Need help with ph

[lilac]

Hi All,

I'm really new to this and am finding that there's a lot to learn. I have a newly cycled 10 g tank with 2 glofish danios (I've had them about 2 weeks). I've tried to add 2 more fish to make them happier, but those both ended up dying. I bought the ones that died from a different store so perhaps the fish weren't as hardy or the store had a different ph or something. My ammonia and nitrites are both 0, nitrates 10 - 20. I'm planning on doing a 20 - 25% pwc this weekend.

I tested the pH of my tap water and it's about 8.3 when it first comes out and seems to drop to 6.8 overnight. Currently the ph in my tank seems to be about 7.2 - I have a hard time discerning the differences in blue-green. I lost my card and am going by a scanned one I found online. Also, I got my tank water tested at PetSmart a few days ago and it was 6.8. The KH seems to be 2 or 2.5. With 2 drops, it turns it really pale yellow. From what I've read, it seems the most conservative way to manage the lower KH is with frequent partial water changes.

How close does the pH between my tap water and my fish tank need to be to minimize the stress to my fish? I use Seachem Prime to condition the water. Also, since there's such a wide variance - should I use spring water (from the grocery store) if I forget to leave water sitting out and I need to top off the tank?

Thanks!

- Kate

 

[Mebbid]

Hi All,

I'm really new to this and am finding that there's a lot to learn. I have a newly cycled 10 g tank with 2 glofish danios (I've had them about 2 weeks). I've tried to add 2 more fish to make them happier, but those both ended up dying. I bought the ones that died from a different store so perhaps the fish weren't as hardy or the store had a different ph or something. My ammonia and nitrites are both 0, nitrates 10 - 20. I'm planning on doing a 20 - 25% pwc this weekend.

I tested the pH of my tap water and it's about 8.3 when it first comes out and seems to drop to 6.8 overnight. Currently the ph in my tank seems to be about 7.2 - I have a hard time discerning the differences in blue-green. I lost my card and am going by a scanned one I found online. Also, I got my tank water tested at PetSmart a few days ago and it was 6.8. The KH seems to be 2 or 2.5. With 2 drops, it turns it really pale yellow. From what I've read, it seems the most conservative way to manage the lower KH is with frequent partial water changes.

How close does the pH between my tap water and my fish tank need to be to minimize the stress to my fish? I use Seachem Prime to condition the water. Also, since there's such a wide variance - should I use spring water (from the grocery store) if I forget to leave water sitting out and I need to top off the tank?

Thanks!

- Kate

With pH the biggest problem is when there are pH swings since fish can adapt to those pH levels quite easily. I would test your pH before you turn the light off and then right after you turn the lights on to see if there are any large differences in the water. If you are getting swings in your water chemistry it is because there is a lack of any buffers in your water and you will want to look at something to help with that.

Using spring water might work, but if you are just topping off the tap water should have a minimal impact on your tank. I wouldn't use spring waater for full water changes though.

 

[roydesilva]

if you want to stabilise the ph put some coral sand in there and the ph should stabilise, however it will raise you ph to around 8ish but it will be more stable

 

[lilac]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try measuring at different times during the day. ... On days I don't add any extra water.

What kind of started my panic, was I checked it the other day and the test tube was light purple, so it was over 8. My filter had been sputtering and without thinking I added tap water about a half-hour after adding prime to a bucket. I think that's what started the downfall of my most recent fish, although the ones I had for a couple weeks didn't seem at all affected. It came down to the mid 7's in a couple of hours.

I think I read somewhere that pH changes due to C02 aren't as serious as the KH ones and some degree of variance is normal.

In a normal day, is a certain swing acceptable? I was under the impression that keeping nitrates under control would be key to keeping a pH stable.

If I add coral, how much should I use?

- Kate

 

[Mebbid]

Just adding a little bit of water to your tank isn't going to cause a massive pH swing. Everyone's tank should have pH changes during the course of the day, ideally they shouldn't be more than a couple points different.

Nitrate isn't going to have much of an effect on your tanks pH either.

As for how much Crushed coral to use, I would just fill up a filter bag with enough to stick in your filter.

 

[lilac]

Thanks for the advice. That's good to know about topping off the water. I think I'll keep on testing it at different times to see how it goes.

After a water change, my KH is up to 3, so I'll keep a close eye on it and my pH.