Ph levels

[35galhextank]

My ph level will not go down. I've been testing and lightly dosing with ph down once daily. And it will not come down from 7.6 my ammo is 0 ppm no2 is 0 ppm no3 0 ppm any tips

 

[wildroseofky]

Why do you need it lower? That is what my tank Ph is and I have neon tetras, mollies, and guppies. If you have fish that need a lower PH than add peat moss. Put it in a knee high stocking and stick it in the filter or under the filter flow. Peat lowers PH. If the PH goes under 6.5 your beneficial bacteria will die off.

 

[35galhextank]

I have 2 gold rams two blue rams 2 electric blue rams. And I've read that they thrive around 6.8-7.0

 

[Mebbid]

What tank size is this? You are probably going to run into massive territorial issues with all of those rams being kept together in the same tank.

How long has this tank been set up? For it to have 0 nitrates it makes me believe that it isn't a properly cycled tank which usually means death for the rams as they are very sensitive to poor water parameters.

Lastly, the pH of 7.6 is just fine for rams. They will adjust to the pH. Attempting to adjust it (especially with a product like pH down) however can lead to SERIOUS issues. I would highly recommend leaving the pH alone.

 

[35galhextank]

It's not fully cycled. But I've been testing my levels everyday. the rams are all females except one electric ram and they do just fine no nipping no chasing. I had most of the rams in my 15 gallon until 2.5 weeks ago when I switched them into my 35 gal lots of drift wood. And now that my light situation is figured out. I'll be adding more plants.

 

[Fishfur]

General rule of thumb is that stable parameters are always better than constant changes, as by trying to change the natural pH of water by very much. The minerals in the water buffer the pH, which is why it won't stay down when you dose it.

Even using peat won't make a huge change. pH is measured on an exponential scale, so each point is 10x higher or lower than the one above or below. So a change from 7.6 to 7 or less is quite a substantial change.

 

[35galhextank]

So what should I do? My plan is to get a discus in the future as soon as I Can get my levels correct

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You can swap the substrate to a pH buffering substrate like ADA aqua soil. Won't be cheap but lowers pH and does wonders for plants. Also injecting CO2 will lower pH and also do wonders for plants. You can keep the pH stable with a pH controller.

I would definitely stop using the pH down. It's the worst way to lower pH. As mentioned, rams would do fine to the current pH. Not sure about discus though.

 

[Mebbid]

So what should I do? My plan is to get a discus in the future as soon as I Can get my levels correct

Assuming you are talking about your 35g hex tank.. It is woefully inadequate to house discus. Firstly, they are schooling fish and need a group to be happy. Next they need a tank with a MUCH larger footprint.

 

[35galhextank]

Yeah. Switching substrates is the last thing I want to do. almost 3 weeks into this new tank and between upgrading my lights and buying test kits ,flora max sand and driftwood has added up. I may just let the tank set it's course for a few weeks and hope everything continues in the right direction. Maybe I'll try some peat moss hopefully that will help a little but if going threw this kind of trouble every water change. Make me question if it's really worth it for one discus. Although I love my rams. Have a nice centerpiece fish is still in plans. as of what might take some rethinking .

 

[Mebbid]

Yeah. Switching substrates is the last thing I want to do. almost 3 weeks into this new tank and between upgrading my lights and buying test kits ,flora max sand and driftwood has added up. I may just let the tank set it's course for a few weeks and hope everything continues in the right direction. Maybe I'll try some peat moss hopefully that will help a little but if going threw this kind of trouble every water change. Make me question if it's really worth it for one discus. Although I love my rams. Have a nice centerpiece fish is still in plans. as of what might take some rethinking .

When thinking of a centerpiece fish you have to take your tank size into consideration. Many fish require a fairly specific footprint to a tank (floor space) This is because most fish don't really care for swimming up and down and instead prefer to swim side to side. A hex tank doesn't offer hardly any side to side swimming room. Stocking fish for that tank I wouldn't look at any fish that requires more than a 20g aquarium. I think a single angelfish would be your best bet for a centerpiece fish. It's a definite no for a discus as they need a 4ft long tank.

 

[35galhextank]

Yeah sucks for me I guess what's sad is I sat in the store and decided the hex tank over the 40 long for space in my home not even taking that into consideration. I regret it also because if I only had gotten the 40 gallon long tank my light situation would've been a lot easier also not to mention finding the right driftwood for this tank was a nightmare it's self. Oh we'll I live and learn I guess. I dis like angel fish I don't know what it is about them but there so blah to me. Maybe I'll just add a few tetras and my rams will have a lot of room to swim in circles.

 

[Old Scales]

Take a look at a male Pearl Gourami. They can get to about 5" and move gracefully a lot like a discus. They will hang out at the top of the tank a lot also. One would be about right for your size tank. OS.

 

[Mr Fisher]

I've found that API stress coat + will lower ph pretty effectively. Driftwood is also a good natural way to do so.