No, sure, but it might be a stable way of making it slightly softer.

I'd thought all of the livebearers were hard water lovers.

 

[Lager]

Most of the common livebearers like alkaline water. Some will live in full saltwater.

 

[bs6749]

Driftwood is not going to change the hardness of the water. In order to safely change the hardness you will have to do water changes with water that is less hard or pure.