High pH during tank set up

[yancho]

After a few months cycling the filter media we are now performing the last steps before introducing the fish.

Back in February we have thoroughly rinsed the bogwood and gravel. Since February we have soaked the bogwood, gravel and filter media in a large plastic tank and on a very regular basis introduced ammonia. We used to introduce 5ppm ammonia to the whole plastic tank and upon introduction pH would raise to 8.1. Within 24 hours readings would find ammonia to be 0ppm and pH 7.6

Now we have transferred everything into the main tank and yesterday we took some readings: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate: 0ppm. However we have a problem. pH was at 8.1.

Tap water's pH is 7.4 here

The tank currently has everything in place: the filter media all in compartments, gravel and bogwood. We pre-treated all the water with Seachem Prime in order to detoxify any toxic traces and chlorine.

After such reading we introduced 7ppm ammonia which raised the pH to 8.3. This raise was expected due to ammonia present in the water. After 6 hours in pitch dark we have tested the water and found ammonia to be around 4-5 ppm but pH dropped to 8.0.

In order to encourage bacteria settlement and settling we have raised the temperature of the water to 30 degrees. However we found out that one of the heaters was wrongly set and this continued raising the water to 34 degrees. We have fixed the problem but currently (after 6 hours of reducing the temperature) the water is at 31.5 degrees. The aquarium lights are off and the curtains of the room are all drawn.

We also took a glass of tap water to test it. pH reading was 7.4. We introduced some 2cm of gravel in the glass and after carefully rinsing it we have let it soaking for 6 hours. To our surprise the pH reading this morning was 7.6. A 0.2 raise in less than 6 hours.

We are thinking that the gravel is buffering the water column's pH to 8. Could this be the case? Anything we might be missing here? We are noticing that the gravel has a few crushed shells in it.

PS: We are testing the pH with an electronic meter. This has been calibrated with the High pH test of API Freshwater test kit. The same kit was used to measure all the other readings. Temperature is read from a digital thermometer.

The community of fish which we were looking at is: Angelfish (3), Platies (2M 4F) , Mollies (1M 2F), Rainbow Shark (1), Cories (6), Dwarf Gourami (1M), Siamese Algae Eater (1), Bristlenose Pleco(1), and Bolivian Rams (1M 1F). Recommended pH is 6 - 7.8 and temperature: 24-25 degrees according to aqadvisor.com

 

[Masha]

It does sound as if there's something in the tank raising the ph. A few crushed shells should not be a problem though, I have gravel like that with no problem. It might be the gravel itself though. Do you know what it's made of? What colour is it? Can you post a picture of it?

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[dalto]

It might be the gravel itself though. Do you know what it's made of? What colour is it? Can you post a picture of it?

Normal gravel should be inert so I would have the same questions as Masha.

 

[yancho]

Many thanks for your reply. We have concluded it is a problem with the gravel. We tested some gravel with a white vinegar solution. The gravel reacted with the vinegar giving off streams of bubbles. To note also that it was not only the fragments of seashells that effervesced, but also most of the stones. Thus we removed all the gravel and will replace it.

Currently the pH is still 8.0 (there is 4ppm ammonia) Tomorrow we will introduce the new gravel (which is promised to be inert) and will do an 80% water change. That should help the issue right?

With regards to the shark - thanks for pointing it. We will replace it with a group of 6 cherry barbs.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Masha]

Yancho, you don't have any fish, right? If you did, I'd worry about doing a big water change and shifting the pH so drastically.

As it is, I think your plans are fine. I'm glad you found the source of your problem, it sucks to have a mystery like that.

 

[yancho]

Yancho, you don't have any fish, right? If you did, I'd worry about doing a big water change and shifting the pH so drastically.

As it is, I think your plans are fine. I'm glad you found the source of your problem, it sucks to have a mystery like that.

correct no fish in yet hopefully it gets sorted with the new gravel. it's promised to be inert! will see

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Water Chemistry

Hello Yan...

