help with nitrares please

[ryansmom]

Hi everyone Im so greatful to find this site you all are so helpfull. I have a 55 gallon tank been running 2 months my cycle is done but I cant get my nitrates down my nitrite are 0 my ammonia 0-1ppm my ph is 7 my nitrates are 60. I have a pctus cat a silver dollar (didnt know they were schooling fish so Im getting 2 more) a rainbow shark and 2 mollies. The problem is my tap water is very acidic so I keep doing partial water changes but Im afraid to do to much because of the tap water. The fish seem to be doing great but act like they are starving what should I do? One other thing can I add the 2 more silver dollars with my nitrates or wait to get them down?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Do water changes. It won't hurt the fish. A ph of 7 is neutral, not acidic. So you will do just fine doing PWC's. If it were me, do a 50% PWC, then in a couple days, do one more, then you should be right where you want to be.

 

[SCFatz]

Just change some water...how acidic is the tap?Your tank is 7ph,did tis water come from the tap?

Ph stability is more crucial then neutral.If the tap water is going to be the supply for water changes it would be best if the fish get acclimated to that supply imo.

 

[talloulou]

You could try adding some java fern to the tank to help keep nitrates down. I try to keep my nitrates under 40 ppm but in order to do so I have to do PWC twice a week. If I get busy and miss a pwc I'll do a bigger one the next time. 60 ppm isn't anything to get too worried over. Also I know its not recommended but I often do huge water changes where theres only enough left in the tank for the fish to be under water. It's never seemed to bother the fish, in fact quite the opposite.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

You could try adding some java fern to the tank to help keep nitrates down. I try to keep my nitrates under 40 ppm but in order to do so I have to do PWC twice a week. If I get busy and miss a pwc I'll do a bigger one the next time. 60 ppm isn't anything to get too worried over. Also I know its not recommended but I often do huge water changes where theres only enough left in the tank for the fish to be under water. It's never seemed to bother the fish, in fact quite the opposite.

completely agree. The key is Stability. If you've been using tap water for your changes up til now, then even an 80% PWC won't hurt. In fact, they will love it.

 

[ryansmom]

The water coming out of the tap 6 ph or under so I have to add ph up to the water before I add it to the tank. Im afraid to take to much out and have it go hay wire.

 

[SCFatz]

O..I..C

Do partial water changes....maybe everyday.... 20% or so.Stop adding the ph up stuff.Let em get comfortable with the home town water.You'll be glad you did and so will they.

 

[ryansmom]

Isnt that 2 acidic and wont it kill them thats what my lfs said?

 

[HannahJ]

Fish can tolerate a much wider range of water conditions that you might think, provided you let them acclimate to it. Using products like pHup is going to make it very hard to keep the pH stable, and fluctuating water conditions like that will in the end be more stressful on the fish than a pH a little out of their range. If your pH is 6, it's not so bad as you would think. Your silver dollars are comfortable in the 5.0-7.0 range, so they will have no problems. Similarly, the pictus cat like 5.8-6.8 (7.0 is actually a little alkaline for it), the rainbow shark like 6.5-7.5 (6.0 isn't far enough out to really stress it) and mollies, though they like a pH of 7.0-8.5, are notoriously hardy little fish, and will likely adjust just fine over time. The only real side effect of an innapropriate pH will be that the fish are less likely to breed and reproduce, but unless you are wanting this, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. One thing to keep in mind is that the average range for stream water pH is about 5.5 to 7.5, and a lot of freshwater tropical fish will have lived in streams in the wild.

If you are still concerned over your fish and the pH, you do have better options for raising the pH in your tank that doesn't resort to chemicals. Make sure your water is well-aerated (get a bubble wall or an airstone if neessary). To much CO2 in your tank will lower your pH and your fish will love all the oxygen in the water. Also keep up with cleaning a little more thanyou otherwise might, since decomposing matter in the tank will release carbonic acid into the water, which acidifies it. You can also add coral or limestone to your tank, either as decorations, or in the filter, though the former will likely be a lot simpler. Some people even use a coral-based substrate. I believe this leeches calcium into the water, which raises the pH.

Something to also read up on is buffering your water. The more buffered your water is, the less drastic any pH fluctuations will be. See what looking around the internet for water chemistry and kH and gH will get you. I personally don't have a lot of knowledge in this area, so I can't really help you out there.

Good luck with your fish!