pH question…

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TheDudeAbides

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 9, 2024
Messages
12
Location
New York
For the last month or so, my pH level went up to around 7.6 and stays there. I was closer to 7 before that. Had a few issues with some fish dying but then the remaining fish seemed to be doing great in this condition. I’ve since done multiple small water changes, and have tried adding Seachem Neutral Regulator a few times. Will not change from 7.6
Don’t know if I should just leave it alone or try anything else?
I have a 20 gal, all artificial plants, HOB filter, some aeration, and 11 small fish:
1 Cory Metae, 1 Glass Cat, 2 Diamond Tetras, 2 White Skirt Tetras, 1 Serpae Tetra, and 4 Neon Tetras.
Also, my water has been a little cloudy the last week or so and my last water change was about 3 days ago.
 
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9/10 trying to alter pH causes more problems than it solves. You are far better off with stable pH rather than trying to chase a number you might perceive as ideal. If the fish are healthy then just live with it, otherwise its better to keep fish that suit the water, rather than trying to force the water to parameters it doesn't want to be.

High pH is a function of minerals disolved in the water. It's much easier to raise pH by adding more minerals than it is to lower pH because that involves removing minerals.

You are not able to lower your pH because of carbonate hardness (KH). KH is called buffering because it absorbs acid and keeps your pH stable. The neutral regulator product is a mild acid. You add it and your KH just absorbs the acid. So you either have to add a ton load of this product to overcome the KH or use a much stronger acid.

These pH lowering products just don't work to bring high pH down. The only realistic way to lower a high pH is to lower the KH. The only way to lower KH is through adding enough acid or diluting your high KH water with low KH water, so RO water.

If you really want to lower your pH, either start buying RO water, or invest in a RO filter and make your own.
 
Ok. I figured as much. I haven’t attempted to alter the pH anymore in a while since the fish seem to be doing ok now. I’m definitely not getting involved in RO filters and remineralization and all of that. It’s a 20 gallon tank with mostly Tetras in it. They seem to be doing ok. I test my water weekly and it’s pretty consistent on all parameters. Thank you.
The only thing I have been having an issue with lately is the brown algae buildup on everything. Seems to be a happening a lot lately. The water has been slightly cloudy as well. I was told at my local pet store that this is usually caused by too much light, but it’s not in direct sunlight, and the hood light gets shut off at night. So still not sure about this one.
 
Brown algae/ diatoms are common in new aquariums. They consume silicates that come into new aquariums with substrate, rocks, the glass the aquarium is made of. They tend to go away when the silicates run out.

In more established aquariums they are more likely to be feeding on nitrate and phosphate. What's your nitrate like? What's a typical water change schedule? You might want to look at phosphates too. Does your water company publish water quality information online, or can you call them?

Diatoms proliferate in low light environments as they can outcompete aquatic plants and green algae in low light. So turning up the light might help as green algae can then outcompete the diatoms for nutrients. Add some plants if you haven't already done so. There are fish and inverts you can add that eat diatoms. Nerite snails and otocinclus are commonly kept for this purpose when they don't just clear up on their own.
 
Nitrate is next to nothing. Just checked two days ago actually. My water changes average about once every 9 or 10 days or so. Usually about a 20% change each time. Not sure if water company publishes water quality info online. Would have to look into that. Lately though I have been noticing a more chlorinated smell to my water. Would adding a little water conditioner directly to the tank be harmful or beneficial at all? I usually only add it to the new water and let it sit a little bit before adding it to the tank. Not sure if that would have anything to do with the brown algae though.
 
You are hardly doing any water changes. Unless your aquarium is chock full of plants or you only have a couple small fish in your 20 gallon aquarium you should be seeing a fair amount of nitrate.

I would make sure you are doing the test correctly. Assuming its API liquid test, really shake the heck out of bottle #2. Like bang it on the counter, twist the bottle. You really have to get the reagents unstuck from the inside of the bottle. Get a 2nd opinion on the nitrate test, take a sample of water to the fish store.

If you weren't seeing symptoms of high nitrate then no problem. But you are, and your nitrate test doesn't really make sense unless there is something not mentioned that would explain it.

Even if your nitrate is showing up as low with a 2nd opinion, I would still up the water change to 50% every week. See if that helps over a few months. Get a sample to retest before your next water change, not after it.

