My Tank Has Finally Finished Cycling But I Need Help With My Ph.. Phlease?

[R2D2Fish]

So my cycle has finally finished doing its thing BUT my PH is 6 and my high PH is 7.4
I don’t really understand the difference between the two and what exactly those numbers mean so I am posting here and starting my google search for knowledge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[NC122606]

View attachment 573407

So my cycle has finally finished doing its thing BUT my PH is 6 and my high PH is 7.4
I don’t really understand the difference between the two and what exactly those numbers mean so I am posting here and starting my google search for knowledge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

I had a bit of trouble with that also, my low ph did not look it was an option on the color grid. But my ph is 7.8 so it did come up with a match on high ph. Do you mind posting a picture of the 2 ph tests with the color grid? (Your choice)

 

[fjh]

Hi!

Do you have any way to test for gh and kh? What is your ph out of your tap?

The reason there are 2 "different" ph measurements is because the regular ph becomes inacurate as it reaches higher values. This is why they have a "high ph" test, but this test happens to be inaccurate at lower values. So basically, if you are at the highest level of the regular test, then use the high ph test. otherwise, use whatever the regular test tells you.

Ph generally doesn't matter in an aquarium. The important thing is to keep it steady - fish can adjust to any ph, but don't appreciate any fast swings. The other reason ph is important is that at lower ph (like... below 6), the beneficial bacteria (that you just spent so long growing during your cycle) can't process ammonia as easily.

 

[R2D2Fish]

I had a bit of trouble with that also, my low ph did not look it was an option on the color grid. But my ph is 7.8 so it did come up with a match on high ph. Do you mind posting a picture of the 2 ph tests with the color grid? (Your choice)

Sure I can post it, but I’ll have to do the test again. Gimme a minute

 

[Crispii]

pH doesn't mean anything. Any fish can thrive in a ride range of pH as long as you keep your pH is stable and consistent.

 

[R2D2Fish]

I had a bit of trouble with that also, my low ph did not look it was an option on the color grid. But my ph is 7.8 so it did come up with a match on high ph. Do you mind posting a picture of the 2 ph tests with the color grid? (Your choice)

The first pic is the PH
The second is the high PH
The third is my taps PH

 

[NC122606]

pH doesn't mean anything. Any fish can thrive in a ride range of pH as long as you keep your pH is stable and consistent.

I agree with that because I have seen people put ADFs in maybe 6 or less ph?

 

[R2D2Fish]

pH doesn't mean anything. Any fish can thrive in a ride range of pH as long as you keep your pH is stable and consistent.

Really, so I shouldn’t worry about it. I just don’t want to wake up one day to a dead aquarium

 

[NC122606]

The first pic is the PH
The second is the high PH
The third is my taps PH

I think that it is between 6.0 - 6.4. What do you have in your tank? Like Decor maybe Driftwood?

 

[Crispii]

Really, so I shouldn’t worry about it. I just don’t want to wake up one day to a dead aquarium

No. Chasing numbers is much worse than keeping the pH stable and consistent. For example: I have wild caught leopoldI angelfish (pH in their natural habitat is around 5-6), however, my pH is around 7.4 and they seemed to be thriving with a slightly higher pH than their natural habitat.

 

[R2D2Fish]

I

Hi!

Do you have any way to test for gh and kh? What is your ph out of your tap?

The reason there are 2 "different" ph measurements is because the regular ph becomes inacurate as it reaches higher values. This is why they have a "high ph" test, but this test happens to be inaccurate at lower values. So basically, if you are at the highest level of the regular test, then use the high ph test. otherwise, use whatever the regular test tells you.

Ph generally doesn't matter in an aquarium. The important thing is to keep it steady - fish can adjust to any ph, but don't appreciate any fast swings. The other reason ph is important is that at lower ph (like... below 6), the beneficial bacteria (that you just spent so long growing during your cycle) can't process ammonia as easily.

I have no idea what GH and KH are, I just added that to my list of things I need to google!

This is a pic of my tap waters PH

I think that it is between 6.0 - 6.4. What do you have in your tank? Like Decor maybe Driftwood?

I have 6 rainbows, 2 angels, 1 rainbow shark, 2 dwarf gourami, 2 swordtails (1 of them was pregnant when I bought her) I didn’t know.... and she has given birth to 6 fry so far and none of them have been eaten by the other fish
I’m overstocked.. as for decor in the aquarium, it’s all artificial

 

[fjh]

Do you have driftwood, peat moss, etc - anything that might be changing the ph or kh in your aquarium?

Like I said earlier, the ph itself isn't much of a problem so long as it is steady. My concern is if you do a large water change, then your tap water with a much higher ph might shock your fish.