Most aquarium fish are fine with most public water supplies. You just need to remove the chlorine and chloramine. I think Seachem's "Safe" is a good product. The pH, hardness and this type of chemistry thing aren't important to keeping a healthy tank.

Once the tank is cycled, you remove and replace the water regularly and service the filtration equipment and the fish and plants take care of themselves.

Pretty simple.

B

 

[Masha]

Hello Yan...

Most aquarium fish are fine with most public water supplies. You just need to remove the chlorine and chloramine. I think Seachem's "Safe" is a good product. The pH, hardness and this type of chemistry thing aren't important to keeping a healthy tank.

Once the tank is cycled, you remove and replace the water regularly and service the filtration equipment and the fish and plants take care of themselves.

Pretty simple.

B

I don't think that's quite correct

Many people need to be aware of these things, because among other things, their public water supply is far from ideal, or they accidentally placed non-inert gravel in their tank

It's a mistake to focus on any one thing in exclusion to all others, or to fiddle too much with what doesn't need to be fixed, but the "your water is good, no need to worry" song just doesn't apply to everyone

 

[yancho]

@ BBradbury

@Masha - agreed

 

[trennamw]

I don't think that's quite correct



Many people need to be aware of these things, because among other things, their public water supply is far from ideal, or they accidentally placed non-inert gravel in their tank



It's a mistake to focus on any one thing in exclusion to all others, or to fiddle too much with what doesn't need to be fixed, but the "your water is good, no need to worry" song just doesn't apply to everyone

Agreed.

Water changes are probably the #1 thing to focus on, and it does more harm than good to try to force water to "ideal", but people should be aware of their water quality and it's ramifications.

If I'd understood KH and GH earlier I wouldn't have lost several bettas in the process of learning water changes don't fix everything. It's unusual to have such an extreme water situation (here in rainy Portland, our tapwater is basically distilled, with KH of >0.1), but identifying it earlier would have helped a ton.


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[BBradbury]

Water Chemistry

I don't think that's quite correct

Many people need to be aware of these things, because among other things, their public water supply is far from ideal, or they accidentally placed non-inert gravel in their tank

It's a mistake to focus on any one thing in exclusion to all others, or to fiddle too much with what doesn't need to be fixed, but the "your water is good, no need to worry" song just doesn't apply to everyone

Hello Mash...

No doubt there are a few instances where the water keeper lives in an area with poor water. That's why I posted that word "Most". Water keepers that keep and breed rare fish will likely need to know the chemical makeup of their tap water. For the vast majority of the rest of us, just properly cycling the tank and then establishing a regular water change and filter cleaning routine is enough. You'll simply need to maintain a steady water chemistry. You can do this without knowing the chemical makeup of the tap water.

B

 

[dalto]

I don't think that's quite correct

Many people need to be aware of these things, because among other things, their public water supply is far from ideal, or they accidentally placed non-inert gravel in their tank

It's a mistake to focus on any one thing in exclusion to all others, or to fiddle too much with what doesn't need to be fixed, but the "your water is good, no need to worry" song just doesn't apply to everyone

Hello Mash...

No doubt there are a few instances where the water keeper lives in an area with poor water. That's why I posted that word "Most". Water keepers that keep and breed rare fish will likely need to know the chemical makeup of their tap water. For the vast majority of the rest of us, just properly cycling the tank and then establishing a regular water change and filter cleaning routine is enough. You'll simply need to maintain a steady water chemistry. You can do this without knowing the chemical makeup of the tap water.

B

I really have to agree with Masha here.

While it is true that many people do not have to worry about their water quality, it is also true the many people DO have to worry. The only way you can know which group you are in is to test. It seems irresponsible to tell people not to worry about it before understanding the specific situation.

IMO, there are a few things about water that can trip people up.

- Some people have source water with a really low KH which can cause crazy pH swings, even with regular water changes.
- Some people have non-standard water such as water supplies with a high amount of Nitrates in the tap.
- An increasing number of people seem to have water companies where their water parameters change all the time.
- Also, there is the more controversial issue of matching the water to the fish.

Even if we completely ignore the last bullet, there are still some important reasons to understand your source water chemistry.