lstern811

Hello. Let me start for apologizing for how long this is ahead of time. I simply wanted to provide as much info as possible for my problem

This is a tropical community tank: Mollies, tetras, glofish, etc. It has aquarium sand, a few arti plants, and a large aqarium "rock" decoration. Nothing that should affect the water chemically (ive heard sand can raise pH dangerously, but in my case its low) As of now there are 10 small fish in it.

I recently set up my old fish tank, (it is 2 weeks old now) not before thouroughly cleaning it out as instructed at a local fish store. I used water conditioner, a tad bit of aquarium salt, and Aquarium Solutions ULTIMATE Water Conditioner. I later used API 7.0 Buffering Powder

I let the tank cycle for a week before buying a few "tester" fish that are hardy and I wouldnt mind keeping in the tank. My ph when adding fish was a tad low, about 6.8 but nothing seriously wrong. The rest of my water parameters were average but not quite perfect. The algae eater I had bought died about two days later, so I tested my ph which read 6.2. My ammonia is low, my nitrites and nitrates are good, GH and KH fine. But my alkalinity and PH are way out of wack. The highest Ive been able to get my PH to is 6.8

Keep in mind this is after three treatments of API 7.0 buffer, a powder treatment that is supposed to neatrualize the ph at 7.0. I added a fourth treatment when I got my 6.2 reading, and today it is back up to around 6.8. Since setting up my tank my alkalinity has been very low, but today when I tested it it was off the charts, say 3.6 or higher.

The remaining fish seem to have adjusted well, do not seem stressed or sick. However, I dont want to keep raising and lowering the ph on them, and Id rather get it up to 7.0 where it belongs.

Someone mentioned exchanging 25 percent of the water (which is treated tap) with distilled water alternative, and then treating it from there. Supposedly the tap water can throw off buffers like the one I used, and distilled would work better for neutraling everything out.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

aquarist48

Good morning. Welcome to Fish Lore
First I would like to suggest that you stop using pH buffers Up or Down. They are too unreliable and can eventually cause your pH to crash. If you want to raise your pH levels you can add crushed coral.
Here is some information concerning the nitrogen cycle that is crucial to fish keeping.
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Your aquarium is not cycled and your fish are at risk for ammonia poisoning. I suggest 30 to 50% daily water changes until your ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0 and nitrates are 5-10. Add some Prime or Amquel + to detoxify the ammonia for a 24 hour period until it's time for your next water change.
Information on pH:
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/107
Most fish will adapt to the pH levels that with have to offer right from the tap. It's more important to maintain a stable pH through frequent water changes.
Best of luck.

AlyeskaGirl

Hello, Welcome to Fishlore!

I'm a little confused when you say your KH is fine, then you say your Alkalinity is out of wack What exactly is your KH (alkalinity) reading?

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/107

lstern811

Probably a typo. What I meant was it started very low, and now it is very high.

Thanks to the first person and their suggestion....though Im not sure the ammonia is my biggest problem, since Im getting readouts of 0 (down from .25-.50) But a partial water change may be my next course of action, since everyone suggests it.

Basically, the ammonia and nitrites look ok so far, havent had a nitrate readout in a day or two....

Didnt want to use the PH adjusters, but it was suggested to me that this powder I use would either A. Raise the PH to 7 or B. Lower the PH to 7. Unfortunately after four treatments my PH rests at 6.8, and I fear it will drop again.

My question is, what can I do to balance out my PH naturally, without chems or even crushed coral. Usually I hear about people who use sand having a high ph, but my problem is the opposite. Also, does my high alkalinity (3.6+) have anything to do with the constant low ph? What caused my alkaline to jump thru the roof, when before it was very low. Would a 25 percent exchange for tank water with distilled help?

Thank you

jdhef

I think you may be a little too fixated on your ph. When I first started my tank I was very worried about my ph of 7.6-7.8 being too high. The good thing was that in my search for a solution I discovered this site and learned the following:

A ph between 6.0 and 8.0 is fine for most fish, and a consisitant ph is far more important for the fish, than a ph of 7.0 that will fluxuate due to chemical usage.