It is possible since you just finished cycling (and you probably didn't do any water changes during a fishless cycle) that you have a ton of nitrate. Since this is slightly acidic, it could make your ph drop once it blows through your buffer (kh).

 

[NC122606]

I have 6 rainbows, 2 angels, 1 rainbow shark, 2 dwarf gourami, 2 swordtails (1 of them was pregnant when I bought her) I didn’t know.... and she has given birth to 6 fry so far and none of them have been eaten by the other fish
I’m overstocked.. as for decor in the aquarium, it’s all artificial

Here I suggest reading this thread.
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/tank-cycling-confusion.412616/#post-4202408
It was kind of the same problem, to get the best out of this read the post from Momgoose56 in this thread.

 

[R2D2Fish]

Do you have driftwood, peat moss, etc - anything that might be changing the ph or kh in your aquarium?

Like I said earlier, the ph itself isn't much of a problem so long as it is steady. My concern is if you do a large water change, then your tap water with a much higher ph might shock your fish.

It is possible since you just finished cycling (and you probably didn't do any water changes during a fishless cycle) that you have a ton of nitrate. Since this is slightly acidic, it could make your ph drop once it blows through your buffer (kh).

It’s a long story, but I had to do a fish in cycle

 

[Momgoose56]

Hi, welcome to Fishlore. It looks like your pH is dropping pretty drastically after it is added to your tank. CrispiI and fjh are right that a stable pH is important. Your pH is very unstable. It looks like it's dropping from 7.4-7.6 from the tap to 6.0 or less in your tank. Repeated fluctuations of as little as .6 degrees may or may not cause problems immediately but over time can result in pH shock or stress and cause your fish to become ill. The easiest way to prevent this drop in pH and stabilize it is to add a natural buffer to the tank. Crushed coral or aragonite are sources of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3-a natural buffer) and can be added, in a mesh media bag, to the overflow compartment in a HOB filter or to the top basket of a canister filter. The amount recommended is 1 cup per 30 gallons of actual tank volume. You should see a slow, steady rise in your tank pH to 7.2-7.6 over several days after adding this type of buffer. The aragonite or Crushed coral should be squished around in the bag (to grind the pieces together) and rinsed any time gunk accumulates on the bag or pieces of coral. It needs to be replaced only if you notice that your pH is dropping in the tank again, the coral or aragonite dissolve and start to crumble too much or every 8-12 months- whichever comes first. The addition of this type of buffer to your filter will prevent your tap water from taking a pH "nosedive" after your water changes. Good luck! Please let us know how this works out if you choose to go this route.

 

[R2D2Fish]

Hi, welcome to Fishlore. It looks like your pH is dropping pretty drastically after it is added to your tank. CrispiI and fjh are right that a stable pH is important. Your pH is very unstable. It looks like it's dropping from 7.4-7.6 from the tap to 6.0 or less in your tank. Repeated fluctuations of as little as .6 degrees may not cause problems immediately but over time can result in pH shock or stress and cause your fish to become ill. The easiest way to prevent this drop in pH and stabilize it is to add a natural buffer to the tank. Crushed coral or aragonite are sources of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3-a natural buffer) and can be added, in a mesh media bag, to the overflow compartment in a HOB filter or to the top basket of a canister filter. The amount recommended is 1 cup per 30 gallons of actual tank volume. You should see a slow, steady rise in your tank pH to 7.2-7.6 over several days after adding this type of buffer. The aragonite or Crushed coral should be squished around in the bag (to grind the pieces together) and rinsed any time gunk accumulates on the bag or pieces of coral. It needs to be replaced only if you notice that your pH is dropping in the tank again, the coral or aragonite dissolve and start to crumble too much or every 8-12 months- whichever comes first. The addition of this type of buffer to your filter will prevent your tap water from taking a pH "nosedive" after your water changes. Good luck! Please let us know how this works out if you choose to go this route.

Ok, so is my current ph at a dangerous level for my fish? And if I get the crushed coral, how much do I add? Can I just sprinkle it on the substrate I have?
,

 

[Momgoose56]

Ok, so is my current ph at a dangerous level for my fish? And if I get the crushed coral, how much do I add? Can I just sprinkle it on the substrate I have?
,

All that is answered in my post above lol! The crushed coral works best in the filter compartment (water flow+surface area) if you put it in the body of the aquarium, you'll need to add much more-instead of 1 cup per 30 gallons, you need 1 lb per 10 gallons. Over time will crumble into a sandy substrate. You'll still need to add more as it dissolves and crumbles. I recommend putting it in the filter overflow. It's easier to change and keep an eye on and requires requires less to do the same job. In the amounts required in the body of the tank it can pack down making vacuuming difficult and even less efficient.

