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Old 05-27-2021, 10:36 AM   #1
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Water problems 101

I have very soft water in my tank, nitrite and nitrate are good but my ph/ alkaline WILL NOT go down. If I add a ph stabilizer or reducer it lowers it for awhile but within a few hours it is back to being high. Can anyone help me?! I have read and read and cannot find anything. Any help would be appreciated.

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Old 05-27-2021, 05:33 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by YATYAS2007 View Post
I have very soft water in my tank, nitrite and nitrate are good but my ph/ alkaline WILL NOT go down. If I add a ph stabilizer or reducer it lowers it for awhile but within a few hours it is back to being high. Can anyone help me?! I have read and read and cannot find anything. Any help would be appreciated.

You don’t need help. There is no issue here. pH stabilisers are unnecessary and potentially harmful.

High pH and high Alkalinity are not harmful.
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Old 05-27-2021, 05:34 PM   #3
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Do you have stuff like coral, shells, or sand? Do you have drift wood? These change the water chemistry and might be the source of the issue.
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Old 05-27-2021, 07:46 PM   #4
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Nothing but artificial decor along with gravel substrate. I have been thinking about incorporating plants but I thought I should get water right first. I know coral can make your water harden AND raise ph but I dont need higher ph. In fine with the soft water but I'm more concerned/interested in the high alkaline which in turn causes high ph.

I reckon I should have stated at first I have a 37 gal tank that I just started with 4 danios and 3 molly (all black one died already, originally 4 molly) and I have well water.
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Old 05-27-2021, 07:51 PM   #5
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You don’t need help. There is no issue here. pH stabilisers are unnecessary and potentially harmful.

High pH and high Alkalinity are not harmful.

High ph doesn't matter? From everything I've heard,read, and encountered it DEFINITELY does matter. Depending on fish type of coarse.
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Old 05-28-2021, 12:07 PM   #6
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Water problems 101

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Originally Posted by YATYAS2007 View Post
High ph doesn't matter? From everything I've heard,read, and encountered it DEFINITELY does matter. Depending on fish type of coarse.

I didn’t say it didn’t matter. I’m saying that it is 100% not harmful and has nothing to do with your fish deaths. Out of all the possible parameters I’m curious why you honed in on pH?

What about harmful nitrogenous compounds like ammonia? What about diseases, oxygen, or poor acclimation. Why pH? Is it because it’s easy to measure? Is is because pH is the first hit on google? Did you specifically search for pH and go from there? I’m genuinely curious.

Very few people understand pH yet its the first thing people seem mention.

Do you know why you are concerned about it? Do you know what pH your fish prefer? How do you know they cannot tolerate or thrive at high pH?

Did you know that there is a 100% probability that there are people who have the same species of fish as you do surviving well at a high pH? If we know that this is true then pH will never be the problem.

We do know that ammonia kills fish and that nitrite and nitrate poisoning is real though the latter two uncommon in fish tanks. We also know that long term exposure to poor oxygen leads to all kinds of problems and that rapid fluctuations in salt concentration force fish to expend high amounts of energy energy and we certainly know that new tanks can be volatile in terms chemical stability and that mature tanks offer a much safer environment for out inhabitants.

We also know that most water treatment chemicals contain excessive amounts of sodium and chloride which can be harmful to fish.

These are the things that we need to get right because these are the things that are repeatably proven to kill your ecosystem.

Unfortunately, its easy and common practice for websites to extract information from one another to bulk up their sites with information but most of it is just not relevant and are based on myth and in the words of a popular aquatic plant enthusiast ‘a good myth is hard to kill’

Fail safe methods are to obtain an airstone. Though they are not mandatory they are fool proof with many benefits. Remove and replace water regularly. Add plants, have patience and keep things as stable as possible and all the good things about the hobby will follow.
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Old 05-29-2021, 09:52 AM   #7
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I agree mostly. I have never had any issues with pH.
Air stones can be life savers. They help move the water around and give lots of oxygen back into your tank system.
Making sure the filter is right for the tank can help too. This also gives good air circulation and can keep the water in better states.
Live plants are awesome. They can make your fish do a lot better and help clean the water for you as well as give lots of hidding spots.
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