Finally done cycling, but.......

[jrcoolt]

It seems like my fish are kind of lethargic. They just kind of hide out in one spot in the tank. If I walk past, they shoot to the other side, and then back to thier little spot. They are gold tetras. I have the water temp set at about 80. My water parameters are as follows:

PH: 8.0 (Nothing I can do about this. This is the same PH as my tap water. It stays steady here)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

Any suggestions?

I want to add some more tank mates, but Im afraid something is wrong.

 

[boadams87]

I do believe that ph is to high, the temp could also be a little lower. I'd do a 50% wc to get the nitrates down. You'll need to add some dtiftwood to bring the ph down.

 

[jrcoolt]

What can I do to get my PH down? I really dont want to add any additonal chemicals.

Edit: I already have driftwood.

 

[boadams87]

How big is the DW? Some LFS sell peat to keep in your filter to bring it down.

 

[butterfly_koi]

When you say gold tetra, are you referring to the Golden Pristella Tetra?
If so a Ph of 8.0 is perfectly fine for the tetras seeing as to how they can tolerate a range from 5.8 to 8.5 and temps from ranges 64° to 82°.
They can be very hardy tetras.

 

[jrcoolt]

When you say gold tetra, are you referring to the Golden Pristella Tetra?
If so a Ph of 8.0 is perfectly fine for the tetras seeing as to how they can tolerate a range from 5.8 to 8.5 and temps from ranges 64° to 82°.
They can be very hardy tetras.

Yes, I am talking about the Gold Pristella Tetra's. My driftwood is pretty big. Tanks up half the length of my 29 gallon. Thats what I thought. Thats why I chose them for my fish in cycling. I thought they were a pretty cool looking fish being translucent like they are, and had less chance of dying during the cycle.

 

[butterfly_koi]

Have they just recently started this activity or have they always been on the shy side?

 

[Andy Sager]

It seems like my fish are kind of lethargic. They just kind of hide out in one spot in the tank. If I walk past, they shoot to the other side, and then back to thier little spot. They are gold tetras. I have the water temp set at about 80. My water parameters are as follows:

PH: 8.0 (Nothing I can do about this. This is the same PH as my tap water. It stays steady here)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20

Any suggestions?

I want to add some more tank mates, but Im afraid something is wrong.

If these are wild gold tetras, they come from acidic waters and may not be handling your high PH too well.
There are peat filters you can use to lower the PH as well as chemicals such as PH down which I would add to the water you are replacing with from a PWC.

With all due respect to the other poster, PH shock can be terminal so drastic water changes would not be recommended here but gradual changes should be done. A nitrate level of 20 ppm is not going to kill these fish.
I would suggest you set up a water holding facility such as a tank or even a plastic garbage can and try to acidfy that water and use it for your water changes. Once there, I would recommend a 10% water change daily until you have reached a more suitable PH such as 7.0 or even lower if all you have is the gold tetras. The key is to not change the PH more than .2 in a 12 hour period so to prevent PH shock.

Also, you want to make sure you have no calcium based decorations in the tank like natural corals or shells as these will cause the PH to rise.

Hope this helps...

 

[jrcoolt]

They have always been on the shy side, but I thought it was because my water parameters were bad. Now that I am done cycling, I thought maybe thier behavior would change because of the better water. They do seem to be a lot happier after a water change, swimming all over the tank. One of them just hangs out by the filter output sometimes too.

 

[jrcoolt]

If these are wild gold tetras, they come from acidic waters and my not be handling your high PH too well.
There are peat filters you can use to lower the PH as well as chemicals such as PH down which I would add to the water you are replacing with from a PWC.

With all due respect to the other poster, PH shock can be terminal so drastic water changes would not be recommended here but gradual changes should be done. A nitrate level of 20 ppm is not going to kill these fish.
I would suggest you set up a water holding facility such as a tank or even a plastic garbage can and try to acidfy that water and use it for your water changes. Once there, I would recommend a 10% water change daily until you have reached a more suitable PH such as 7.0 or even lower if all you have is the gold tetras. The key is to not change the PH more than .2 in a 12 hour period so to prevent PH shock.

Also, you want to make sure you have no calcium based decorations in the tank like natural corals or shells as these will cause the PH to rise.

Hope this helps...

Everything in my tank is natural. I have no decorations. I use life plants, I would assume real driftwood, and a slate cave I built. I do have one other fish, and that is a BN Pleco. I would like to add more, but need to get my PH under control before doing so.

 

[Rivercats]

I had a similar ph issue and there were a couple plants I couldn't grow. Plus I have Angels, rams, tetras, and others which prefer softer water. So I ended up going the RO route. Mine is a 220g so I made an investment in a countertop RO unit. I changed 10 gallons out a day and replaced with 10 gallons of RO. The GH, KH, and PH all came down to where I wanted in a few weeks and it didn't overwhelm anyone. Now I know I need 6 gallons of RO to 4 gallons of tap water for my daily 10 gallon water change. Using RO sucks, especially if you have to buy it but it is the safest way to lower it. Don't do chemicals, they are a short term fix and won't keep your PH down very long. I have a dirted tank (lots of peat in it), some DW, peat balls (from England), and a couple almond leaves and I still have to use RO. My water stinks, GH 13, KH 11, and PH 9+ out of tap, no gases.

 

[jrcoolt]

Is an RO unit really neccessary for a 29 gallon? I understand a 220, but it seems like overkill for my size tank. Also, they are not at all inexpensive from what I have found.

 

[Rivercats]

No it's not necessary, its just over time if you keep having to buy RO that can add up too. Just showing you options and what worked for me. Got mine for $150, it's meant for traveling so portable. I make my water as needed, which in my instance is pretty nice. Isn't RO water like a dollar a gallon now? That can add up over time when you have sucky tap water like mine.