 

[R2D2Fish]

All that is answered in my post above lol! The crushed coral works best in the filter compartment (water flow+surface area) if you put it in the body of the aquarium, you'll need to add much more-instead of 1 cup per 30 gallons, you need 1 lb per 10 gallons. Over time will crumble into a sandy substrate. You'll still need to add more as it dissolves and crumbles. I recommend putting it in the filter overflow. It's easier to change and keep an eye on and requires requires less to do the same job. In the amounts required in the body of the tank it can pack down making vacuuming difficult and even less efficient.

Ok, so I decided to give it a day and then test the water again. The PH is now between 6 and 6.4. I was planning to do a water change this week.. should I wait?

 

[Momgoose56]

Ok, so I decided to give it a day and then test the water again. The PH is now between 6 and 6.4. I was planning to do a water change this week.. should I wait?

Did you put crushed coral in your filter overflow? Your pH isn't dangerous at 6.4 or even 6, what's dangerous is the water changes that suddenly raise it and then the subsequent drop in the pH over and over again. Your tap water most likely has a very low KH (carbonate hardness). That allows the pH your water company adjusts with alkaline buffers, to rapidly 'gas out' as soon as it leaves your faucet and is exposed to air. So, your pH drops fairly rapidly after it is put in your tank. The reason water companies treat acidic water with buffers is to prevent that acidic water from corroding pipes and the welds in the pipes (like what happened in Flint Michigan) But the buffers only last while the water is in the pipes. Crushed coral or other carbonate rock keep your pH from crashing in the tank. You can change the water but unless you put a long term buffer in your tank, you'll be doing a ton more water changes than you would need to if you simply added a carbonate rock buffer. PLUS, your tank will finish cycling faster with a higher pH.

 

[R2D2Fish]

No, I bought it but didn’t add it yet..
I’m nervous because I’ve come this far and I’ve only lost the 5 shrimp.. I don’t want to do anything wrong

 

[Dennis57]

Your PH is fine, you should never chase your PH to get it to a certain number. My PH in my tank of 15 years has always been 6.5. All of my fish do fine. I had 2 Angels that lived 11 years

 

[R2D2Fish]

That’s what I keep reading, I don’t want to make an drastic changes and end up screwing up my fish. I was reading about PH last night and one of the reason for Low PH was overfeeding.... I started to think about it and I think I might be a little guilty of that. My fish always seem like they are starving!! But apparently that’s what fish do, and they will actually eat until they absolutely can’t fit anything else lol
I think that I am going to 1. Feed them less and 2. When I do water changes, I’m going to let the water sit for a bit then test the ph before adding it to the tank.

 

[Skavatar]

you haven't mentioned water changes. how often do you do water changes and what % of water do you change?

to test the pH of the tap, let it sit overnight to gas off.

 

[CindyVBPets]

OK welcome to my world with my 20L in my icon. There is a solution but it's annoying and not 100% "safe" because of potential human error.

Unless and until it resolves....You have to use bottled water to temper/dilute your tap water for water changes - so it matches your tank PH. And always use the Prime even with bottled water. This means you have to FIND a bottled water that works in some combination and they are all different PH.

My PH out of the tap is 8.4. I chose a substrate of Fluval Stratum which renders a tank 6.6. I've heard that as it ages it loses some of that power. I wasn't thinking about water changes. Also NEVER thought that "lowers ph" meant by all that drastic degree!

Ironically I started out with Eco-Complete which bounces PH UP! So I switched it to Stratum (before any fish was involved).

As you can see I have a large Jangle wood, and in the middle another driftwood piece you can't see anchoring the Bolbitis and I removed most botanicals. Doesn't matter, really, Stratrum goes right to 6.6 regardless.

The WATER CHANGES are the issue! I can put all the crushed coral I want in there (already done), it won't help me do water changes because it's never going to match my PH and whatever it does won't last forever. . I've considered changing substrate but the DRAMA!

The only solution I know is to do water changes with water that is already 6.6.

I accomplish this by mixing my tap water with a very acid bottled spring water. They are consistent within each brand AFAIK from testing. But they can range HUGELY between brands.For example. Publix in-house brand runs over 8.0.

Crystal Geyser (available at Walmart or Amazon) is 6.9.

Crystal Springs (I get it at Publix) is 6.0. (on the API test - if not lower) Very few are low PH since it's a fad to use HIGH PH water now.

So I use a white bucket from Petsmart that has markings on the inside by half gallons.

