ph trouble

[rianngarrick]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and hope to enjoy it. I've had a 10 gallon tank for about 1.5 years. I started with 10 fish. I live in a warm bright apartment and the tank is not in direct sunlight, however the heat has been a struggle. I do not use a light or heater. The first summer the tank averaged 25 degrees but over the winter the tank went up to 27. Now into spring the tank is at 29/30 in the morning and I'm unable to bring it below 27. I lost two fish due to heat and I lost an autocat, but I think was due to a lack of algae. The tank is pretty clean. I now have 3 cardinals and 4 Raspbora's (not sure of spelling). This past couple months I've experienced a major ammonia problem. It rose to 8. I've been searching this forum and have been cycling the water and feeding them every other day for a month now. The ammonia level has come back down to 0.

However, now my PH and PH high rate are -7.6 and 8 respectively. I have no idea how to bring these back to normal. Can anyone help me.

 

[shellieca]

Unless you have extremely sensitive fish or want to breed, your Ph is fine. Often times adjusting the Ph creates more problems. The majority of fish will adjust to a persons Ph. But if you really want to lower it naturally I believe people use peat moss, start small & then increase it a little if needed. Put some in a mesh bag in or close to the filter. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[rianngarrick]

thanks. Will this be a problem for new fish. I'd like to have 10 again.

 

[shellieca]

If you acclimate them properly it shouldn't be a problem. When you get a fish remove about half the water they came in, float the container in your tank, add a tablespoon of the tanks water every 15 minutes for at least an hour, a lot of people go longer. If the bag or container gets too full you can pour out some of the water but not into your tank. When you're ready gently net the fish or do as I do, use your hand & release the fish into your tank. Do your best not get any water from the container into your tank.