New Tank

[RDouglas50]

Hello everyone,

I just want to first say that this website is pretty cool, and I'm learning much more here than I ever thought I could about aquariums ever, so thank you.

That being said, I got a bit of a difficult concept for me to grasp, alkalinity and ph. Being new to fish and aquariums, I had no idea how everything, especially water quality, would effect the quality of life for a fish. Here's where it gets complicated for me. I have a 10gal tank upgrade for my betta, who's currently in a 1gal betta bowl in premade betta water. I have well water, and geographically I'm sitting on a giant bed of limestone. Ph is above 8.4 and not even registering on the kit I have, and alkalinity is 300+

I was told to stabilize alkalinity before I even thought about neutralizing the ph, but I'm having a hard time with the concept. Is it the bacteria in the nitrogen cycle that's used to stabilize the alkalinity?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

to AA!

Hello everyone,

I just want to first say that this website is pretty cool, and I'm learning much more here than I ever thought I could about aquariums ever, so thank you.

That being said, I got a bit of a difficult concept for me to grasp, alkalinity and ph. Being new to fish and aquariums, I had no idea how everything, especially water quality, would effect the quality of life for a fish. Here's where it gets complicated for me. I have a 10gal tank upgrade for my betta, who's currently in a 1gal betta bowl in premade betta water. I have well water, and geographically I'm sitting on a giant bed of limestone. Ph is above 8.4 and not even registering on the kit I have, and alkalinity is 300+

I was told to stabilize alkalinity before I even thought about neutralizing the ph, but I'm having a hard time with the concept. Is it the bacteria in the nitrogen cycle that's used to stabilize the alkalinity?

To be honest I wouldn't worry about it that much. The pH is fine at that level for almost all freshwater fish. Better keep it stable than try to adjust it, which can lead to unstable levels and could kill the fish.

If you're REALLY concerned and have really sensitive fish that need soft water to thrive (ex. chocolate gouramis) peat moss filtration, adding driftwood, or using RO water are your safest bets.

 

[George9]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice! Glad you joined.

 

[RDouglas50]

to AA!

To be honest I wouldn't worry about it that much. The pH is fine at that level for almost all freshwater fish. Better keep it stable than try to adjust it, which can lead to unstable levels and could kill the fish.

If you're REALLY concerned and have really sensitive fish that need soft water to thrive (ex. chocolate gouramis) peat moss filtration, adding driftwood, or using RO water are your safest bets.

I have no idea what the ph of the water is. I mean, it's higher than my test kit reads. But are you saying I shouldn't worry about the alkalinity? I thought the alkalinity stabilized the ph of the water

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I have no idea what the ph of the water is. I mean, it's higher than my test kit reads. But are you saying I shouldn't worry about the alkalinity? I thought the alkalinity stabilized the ph of the water

Yes pH all depends on alkalinity. If it's a higher reading than the 8.4 mark, I don't know what it could be. I think the alkalinity seems a bit high. Are you using test strips or a liquid kit? Could you try using tap water or is that not an option?

 

[RDouglas50]

I'm using water from the tap, and strips to test. I did a 50/50 mix of tap and distilled to see if that cut down on the harshness of the water, helped a little. The strip read and alkalinity of about 280, but ph still above 8.4. And I have a liquid tester for ph.

At least I don't have to worry about the chlorine in the water...

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I'm using water from the tap, and strips to test. I did a 50/50 mix of tap and distilled to see if that cut down on the harshness of the water, helped a little. The strip read and alkalinity of about 280, but ph still above 8.4. And I have a liquid tester for ph.

At least I don't have to worry about the chlorine in the water...

Strips aren't as reliable so I'm not sure how correct that reading is.

 

[RDouglas50]

Strips are fresh, and I put and extra bag of silica in the bottle for good measure. As far as testing's concerned, I'll probably get one off the Internet and get it shipped to me. (Nearest pet related shop is petco, 35min one-way. Been there four times this week and no liquid tests)

I just want the ideal tank conditions for my 'betta rescue' I impulsively bought at Wal-Mart after seeing the little guy swimming in less than an inch of really cruddy water.

 

[RDouglas50]

Anybody else have any tips/suggestions for me?

 

[librarygirl]

Don't use distilled water as it doesn't have essential minerals the fish need. If anything use spring water (poland spring, nestle pure life, deer park; aquafina and dasani may not have the minerals in it as I think it's RO water). The problem with spring water is that many of them have very low PHs, so it's the other end of the spectrum but it can be buffered with crushed coral.

I would definitly NOT use the strips; they are very inaccurate. Try to get a good liquid test kit like the API Master kit and see if the readings are the same. You might also send a PM to Eco23; he works for a water company and may have some advice about the high PH issue. Normally most fish will adapt to your PH as long as it's stable, but yours potentially being so high it's best to find out for sure. How are you going to cycle the tank?

Good for you for upgrading your betta's home. Just don't forget to do daily water changes for him with dechlorinator while he's in his smaller home.

 

[RDouglas50]

Don't use distilled water as it doesn't have essential minerals the fish need. If anything use spring water (poland spring, nestle pure life, deer park; aquafina and dasani may not have the minerals in it as I think it's RO water). The problem with spring water is that many of them have very low PHs, so it's the other end of the spectrum but it can be buffered with crushed coral.

I would definitly NOT use the strips; they are very inaccurate. Try to get a good liquid test kit like the API Master kit and see if the readings are the same. You might also send a PM to Eco23; he works for a water company and may have some advice about the high PH issue. Normally most fish will adapt to your PH as long as it's stable, but yours potentially being so high it's best to find out for sure. How are you going to cycle the tank?

Good for you for upgrading your betta's home. Just don't forget to do daily water changes for him with dechlorinator while he's in his smaller home.

I think I may have seen the api liquid master test at petco, I'll check that out whenever I get paid... Kinda low on funds...

But thank you everyone for all the great advice, i really do appreciate it