Got a liquid test kit everything is off

[Jamesabbott418]

I was using the strips and was thinking they were wrong but I got a master liquid kit and tested everything I was very carefull to follow instrusctions.

My ph is low 6.0/6.2 and has been for a while but I couldn't get it to rise so I thought my strips were wrong but it's not

My high range ph is also low

Ammonia was good was the lowest on the chart

Nitrate was between the to lowest and the nitrate was way high dark red

Could the issue I have be linked back to my low ph. If so how to fix.

My fish look healthier than ever there active and eating well they all look to be on the edge of death before I did a water change and filter content change and I had a algie problem but some autos fixed that
I do 25% water change every month and routine content changes.

I have 4 small koi 4 small goldfish 8 tiny tiny ottos and two moss balls(because of my extreme algie problem but my tank is crystal clear now)
125 gallon tank and filstar 3 175 gal filter

What y'all think?

 

[Kairus]

I wouldn't do anything drastic to try to raise your pH. The change would kill them. Do you have any driftwood in your tank? That can lower your pH especially if you have a lot.

Buy a bag of crushed coral and put it in your tank, it'll slowly raise your pH.

Test the pH and kH (alkalinity) of your tap water. Straight from the tap, untreated. If it's around the same pH as your tank, then that's why your tank's pH is so low.

 

[Jamesabbott418]

Is the alkalinity the hush range ph test?

I have no drift wood

 

[Jamesabbott418]

If it is my tap water is there anything I can do to the tank when I do a water change to keep the ph the same after I refill it?

 

[Jamesabbott418]

The ph and alkalinity of my tap water is lower than the ph and alkalinity in my tank the color of the test is lighter color than the chart on both

 

[Kairus]

High range test pH, is a different pH test solution, to test for higher pH values. If your pH is around 7.6, then you'd want to test w/ the high range solution.

The liquid kits don't have a solution for alkalinity, so ignore that.

Your tap water comes up on the regular pH test as a very bright yellow? If so, you're going to have to raise the pH of your tap water before you put it into your tank, or use a different water source.

You can use baking soda to raise the pH of your tap water. You would want to do this before you put that water into your tank.

 

[Jamesabbott418]

Ok how do you use baking soda to raise the ph. Is there a formula also how long to let it set before adding it to the tank