Help! Accidentally Added Too Much Ph Increase!

I have a Betta in a 5 gallon and I accidentally added a little to much pH increase. I have been struggling with a low pH level and I just added driftwood which will lower pH. So I added some pH increase to raise it to 7.0-7.2 ish. I accidentally over dosed and I’m scared I might put my Betta go into a pH shock of some sort. The pH last time I checked which was earlier today was around 6.8. It seems like it is now close to 7.4ish. Is that too rapid of an increase or am I fine. He doesn’t seem to have any symptoms

Here is a picture of the test I just took:

 

For now, leave it alone. Do a few small (10%) water changes over the next few days in order to normalize your PH. Once it's pretty close to normal PH, do a large WC. While you're at it, I'd throw away the PH increase.

This is why I always recommend against using PH altering chemicals. 99% of fish that people keep in aquariums are just fine with a huge range of PHs (6.0-9.0), and it's hard to find water outside of that range most of the time. However, as soon as a well-intentioned hobbyist begins dosing chemicals to change their PH, it causes PH swings, which are MAGNITUDES worse than a stable PH outside the recommended range of a fish.

Your betta will be fine, IMO. They're hardy fish.

 

Okay I’ll start doing water changes, do you think it will hurt the Betta or should it be fine?

 

He should be fine. Bettas are extremely hardy.

 

He should be fine. Bettas are extremely hardy.

Okay makes me feel so much better. I was scared I was going to hurt him. Alston How much do tannins decrease water pH?

 

If the driftwood decreased the pH, then doing WCs with tap will make it return to the parameters from before the driftwood was added.

 

If the driftwood decreased the pH, then doing WCs with tap will make it return to the parameters from before the driftwood was added.

My tap seems to always lower my ph is that bad. I haven’t tested my tap yet.

Edit: just tested, it has pH of 7.2, why does my tank waters ph always lower then with water changed

 

My tap seems to always lower my ph is that bad. I haven’t tested my tap yet.

Edit: just tested, it has pH of 7.2, why does my tank waters ph always lower then with water changed

You need to leave your tap water sit for 24hrs to get a reliable ph reading.

 

You need to leave your tap water sit for 24hrs to get a reliable ph reading.

Let it sit and then test

 

Your PH is fine. Messing with it will cause way more problems, as you can see first hand, than leaving it. The majority of fish are fine in the majority of PH people are getting from their tap.

 

Let it sit and then test

Yes

 

Okay makes me feel so much better. I was scared I was going to hurt him. Alston How much do tannins decrease water pH?

Very little.