pH Questions

[Liquid_Pyro]

Background: I currently have 4 tanks running, 55 (cichlid tank), 46 (livebearer tank), 40 (cichlid grow out tank), 10 Gal (breeder)

Always been interested in fish, but within the last year I went from 1 tank to 4 and I am now trying to learn more about the water quality and monitoring it, so I bought those cheapo test strips, which aren't the greatest but here are some of my results.

My main reason for this is to get my fish to start breeding, and obviously live healthier lives, my convict cichlids aren't breeding anymore, and my yellow labs haven't bred either, nor my swordtails...I feed all fish a mixture of foods, from brine shrimp, pellets, flakes, vegetables, ect.

ammonia, nitrate, nitrite all at proper levels in all tanks, everything is stable, all tanks have been set up for a min of 6 months

55 Gal
pH = 7.2-7.8
KH = 120-180
GH = 150- 300
- kinda low compared my other tanks, want it higher for the cichlids, but not all too sure why its lower.

46 Gal
pH = 7.8-8.4
KH = 180-300
GH = 150-300
- kinda high for the swordtails, mollies, and guppies I belive (hopefully I dont have it all backwards). The tank is recently full of driftwood as well, I thought the logs would decrease the pH?

40 and 10 Gal
pH = 7.2-7.8
KH = 120-180
GH = 150-300
- seem alright

some help and understanding would greatly be appreciated, Thanks

 

[mfdrookie516]

ph isnt really as big of a deal as people make it out to be. With the exception of just a couple fish, a stable ph is all that matters. Generally, anywhere between 6-8 is ok. I have a ph of 7.8 in every one of my tanks, my platys breed like rabbits, and i have a bumblebee cichlid holding now. As long as the ph is stable, dont worry with it. Now, a liquid test is a lot more accurate with the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings, but shouldnt be much off on ph. You may want to double check the ph readings with a liquid test though just to be sure because of all the factors involved with using paper that could throw off the ph. Driftwood wont alter the ph much at all. I have a chunk in my 10g planted tank and it is about 1/3 the size of the tank... My ph has remained 7.8 before and after having the driftwood in the tank. At most, it would only alter the ph a couple points... Water parameters and tank setup can also affect ph. If using glass lids or an enclosed hood, the poor oxygen exchange can lower the ph. With my 150g mbuna tank, i had glass lids on it for a while and my ph started to plummet... after adding a spray bar to one of the canisters and removing the glass tops, it has stayed at a stable 7.8... HTH

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

very very interesting, because I do have a new hood over the tank, thanks that was well written, and yes I agree with the Liquid Tests, but I am just getting into this whole thing, so I didn't want to go all out before I knew I was committed...but I know I have good oxygen exchange, thats one of the first things I made sure of when I really started getting into this