Justice Bucket

Hi. I have two freshwater 10 gallon tanks. One has dwarf puffers and ottos, the other has betta and ottos. My pH is almost according to API (up to 7.6) is as high as possible. I have a higher ph test kit coming tomorrow. I'm wondering what in my tank could be raising the ph as my tap water is ph = 7.0.

Tank 1
- black and red gravel
- rock the size of a baby fist housing Christmas tree moss
- 2 clay pots
- 4 plastic plants
- I piece of driftwood

Tank 2
- pebbles and sea glass
- 1 rock from Dominican ocean (possibly the culprit in this case)
- 4 live plants
- 1 clay pot

I've read that clay pots can actually lower the ph as well as driftwood, yet...dead ottos...


Please advise how to lower ph naturally....

OR

They both starved to death, they wouldn't eat the algae wafers I was feeding them. However, in the first tank there was plenty of algae, not so much in the second tank. I also went away for a week and did not feed any tank.

agabr123

how long have you had the otos?

7.6 isn't extremely high, you can lower it with driftwood naturally but i dont really think it's necessary as long as you acclimate your fish properly. is 7.6 the reading for both of the tanks or for the tap water? the high range pH tester will definitely give you a better indicator of how high your pH actually is, so definitely post the results from that when you get it.

Justice Bucket

The otto with the dwarf puffer I've had for a month and the otto with betta only a few weeks, both from different stores.
Tap water ph = 7.0
I acclimate them over about 1/2 an hour, slowly pouring in some of the tank water every 5/10 minutes.

agabr123

is the 7.6 reading from both tanks?

Justice Bucket

Yes, and Until I get my higher ph test kit, could be more.

agabr123

that's really strange considering you have driftwood in the first tank. try letting your tap water sit for a few hours and then testing again and see what it's at

Shawnie

driftwood only lowers the ph if it has tannis in it its the tannis that lowers it not the wood itself....ive found that with the clay pots, it made my ph rise...almost like coral and crushed shells do...what type of rocks are they?

Justice Bucket

I've taken my clay pot out of one of the tanks to see what happens. One of the rocks is from the ocean (see my photo w/betta) The other rock with Xmas Tree moss just seems generic grey.