"new" tank with high ph

[jdizzle3id]

So I recently acquired a 55 gallon from my buddy. He had it set up at his house for about 3 years. The tank had aquarium gravel, a large piece of red lava rock, a large piece of texas holey rock, and about 10-15 stones that he had found outside somewhere. The only fish he had in there was a cichlid (I don't know what kind). The fish had seemed fine according to him the whole time he had the tank. About 3 days ago I set up the tank in my apartment. I put everything back in the tank the same way he had it set up. The cichlid is in there and "seems" to be fine. When I moved the tank I put the filter cartridges in a zip lock bags with tank water in them and floated them in the water with the cichlid during transport in order to "save" the bacteria living in them. I dosed the new water with prime when I set the tank up. Yesterday I did a full spectrum of water tests with an API freshwater master test kit. Ammonia was 0, nitrites 0, ph was at about 8.8 . So I immediately removed the stones that were "found", I did a pwc of about 25%. I tested my tap water ph and found it to be at about 7.4-7.6 . Does anyone know why the ph of the tank water would be so high so fast? I will be testing the randomly found stones with vinegar tomorrow. Does anyone know if the texas holey rock or red lava rock would affect the ph? Also is there any other reason that the ph could be so high? I've read that steady ph is better than 7.0 and that cichlids prefer a high ph but 8.8 seems pretty high to me. I tested the ph of the tank today and it was at about 8.6. I guess I'm kind of hoping the test kit could be giving false readings. Any input is greatly appreciated. (another thing I was thinking was that after all those rocks had been in the tank for so long, everything would be leached out of the rocks ... I guess i was mistaken)

 

[Lepomis]

Texas Holey Rock.

 

[Sidi]

If it's an African cichlid 8.8 is a bit high, but maybe even a bit better than 7.5, since they like high pH. If it's a South American cichlid 8.8 would be very bad.

And as Lepomis mentioned, Texas Holey Rock is limestone...so it will dissolve and buffer pH up. Especially if your tap water is extremely soft.

 

[jdizzle3id]

Okay, the texas holey rock is getting removed right now and I will continue with my water changes and tests. Thanks so much for the help

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It's the Texas Holey Rock. I buy it specifically for my African tanks. A pH of that high isn't detrimental to Africans or South Africans. My Angels spawn reguarly in a pH above 8.8 (that's as high as my test kit goes so I don't actually know what the real reading is). If you have wild caught species, sure. But tank raised, you'll be fine. If you don't want it that high then remove hte THR.

 

[Sidi]

Yeah, it might be a good idea to figure out what the cichlid is. One quick way to find out is to go to liveaquaria.com, check out the freshwater fish (not trying to shill for them, but the site seems to work for me to find quick info for fish), and then scan the African and South American (I think they call them new world) cichlids. They have small pictures of the most common ones, and you'll be able to figure out whether 8.8 is an ok pH for your fish or not.

That will also help you figure out future stocking . A single cichlid in a 55 would be rather empty, and you should try to create a stocking plan that works for him and the water chemistry.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Take a pic of your cichlid and post. 99% sure someone can tell you what you have.


FWIW, stable and acclimated > accurate and additives.

My tang tank (tanganyikan african cichlids) is easily 9.0.

 

[jdizzle3id]

I tested the ph again today and it was back at 8.8. I also had filled a cup with tap water yesterday and let it sit out over night. The tap water (which had tested at 7.5 right from the tap) was at 8.4 today. I'm starting to think my tap water is the problem.
I have tried posting pics of the cichlid but when I try to attach the file it says the file is too big. Any help on how to make the picture smaller would be appreciated also.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You need to re-size the pic. open it in Microsoft Paint. Then click Image, then in the Stretch/Skew section change it to 50 for both the vertical and horizontal. If it's still too big then do it again.

 

[jdizzle3id]

I posted pics in the cichlid forum.

 

[Sidi]

I took a look and I'm pretty certain it's a convict. It's darker than most, but that might be stress or just natural coloration. I can't tell the sex for certain from the photos, but I'd guess female...if the belly appears a bit reddish/orangish it should be a female.

They're great fish. Very hardy and incredibly easy to breed, if you care to do so. They're a South American cichlid, but I think they're more tolerant of higher pH than most. Still, 8.8 is probably higher than she will be happy at.

It sounds like you've figured out the source of your pH problems, there must be something dissolved in your water that gasses out (perhaps CO2). Fixing pH is a huge pain though. The most foolproof method would be to get a RO/DI unit. But that's a bit pricey, first you need the unit and then you have to reconstitute the water to an appropriate hardness.

You could try using peat to buffer your pH down, but that will tend to darken your tank water and will only last a limited time. Plus, you'll probably have some pH variation with every water change.

I would avoid products like pH down. It's almost impossible to maintain a stable pH using them. However, I think there are some decent true buffers on the market that will stabilize to a specific pH. Someone who has used those would have to offer you more advice though, I haven't used them.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Don't worry about your pH. It's fine where it is. The fish has already adapted to the level in your area. Fluctuations will do more harm than having the "perfect" pH.

 

[jdizzle3id]

I think I agree with fishyfanatic. I certainly don't want to have to start adding various chemicals to the tank to lower the ph. I'll continue testing the water and doing my normal pwc's (which is once a week). If the ph continues to be in the high range I may even add the holey rock and other stones back into the tank and continue to monitor ph levels.

 

[Sidi]

Yeah, leaving it where it is isn't a bad option. It's certainly better than using pH down, or peat.

You'll want to consider it for any future stocking though. African cichlids would be pretty happy there, and they would be aggressive enough to live with the convict.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Considering it's an African, the fish will be fine with the pH. Or do you have a Convict in the tank in addition to the pic that you posted?

 

[jdizzle3id]

Nope, that's the only fish in the tank right now.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Then you're good to go. Honestly, you don't need to worry about pH unless you are purchasing wild species (non-African). The fish at your lfs has the same water that you do. They have already adapted to the hardness and pH before getting into your tank. And considering your location, the entire state of IL has pretty much the same water so you are good to go.

 

[Sidi]

Ok, looks like people think it's a Bumblebee rather than a convict. They're probably right, I think I do see yellow in the first pic that I hadn't noticed, and if he had his dorsal fin mostly down it would explain the flare at the end.

If it is a Bumblebee the pH is just fine.