Most people do water changes by first removing water, then adding enough water conditioner to the aquarium to treat the volume of the aquarium, and then refill the tank. Water conditioner works instantly on contact, you don't need to let it sit to give it time to work. As long as the water gets well mixed as you refill the tank there will be no problem with chlorine affecting the fish. Adding enough to treat the whole aquarium rather than just enough to treat the new water should cover you if there is more chlorine used than is usual. Water conditioner can be overdosed by a significant margin. Seachem prime is safe for a 5x overdose for instance.
 
I do use the API Master Test kit. And I do shake that bottle vigorously for at least a minute as the instructions say. I will try to test again and bang the bottle around and shake it harder. But last I checked I believe the nitrate level was about 5ppm.

Also, when I add the water conditioner I always add the amount needed to treat the whole volume of the tank, not just the amount of new water I’m adding. The tank water has a slight mildew scent to it. But nothing too harsh. I last changed the water 4 days ago. I’ll do another one perhaps tomorrow and change out more of it.

Now I’ve just noticed one other odd issue. My one bandit Cory is suddenly missing. Checked everywhere. Moved all decor around, turned them all upside down to check inside of them, checked all of the plants, even checked inside the filter & on the floor below the tank to see if it jumped out of the back cutouts of the hood. Nothing. Not even a trace of bones or remnants of the fish if it died and was possibly eaten by any others. Most of the other fish in there are the same size as that Cory or smaller. I’ve read some things online about people’s experiences with this type of thing. Thoughts??
 
Fish disappearing isn't uncommon. Unless you are regularly counting fish you really not ideal how long it has been missing, fish will eat other dead fish, and if there are inverts a dead fish can be gone in a matter of hours. If they are able to jump from the tank you would be surprised how far a fish can get, so look further afield than just around the tank.
 
Update… the fish reappeared today. Seemingly out of nowhere. Not only that, it seems to be doing fine. We actually do a headcount every day so it was noticed relatively quickly. Either way, it had to have been burrowed under the substrate somewhere.

On another note, I rechecked the all of the water parameters again, paying specific attention to the nitrate levels. As you suggested, I shook the hell out of that bottle number 2, banged it hard a bunch of times, and kept that going for a good minute or so. Upon checking the color of the test water, my nitrate level seems to be around 10 ppm, possibly 15 ppm. I also performed another water change cleaning more of the gravel in the process.

In addition to this, I did some research on the diatoms you mentioned, and lit up the tank a little more to try and hinder the growth of this brown algae. I guess now it’s a matter of a little bit of time to see how things progress.
 
To much phosphorus can cause an algae bloom or cloudy water in my experience. If things have been going along fine then suddenly started changing check your fish food. Some use phosphorus as a preservative the cheaper foods use quite a bit. I'd back off feeding so much and get a better food if it where me. Do it for 2 weeks. If nothing changed I'd pursue a different avenue. I'm only referring about diatoms, brown or green algea.
 
To much phosphorus can cause an algae bloom or cloudy water in my experience. If things have been going along fine then suddenly started changing check your fish food. Some use phosphorus as a preservative the cheaper foods use quite a bit. I'd back off feeding so much and get a better food if it where me. Do it for 2 weeks. If nothing changed I'd pursue a different avenue. I'm only referring about diatoms, brown or green algea.
Thank you. How much/often would you consider feeding? I only feed once in the morning and once in the late afternoon and only a small pinch.. enough for them to finish in about 1-2 minutes. I’ve been using mainly Tetramin flakes or dried brine shrimp. Occasionally I’ll substitute one with dried blood worm. I’ll check to see if phosphorus is used in any of these foods.
 
There is phosphate in all fish food, and they are pretty consistent at around 1%. Cheaper fish food with more filler (crude ash) will be higher in phosphate.
 
Thank you. How much/often would you consider feeding? I only feed once in the morning and once in the late afternoon and only a small pinch.. enough for them to finish in about 1-2 minutes. I’ve been using mainly Tetramin flakes or dried brine shrimp. Occasionally I’ll substitute one with dried blood worm. I’ll check to see if phosphorus is used in any of these foods.
How mature is your setup? Not for sure how much you should be feeding your occupants however I can never remember a time that I fed more than once a day and I've always skipped feeding one day a week. That's not to say you should. I can only speak to my experiences. If you change to once a day feedings you can vary the food on a daily basis so they're not eating the same thing day in day out. Can't imagine that would be much fun. When I get around to stocking my tank I'm going to look into the Northfin and Repashy foods as I've heard great feedback about their quality.
 
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