Crushed Coral will raise your ph naturally. You could just put some in a mesh bag in a hidden corner of your tank if you really want to raise your ph. It would be more consistant than chemical additives.

Good Luck

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!!!!

I agree with JD....dont worry about your ph until your tank finishes cycling..as ph and alk will change during the cycle process...as long as its a stable ph, no matter what it is while cycling, is more important for now....ammonia is something that should be a concern from the beginning and something that can kill the fish if not controlled... I would do daily water changes of 30-40% without the buffers or the salt, and try and find either prime, amquel+ or ammo lock until you are fully cycled...then you can go and see if you need to change other water factors depending on the type of species you want to keep...getting that tank cycled is number 1 and the rest will fall into place once that is achieved good luck!

lstern811

thanks shawnee

Its not so much that I am "fixated" on my PH, its more that I want it to level out. For some reason, the highest it gets is 6.8 before dropping right back down. I suppose I'll try the coral....is there a certain amount I should use? Its a 55 gal....I dont want to add coral to bring it up, then have it be to high and have to take it out.

Im not as worried about my PH being a tad low as I am it fluctuating. I just want it to be right and stay right. I know that most fish adapt, but 6.2 is getting dangerously close to unsafe.

Also, what about the high alkalinity?

When changing water, should I use distilled rather than more tap? Otherwise I think I'll have the same problem again.

Last but not least...I have been having trouble getting an ammonia reading. The test kit I have is brand new, and goes on a GREEN colored scale....however today and last night I kept getting "yellow" readings, which doesnt seem to match anything on the chart. 0 is light green, 6 is dark blue....but my tests are all coming out yellowish, without the slightest hint of green. Any suggestions as to what this may be?

Angela_96

I would test the tap water and see how the alkalinity and ph is. The fish you have can thrive anywhere on the ph scale , and even adapt to hard water. Just as long as the water is stable thats all that matters.

When a tank isn't cycled yet the ph will go up and down, and be very unstable, the lower the ph the more toxic ammonia is to the fish. Did you get SW api or FW api? My fw api has a greenish scale but my -0- is yellow.

It is very normal to get a spike in ammonia, then nitrites, then once cycled both values will be -0-. I would do daily waterchanges when you have ammonia and nitrites.

As for distilled water, it has no nutrients in it, so I wouldn't use it.


I would suggest properly cycling the tank for a couple weeks, using no ph chemicals that will give you the stable ph that you need. Then if your ph is too low putting in crushed coral and if its too high driftwood.

lstern811

Thanks for that. The test I have is Tetratest Laborett. Only a few days old, so it shouldnt be a bad test kit. Here is the breakdown.

When my tank was a week old, the tests showed as follows. Keep in mind ALL of these results are with NO fish

PH-6.5
ALK - 0 -1.6 or "low" on my at home Red Sea test kit. 40mg/L at store
nitrite - <.3 or 0
Nitrate - 10 mg/L
Ammonia - .25-.50 mg/L
I used 7.0 Buffer as suggested, some water conditioner, and a bit of aquarium salt. My ammonia was a little high even before any fish....but nothing too high that I was worried.

A few days later I added my first fish, ten < 1 inch assortment listed above.
My water that day was pretty much the same, though the PH had come up to 6.8.

A few days AFTER adding fish, Tank 2 weeks old
This is after 3 treatments of API 7.0
PH- 6.2--Added a fourth treatment of 7.0, PH now 6.5
Nitrite - 0
ALK - 3.6 on my chart. 0 is low, 1.7-2.8 is normal, and 3.6 is the highest
Nitrates - Not sure
Ammonia - Last accurate reading I got was 0. Now as I said the test reads yellow...which isnt a color on my scale

I am assuming the ALK is so darn high because of all the API 7.0 I used.......buy why hasnt my tank made it to 7.0 after over a week and four treatments?

Basically, from what everyone is saying I shouldnt worry too much about the PH, which Im not. I just dont want to keep stressing the fish.

I'll start with a water change, after testing my tap and go from there. Like I said, the fish all seem perfectly fine for now...I will retest ammonia after a water change and see what I get.

jdhef

Actually, I believe that below 7.0 ammonia turns into ammonium which is less toxic than ammonia.