I'm new here and really have no idea what I'm doing! I bought a tank for my son and the fish all died. A friend told me about "cycling" the water. So that is where I am ... BUT, I keep testing it and the water is getting worse rather than going in the other direction. I've put all the chemicals the store recommended to "help" but the ph level keeps raising and raising. Everything is close to normal so we went ahead and put a couple fish in there. They didn't make it through the night. I don't want to hurt anymore fish so I'm here to try and figure out what to do!
ph level too high
- Thread starter Pamala
- Start date
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carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi welcome to the forum!
Don't worry we can get you all straightened out.
How big is your tank and when did you get it?
I can def recommend getting an API master testing kit, youre gonna need it for cycling. You need the liquid test kit with the little vials. Ph is pretty useless right now so dont worry about that.
Don't worry we can get you all straightened out.
How big is your tank and when did you get it?
I can def recommend getting an API master testing kit, youre gonna need it for cycling. You need the liquid test kit with the little vials. Ph is pretty useless right now so dont worry about that.
AquaOne
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hi Pamala,
You are probably going the right direction, just too quickly !
A bit concerned about 'all the chemicals', you should only need time and perhaps one 'filter-start' product to get going. My new project has taken 3 weeks just for the water to clear, then another two weeks for the filter to mature enough to manage the ammonia efficiently.
When you feel ready to stock your tank, take a sample of water to your fish stockist and get them to test it, if they are a reputable supplier they won't want you to get fish until your water is right. Stick at it, time is important.
You are probably going the right direction, just too quickly !
A bit concerned about 'all the chemicals', you should only need time and perhaps one 'filter-start' product to get going. My new project has taken 3 weeks just for the water to clear, then another two weeks for the filter to mature enough to manage the ammonia efficiently.
When you feel ready to stock your tank, take a sample of water to your fish stockist and get them to test it, if they are a reputable supplier they won't want you to get fish until your water is right. Stick at it, time is important.
Homedog98
Aquarium Advice Addict
AquaOne said:
Not even the filter start... Just a raw shrimp, pure ammonia (no surfactant or scent) or fish food to start the cycle.
This is wonderful advice!! Thank you guys so much. Another friend from the board has been telling me to give it time but I had it in my brain that "time" meant a matter of days. See, this tank is a 50 gallon and for my 11 year old son. If you only knew the attention span of an 11 year old boy! Do you think a water frog might help get the cycle going? At least that would give my son "something to watch". Thanks for all the help! I really appreciate it. I've been going out of my mind wondering what I'm doing wrong! I know the frogs take air so maybe the water won't be such an issue? Everything is fine except ph level now.
AquaOne
Aquarium Advice Freak
Over here in UK, the general rule is to go with 'local tap', because the local stockists are conditioning their fish to thrive in the local 'unbuffered' ph. You won't get away with that for all species, some are quite fussy and need a narrow ph band to be happy. If you have a high ph level (more than straight from your tap/fawcet) maybe you have something in the tank which is pushing up the ph. Try to avoid using ph buffers, it adds another control measure that nobody needs. If you can have live plant, that can often help stabilize ph, but even plants can sometimes do better in specific ph !
Time... hmmmn... have you tried turning the clock back when your boy isn't looking (TiC).
Time... hmmmn... have you tried turning the clock back when your boy isn't looking (TiC).
You DO have experience with an 11 year old! lol The clock is genius! I did use tap but I also added a couple tablespoons of the water that came with the fish. Hmmm. I wonder if I need to empty it and start over or just let the water stay and keep cycling?
AquaOne
Aquarium Advice Freak
Pamala, what species are you looking to get?
If you want a general community tank, you would do well with some hardy fish to start, like some platy's perhaps. They can tolerate a fairly wide ph band and once you have some fish thriving it will be a good indicator for the water condition. I just tried the clock trick, it's not nearly as effective on me !!
If you want a general community tank, you would do well with some hardy fish to start, like some platy's perhaps. They can tolerate a fairly wide ph band and once you have some fish thriving it will be a good indicator for the water condition. I just tried the clock trick, it's not nearly as effective on me !!
AquaOne
Aquarium Advice Freak
Driftwood, good idea and a good feature in any tank. Your ph probably will fluctuate while the water condition flattens out. Hang on... clock adjustment imminenet !!!
I think I need to go to store where they sell ONLY fish and supplies. I've been dealing with Petsmart and they have very limited knowledge. Nobody ever mentioned driftwood and I specifically asked them about things that would help the tank naturally. I think they are more college kids maybe working there part time? If you find any clocks in the UK that "do the trick" , please let me know!! lol
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
Welcome to AA
Can you define 'too high'? More times than not, the perception of pH is regarded as 'this is what it should be' rather than the appropriate 'stable is what it should be'. I've only seen one or two people actually have tap water with a pH a little higher than typically considered acceptable.
Driftwood, IME, doesn't do much for lowering pH. The tannins from what I hear are what brings it down, but they don't last forever. Again, without knowing a number, I'm guessing most likely your pH is just fine.
Can you define 'too high'? More times than not, the perception of pH is regarded as 'this is what it should be' rather than the appropriate 'stable is what it should be'. I've only seen one or two people actually have tap water with a pH a little higher than typically considered acceptable.
Driftwood, IME, doesn't do much for lowering pH. The tannins from what I hear are what brings it down, but they don't last forever. Again, without knowing a number, I'm guessing most likely your pH is just fine.