In my case, using 1 gallon of tap water at 8.4 to around 1.5 gallon of Crystal Springs bottled water gives me a PH which exactly matches my tank.(this week LOL)

I'm not happy about it and worry about PH shock anyway, so I do small water changes like 10- 20% at a time instead of the large 50% that lots of people do.

I've added Purigen and Denitrate to my filter just to help the water out. (I have a low flow Penn Plax Cascade filter just for the denitrate - a requirement that you don't flow too many gallons per hour through the product)

This also presents a challenge with water temp because I live in FL and my tap water is NEVER cold. It comes out at 82 right now in summer. My tank runs 79-80.

I have an infra red gun you can point at stuff to get temps.

I have to prepare the water ahead of time and turn off my A/C (which I only keep on 77 anyway....)..then not waste time draining and refilling because taking the full hood off the aquarium and unplugging everything causes a pretty big drop in temp fairly quicklyl..

So my tank might drop to 77 where my buckets of new water might be 82 so I prepare it ahead of time, and if it's too cold I can warm it up with tap water (then add more acid water to that )

So annoying.

Still contemplating changing substrates but that could be bad, too. I think I'd have to move the fish to a whole OTHER aquarium for his safety then over TIME get him used to a higher one.

I'm also considering adding back some Eco Complete!! But it'll have to be in a test tank because again, it'll shock my fish if I mess with it in his tank.

 

[Kmshyamsunder]

Sorry for asking is the tank a marine or tropical fresh water

Marine tank on range is 7.6 to 8.4
Freshwater tank ranger 6.4 to 6.8
A ph of 7 does not effect fresh water but some fish prefer slightly acidic water

If it is a planted tank increase co2 and check
If you need to increase on urgency then try adding plain soda or carbonated water 100 millis at a time and check or add lemon juice 5 millis at a time and check. But co2 is always best in the long run ( I was happy with temporary non co2 methods and so were fishes)

Crushed coral or any calcium based material is a no no for freshwater tank. After some time the ph raises beyond 7 and no matter how many water changes you do will help and you have take it out entirely.

Crushed coral and other calcium based material is good for marine fishes as they thrive in basic alkaline medium and you have corals they get it from crushed coral.

 

[CindyVBPets]

Sorry for asking is the tank a marine or tropical fresh water

Marine tank on range is 7.6 to 8.4
Freshwater tank ranger 6.4 to 6.8
A ph of 7 does not effect fresh water but some fish prefer slightly acidic water

If it is a planted tank increase co2 and check
If you need to increase on urgency then try adding plain soda or carbonated water 100 millis at a time and check or add lemon juice 5 millis at a time and check. But co2 is always best in the long run ( I was happy with temporary non co2 methods and so were fishes)

Crushed coral or any calcium based material is a no no for freshwater tank. After some time the ph raises beyond 7 and no matter how many water changes you do will help and you have take it out entirely.

Crushed coral and other calcium based material is good for marine fishes as they thrive in basic alkaline medium and you have corals they get it from crushed coral.

This is the Freshwater Forum.

Actually, adding crushed coral is recommended by Cory, and he he recommends adding a cup or so in a tank with "problem PH" - in fact in most tanks. He says it takes a very long time to even raise, and water changes keep it in check. Granted where he lives he has super low PH.

Not that I believe in chasing PH, but his explanations are on point.

"Taking it out" is not a problem if you use a media bag.

Have to admit this is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend doing Co2 especially to a new person just starting out.

She also needs to figure out her KH or just be bouncing all over again. Also often helped by water changes.

Why are you saying Freshwater PH range stops at 6.8?

 

[Momgoose56]

Sorry for asking is the tank a marine or tropical fresh water

Marine tank on range is 7.6 to 8.4
Freshwater tank ranger 6.4 to 6.8
A ph of 7 does not effect fresh water but some fish prefer slightly acidic water

If it is a planted tank increase co2 and check
If you need to increase on urgency then try adding plain soda or carbonated water 100 millis at a time and check or add lemon juice 5 millis at a time and check. But co2 is always best in the long run ( I was happy with temporary non co2 methods and so were fishes)

Crushed coral or any calcium based material is a no no for freshwater tank. After some time the ph raises beyond 7 and no matter how many water changes you do will help and you have take it out entirely.

Crushed coral and other calcium based material is good for marine fishes as they thrive in basic alkaline medium and you have corals they get it from crushed coral.

