Ph level

[ndw]

I have a small 12 gallon tank as I have only had this for over a month I am till doing regular water changes between 2-3 times a week. I check my water every other day of not every day. I never seem to have any ammonia my nitrite levels have finally dropped down and my nitrates seem good. However the ph of my water is always up in the 8s maybe even 8.5 some times. I have tested my tap water and that is a 7 but it seems no matter how many times I change the water my ph always seems high, is there something I'm doing wrong and is this causing harm to my fish ?

 

[mrvincent]

Means something raise the alk of your tank. What's your rocks/substrate ?

Do you have crushed corals in the filters or in the tank ? Or some limestone ?

 

[ndw]

I have a fresh water tank with gravel fake rocks and fake plants my filter has a biomax media but I have nothing live other than the fish

 

[mrvincent]

I have a fresh water tank with gravel fake rocks and fake plants my filter has a biomax media but I have nothing live other than the fish

Biomax doesn't increase KH. Is there fishs in the tank ?

 

[ndw]

Yes I had 6 harlequin rasbora in it and had similar results ph of 8 then I added 6 more neon rasbora and a betta and the water is sitting around 8 but some days seems a bit higher even the day after a water change

 

[chandlerlee13]

Put some seachem neutral and just wait. That worked for me.

Fish?are?friends?not?food

 

[Mebbid]

Test the dkh of your tap water versus your tank. That will tell you if something in the tank is increasing the ph or if it's just a property of your water.

I would also suggest letting a glass full of tap water sit out overnight and then test that for ph as well.



I wouldnt try any additives to fix it, your ph level is perfectly fine.

 

[ndw]

And if the water left over nights ph rises aswell do I have nothing to worry about ? I've just heard that ph at 8 or above is bad for the fish ?

 

[Mebbid]

And if the water left over nights ph rises aswell do I have nothing to worry about ? I've just heard that ph at 8 or above is bad for the fish ?

Stability is key. A stable ph is far FAR better than one that fluctuates. Fluctuating ph causes a ton of stress on the fish.

Most fish we keep are also well adapted to public water supplies so a different than optimal ph suits them just fine.

 

[ndw]

Ok thanks for the help. Il keep an eye on it and leave tap water out overnight aswell. My fish have been in the water for a month or so and seem fine.