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kr.shelby
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- May 4, 2014
- Messages
- 29
The angel is why I used the ph down. How do I bring the kh down?
My fish looks broken...
- Thread starter kr.shelby
- Start date
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OP
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kr.shelby
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- May 4, 2014
- Messages
- 29
And the angel was the first one I added he swims and eats and doesn't seem to be bothered.
I wouldn't worry about ph then, I'd just see how that angelfish goes before getting anymore but it all sounds good that he is doing well. With your water specs I think the ph would get lowered and then bounce back up either on tank kh or a water change and the ph bouncing will stress the fish more than having it constant.
Also I'd read through the tetra(?) Easy Balance product carefully - if I found the right product, it said it stabilises ph and kh so it might actually be increasing kh on the assumption that kh will drop over time. I'd test tap kh as well but it may be you don't need that product.
It may have been the dead fish with the ammonia spike so just keep testing and keep up the water changes. The ammonia I would say is your biggest problem at the moment and just getting the tank mature and fully cycled with nitrAtes showing.
Long term, things like driftwood, plants and bacteria will lower kh/ph. Sometimes that can lower the ph too much as below 6.5 the nitrifying bacteria slow down. The good news is your tank shouldn't suffer this so much as you have a naturally high kh.
My tap water over summer is about 60ppm kh and I'm constantly adding sea shells and other carbonates to stabilise it.
Also I'd read through the tetra(?) Easy Balance product carefully - if I found the right product, it said it stabilises ph and kh so it might actually be increasing kh on the assumption that kh will drop over time. I'd test tap kh as well but it may be you don't need that product.
It may have been the dead fish with the ammonia spike so just keep testing and keep up the water changes. The ammonia I would say is your biggest problem at the moment and just getting the tank mature and fully cycled with nitrAtes showing.
Long term, things like driftwood, plants and bacteria will lower kh/ph. Sometimes that can lower the ph too much as below 6.5 the nitrifying bacteria slow down. The good news is your tank shouldn't suffer this so much as you have a naturally high kh.
My tap water over summer is about 60ppm kh and I'm constantly adding sea shells and other carbonates to stabilise it.
OP
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kr.shelby
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- May 4, 2014
- Messages
- 29
Thank you so much! You have been extremely helpful! I will test the tap for kh and will hold off on the (yes, tetra) easy balance.
Good luck, keep us posted 
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
Somewhere I was just reading about mollies getting scoliosis from too few minerals on the water. Possibly on American aquarium products website? I was reading about GH and supplementing all over the place because I have such soft water.
It's a good qestion. Did the website say much?
Something I've wondered is how far is tank bred from wild caught for adaptability? I know the mollies I keep are in low kh water but my gh test was a freebie from the lfs (which doesn't seem to work lol). I really need to replace it and get a tds unit as they seem cheap. But got quizzed the other day that my "QT" looks "very permanent" with new light and filter....
Something I've wondered is how far is tank bred from wild caught for adaptability? I know the mollies I keep are in low kh water but my gh test was a freebie from the lfs (which doesn't seem to work lol). I really need to replace it and get a tds unit as they seem cheap. But got quizzed the other day that my "QT" looks "very permanent" with new light and filter....
