Is my tank ready for fish?

[plantnoob]

Nope. How you clean your filter should have no bearing on the pH. Ammonia and nitrite maybe, but not the pH. Are you sure there is no change to your well/tap water? Perhaps worth checking it again after agitating it and letting it sit for an hour or so. Otherwise I'm stumped as to why your pH would keep going up. One other possibility is if your substrate is not inert, that could be contributing to the increase.


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[ColemAnthony1]

I tested the tap today and it read 7.6, and I've just got plain old play sand in both my tanks. I've got an idea. I'll fill a bucket with tap water, test the pH, and add some Kordon stuff and let it sit over night, then test it again in the morning.


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[TMaier]

What is in your tank? Your substrate and decor? It could be the source of the ph increase in some cases. Some substrates have high mineral content or rocks that leach into the water.


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[ColemAnthony1]

I've got several big rocks (not sure what kind they are), play sand, driftwood, empty coconut shells...

(I desperately need some green in there, but it seems like all of my plants die )

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[ColemAnthony1]

*UPDATE* well I put the Kordon stuff in a bucket of tap water and let it sit over night along with another bucket of tap water with no Kordon stuff and turns out, the Kordon did nothing to the pH of the water. Both tests came out the exact same color. So I guess it's gotta be something in the tank, but I haven't added anything new. Could the Kordon be reacting with te rocks I have? They're just river rocks that I grabbed from the river behind my house. They are in both tanks though, so it's possible that they are the culprit.





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[TMaier]

There are folks on here much wiser than I, but to me it sounds like everything you have in there could impact the PH. The woods would lower. Everything else could potentially increase it. You might consider removing the shells first and seeing if you drop a bit.

Edit: sorry I thought I read shells as in seashells. My spidy senses are thinking the sand or rock. But I don't know how you could test to find out.

Sorry.


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[ColemAnthony1]

Well I guess if it's staying at a solid 8.0 that's not all that bad right?


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[TMaier]

Not from what I have read. It is dramatic fast swings that should be avoided.


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[plantnoob]

Agree with T. If you think that's your stable water pH and it's not going to change from there, that's not bad at all. Like I said, my water pH is 7.8.

Also, along with the container where you are adding Kordon, can you also have another one with just pain water? Just so we have a good baseline after a few hours of sitting. In reality water pH changes over time due to change in dissolved CO2 and some other factors. I'm doing the same with my water to test it out.


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[plantnoob]

I meant plain water


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[ColemAnthony1]

I did have two separate containers. One with Kordon and one without. Both tested a pH of 7.6 after sitting overnight.


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[ColemAnthony1]

So, I usually use the drip drop method to acclimate my fish. I'm almost sure that the fish stores water is not at 8.0, so will the fish be okay acclimating to my higher pH if I use the drip drop method? Or is there another better way?


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[plantnoob]

I do the same. LFS water is RO buffered and at 7.0 roughly. Mine is at 7.8. I use a drip line but be careful not to let the bad fill up with too much water and not have any airspace left. Doubling the volume in about 30 minutes, then letting sit for about 10 and netting the fish into the tank has worked well for me. Never lost one ever from transfer shock.


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[ColemAnthony1]

Okay thank you. I'm planning on getting the fish today! I'll let y'all know how they do.


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[ColemAnthony1]

Well I got the fish. They said that they just sold out on the multis, but they'd get more soon. I live about 3 hours away, so I can't just come another time. I only visit Portland a handful of times a year, so I bought some Neolamproligus brevis instead. Have any of you had experience with these little guys?


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[plantnoob]

Haven't personally had any, but not very different from the multis I reckon? Pairs vs a Harlem for the multis How many did you get?


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