Trying to lower my PH level in my tank.

[TempleofApollo]

I have recently just set up my first tank, 13 gallons, non-planted very basic. I figured it was a good way to start the hobby. For the last week I've had a pair of male Dwarf Gouarmi living in it, they seem to be healthy and active... and thankfully aren't at each others throats.

Next week after I change the filter for the first time I'm planning on adding a few new fish to the aquarium. THAT is up for debate however I tested my water and it all looked decent except the PH in the water is rising from 7.1 to 7.4. It looked to me that it was rising so I had it checked at the pet store we bought the fish from. They confirmed that it went up slightly.

After asking if this was an issue they informed me that I want to keep my PH level stable at around 7.0 (not above 7.5 or below 6.5 preferable)

So I have two questions, what would be the safest way to lower the water PH, I bought some distilled water and am thinking to do a 25% change tomorrow and add chemical 'stress coat' to regulate the tank. Is this a bad idea? Will it even work?

Secondly, is it nessecary? Would fish from a 7.0 system react badly to being added? AND if it does continue to rise how long before I will need to take measures to prevent it AND what can I do to slow or stabilizee the PH from rising.

Thank you in advance for ANY help you can give me, if this isn't enough information or if i'm over thinking this I'd be glad to provide more or know i'm worrying for nothing.

-Thank you in advance

 

[coralbandit]

Most fish will adapt to the pH you have.
Your pH is fine.
Anything between 6.5 and 8 really is ok for most who are just keeping and not breeding.
Your fish prefer steady ph over "perfect" ph.
I would not mess with what you have one little bit.

 

[Fresh2o]

Welcome to AA!
The pH in your tank is fine. I would not adjust it.
Adding distilled water to a tank without knowing what the hardness (GH and KH) is can spell trouble for your fish.
What kind of filter are you using? When you say that your will change the filter next week, do you mean swap out the old cartridge (assuming it uses some type of replaceable cartridge) for a new one? The fish will be better off if you merely swish the old cartridge in water that was removed from the tank during a water change. Otherwise you will lose the beneficial bacteria that is starting to grow in the filter cartridge.


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[TempleofApollo]

Thats good news, then I won't perform anything drastic and just keep checking the level to make sure it's not on the rise! Thank you you two.

@Freshh20: I am using the Aqueon Quietflow model 10 It came with the setup for the aquarium. And yes it uses replaceable filter cartridges. I had been lead to believe that it was supposed to be replaced every two weeks but you're saying it would be preferable to keep that cartridge and just give it a bit of a rinse with the old water? How long should I keep the cartridge in for?

And thank you for the welcome

 

[Fresh2o]

Technically, you could replace the cartridge as per the directions because the beneficial bacteria should become established in the blue plastic grid material. You leave that stuff alone. Actually, the BB will become established on any surface in the tank (gravel, walls, tubing, filter cartridge, etc). Question is, do you need to replace the cartridge? A thorough rinsing should dislodge most of the debris. It won't be brand new but it will be usable. Some folks get several months of use from one cartridge. They will use them until the fall apart.
In a perfect world, the blue grid would be teeming with all of the BB the tank requires and you can rinse or swap out the cartridge with no ill effects. In reality, this is a new tank and there is most likely not enough BB to handle the current bio-load. That is where water changes come into play.
Hope this helps.


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[TempleofApollo]

Interesting. Didn't consider that. I'll just try rinsing the cartridge in the changing water to get the junk dislodged out of it. That would save a little hassle at the least.

Any advice on telling when and if I DO need to change cartridges?

I know I should panic if I get a little clouding early on but if it starts looking like destroit in there I assume I need to fix something.

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[coralbandit]

Get yourself the API liquid test kit and then let the test tell you when to change water till you have found a pattern.
The test will be very handy(necessary) to help you through cycling also,which I will guess you are in the middle of.
When the petstores say you are ok on test it really doesn't mean much.
Having ammonia and nitrite in too high levels is very dangerous for fish.
After cycling the nitrate test will help you determine how much water needs to be changed and how often.

 

[Fresh2o]

When the cartridge starts falling apart or clogs quickly then you should change it.
You should invest in a water testing kit such as the API Freshwater Master Test kit. Available online for a lower price than at the LFS or big box stores. Include test tubes, color charts, and reagents for pH, high range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Perform the tests yourself and get quantitative results and not "It's fine". Understanding what the results mean, becoming familiar with the nitrogen cycle and how it affects the fish in your tank will go a long way into success.


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[TempleofApollo]

Fair enough I'll get my own test kit. The store I go to thankfully provided me with the numbers and some brief info on the results of their tests. However from the material provided it seemed to indicate I was OK. The employee I spoke to seemed to think the pH was getting high so I thought perhaps I should look into the dangers of this

That being said both of you are correct. I'll have to look at the numbers again when I get home and I'll create a log of the tanks levels.

Great advice. I just think I felt uncertain I could judge the tank water tests as a newbie myself but I do need to learn one way or another.

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[IllusionX]

It is a great idea to know what pH your tap is.

I believe gravel, sand, rocks in a tank will slightly raise the pH. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

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