PH level too high and won't move

[Fin Man]

I'm still trying to get my 55 Gal Tank ready for fish. My PH level is too high. So high that it's not even on the chart that came with my Kit. For 3 Days i've been adding PH down and it doesn't budge. I've used an Entire 4 oz bottle of the stuff already and now i'm working on an 8 Oz bottle. I'm putting the stuff in One Teaspoon at a time. The Kit always reads DARK BLUE. What the **** am i doing wrong? I put the stuff in and wait a few hours then check it again. I don't remember it being this hard to start a tank.

 

[bs6749]

You need to read up on pH and KH before you start adding anything to the tank. All you are doing right now is wasting money by adding acids to the tank when your KH will neutralize the effects. Once you understand how pH and KH are related you will realize exactly what I am talking about in addition to seeing that a pH of 5.0-8.5 is perfectly fine for 90%+ of the fish in this hobby. Long story short, don't mess with your pH.

 

[Fin Man]

KH? What is KH?

 

[bs6749]

Do a search and you will find out all you need to know about KH. Simply put it is the buffering capacity of the water due to carbonate ions. The higher the KH the more resistant to changes in pH, meaning you can add tons of acid and your pH might only change by .2 points. The lower the KH the more easily the pH is changed in a tank when an acid is introduced.

 

[Fin Man]

thank you

 

[Fin Man]

So, Then, I cycle it and dump the fish in?

 

[dkpate]

Have you checked your tap water pH? Or maybe there is something in your tank raising the pH? Don't just dump the fish in. You need to accilimate them. And since you have a higher pH (hopefully you can get it down to "normal") you might want to use the drip method. My pH is the same as my LFS (7.6) so I have never tried this method, I float the bag. You can look up how to do the drip method on here or google it. Good luck!

 

[Blueiz]

You need to read up on pH and KH before you start adding anything to the tank. All you are doing right now is wasting money by adding acids to the tank when your KH will neutralize the effects. Once you understand how pH and KH are related you will realize exactly what I am talking about in addition to seeing that a pH of 5.0-8.5 is perfectly fine for 90%+ of the fish in this hobby. Long story short, don't mess with your pH.

Totally agree with the above.

You will most likely need a PH high test kit. If you do decide you want to lower the PH (which there is really no need to as the quote above said), do it naturally through using something like peat in the filter.

 

[bs6749]

Have you checked your tap water pH? Or maybe there is something in your tank raising the pH? Don't just dump the fish in. You need to accilimate them. And since you have a higher pH (hopefully you can get it down to "normal") you might want to use the drip method. My pH is the same as my LFS (7.6) so I have never tried this method, I float the bag. You can look up how to do the drip method on here or google it. Good luck!

Many discus experts would wholeheartedly disagree with the drip acclimation process when the pH is higher than neutral. I also disagree with this approach and it makes complete sense to me why drip acclimation is a poor method. This may pertain more to discus keepers, but in general I avoid the drip method of acclimation.

When discus keepers receive fish in the mail or when we drive hours with them in bags there is going to be ammonia buildup in the bags with such large fish. Most of the time we have Bag Buddies put into the bags with convert toxic ammonia molecules into harmless ammonium ions by making he pH acidic. If one understands the equilibrium between ammonia and ammonium with respect to pH it should be clear that at a pH of 5.0 there will be less ammonia molecules than in a pH of 6.0 which in turn has fewere ammonia molecules than a pH of 7.0 and this trend continues as you increase pH. This is why the drip acclimation is avoided, at least with expensive fish like discus. As you float the bags and add alkaline tank water, you are increasing the pH of the bag and are also vastly increasing the number of toxic ammonia molecules in the bag. The common misconception is that when fish get "burnt fins" or ragged and tattered fins that pH was to blame and thus it has been called "pH burn". In all actuality, this phenomeman should be called "ammonia burn" because it is the ammonia that is harming the fish and burning the fins. When you drip acclimate with water tha is more alkaline you are doing FAR more harm than good to your fish.

A much better method of acclimation in my eyes and in the eyes of countless discus keepers, enthusiasts, and experts is the "drop and plop" method of acclimation. Basically, you float the closed bag in the tank to equalize temperatures (only necessarey to get the temp within 6 degrees of the tank temp). Once this is acheived you make sure you have clean hands, you open the bag, and you remove the fish with your bare hand instead of a net, which can cause much damage to the slime coat of fish. With your hand now holding the fish make sure the bag is over the tank in case it decides to jump out of the bag, and gently plop the fish into the water. Dispose of the water in the bag, never put it into the tank.

Those are the basics of a much better acclimation method in my eyes and in the eyes of countless others. I have used this method on all of my discus (after doing the drip acclimation method and noticing terrible ammonia burns) and haven't had any burned fins or losses since. That includes the small ones that I got for $30 each and the larger ones that cost me $150 each. I'm not one for wasting money so I try to acclimate them as best as I can. Just my two cents.