musicman4567

Heya, I didn't really know where to put this topic, so I will stick it here. I recently used a quarter of one of the Jungle brand Proper pH tablets in my 2.5 gal betta tank to bring down his pH (the tap water here is really high, like, 8.2) as I have read betta's prefer pH of around 7-7.5. That went well, dropped the high pH .5 units and it is more acceptable. However, since I put it in the tank, the ugf I have in there wont' stop foaming. the entire surface of my tank is covered in bubbles. not a huge deal except my betta is a finiky eater and refuses to eat if the filter isn't on. otherwise I could just turn it off while he eats. I think he likes to chase his food, makes him feel like more of a man ( he is purple and in a tank with a big pink flower, so we give him what we can as far as manhood goes...). any suggestions on how to get the bubbles to stop?

sgould

Not sure on that one. Water changes may do it, or it may take a thorough cleaning of the gravel and UGF plate. To keep it from happening again though...don't worry about lowering the pH. Most fish adapt just fine to your waters normal pH range, even if it is higher than the species listed preference. It is much more important to have a stable pH that does not change than to have the "perfect" pH. By artificially lowering it, you guarantee that the pH will go back up again when you do a water change. Then you will have to lower it again to keep it where you want it. Thus, you get a "yo yo" effect where your pH is constantly bouncing up and down. That will be much harder on the fish than just leaving it at 8.2.

musicman4567

Ok. good to know. I'm still learning, heh. Thanks!

sgould

Aren't we all!

musicman4567

So, an update. I did a 50% water change and the water is fine now. No bubbles and I won't be using that product (or any other pH product) again. Not worth it.

V10L3T

Well, the product doesn't have anything to do with it. I put a bunch of stuff in my tank and it bubbled for a few days too. I just left the lid off and the bubbles went down. If you let the water level go down a little bit, that works too. If it bubbles again, don't be worried about anything, it will stop.