I beg to differ.
Freshwater tank pH can range between 6.4-8.4 depending on the needs of particular species of fish.
Crushed coral and other CaCO3 rockis useful in a freshwater tank as a buffer, to stabilize pH when source water KH is low and it adds calcium when GH is low.
Raising or lowering pH rapidly in marine, brackish or freshwater tanks, with acids or alkalies can be deadly to the fish and inverts in the tank.
A stable pH is preferable to an unstable pH.

OK welcome to my world with my 20L in my icon. There is a solution but it's annoying and not 100% "safe" because of potential human error.

Unless and until it resolves....You have to use bottled water to temper/dilute your tap water for water changes - so it matches your tank PH. And always use the Prime even with bottled water. This means you have to FIND a bottled water that works in some combination and they are all different PH.

My PH out of the tap is 8.4. I chose a substrate of Fluval Stratum which renders a tank 6.6. I've heard that as it ages it loses some of that power. I wasn't thinking about water changes. Also NEVER thought that "lowers ph" meant by all that drastic degree!

Now all THAT sounds like more drama than just changing substrate to me....

 

[CindyVBPets]

Now all THAT sounds like more drama than just changing substrate to me....

HAHAHA Right! The actual problem is my tap is 8.4 so I should have gone with cichlids! Except this all started with me taking a clients Betta when she moved. LOL

 

[Momgoose56]

HAHAHA Right! The actual problem is my tap is 8.4 so I should have gone with cichlids! Except this all started with me taking a clients Betta when she moved. LOL

My pH is 8.2-8.4 ot of the tap but drops to 7.8-8.0 -in the tank, KH is 50-100 (3°-6°) aand GH is 200-400 and I've kept many Bettas in this water. My daughter trained one of hers to play dead (it would briefly roll into its side) and to swim through a little plastic hoop for brine shrimp or bloodworms and also to jump up partially out of the water to grab a betta pellet or blood worm from the tip of a toothpick! They are very smart, I think, compared to most other fish!

 

[R2D2Fish]

Sorry I haven’t been back, but everything has resolved.. so far. And the ph issue is under control.. I think... I found a new water conditioner called Ultimate, it’s made by HikarI and it’s pretty amazing. Thanks everyone for all of your advice and suggestions

 

[Kmshyamsunder]

This is the Freshwater Forum.

Actually, adding crushed coral is recommended by Cory, and he has a whole video on substrates and why he recommends adding a cup or so in a tank with "problem PH" - in fact in most tanks. He says it takes a very long time to even raise, and water changes keep it in check. Granted where he lives he has super low PH.

Not that I believe in chasing PH, but his explanations are on point.

"Taking it out" is not a problem if you use a media bag.

Have to admit this is the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend doing Co2 especially to a new person just starting out.

She also needs to figure out her KH or just be bouncing all over again. Also often helped by water changes.

Why are you saying Freshwater PH range stops at 6.8?

As after that it becomes neutral ph 7 and though is not harmful fish tend to dislike specially discus ghost elephant nose etc

I beg to differ.
Freshwater tank pH can range between 6.4-8.4 depending on the needs of particular species of fish.
Crushed coral and other CaCO3 rockis useful in a freshwater tank as a buffer, to stabilize pH when source water KH is low and it adds calcium when GH is low.
Raising or lowering pH rapidly in marine, brackish or freshwater tanks, with acids or alkalies can be deadly to the fish and inverts in the tank.
A stable pH is preferable to an unstable pH.

I meant using natural additives low ph add lemon juice soda means not sodabicarb plain carbonated water that to 50 to 100 million litres or 1 to 3 ounces. Off the shelf products tend to fade off in 2 to 3 weeks. Fresh water tanks are best below 7 ph except chichlids the MalawI and tangyanika chichlids more specifically

That’s what I keep reading, I don’t want to make an drastic changes and end up screwing up my fish. I was reading about PH last night and one of the reason for Low PH was overfeeding.... I started to think about it and I think I might be a little guilty of that. My fish always seem like they are starving!! But apparently that’s what fish do, and they will actually eat until they absolutely can’t fit anything else lol
I think that I am going to 1. Feed them less and 2. When I do water changes, I’m going to let the water sit for a bit then test the ph before adding it to the tank.

Buy a good Digtal ph tester like the ones from Hanna instruments it is very simple and easy to use. I use most of them for my water checks and no need to use test kits. For ammo reading there is seachem product which you need to stick inside your tank and displays 4 colours on the amount present and lasts for more than a year . My tank is 75 gallons and for smaller tank it may work longer

 

[Momgoose56]

I meant using natural additives low ph add lemon juice soda means not sodabicarb plain carbonated water that to 50 to 100 million litres or 1 to 3 ounces. Off the shelf products tend to fade off in 2 to 3 weeks. Fresh water tanks are best below 7 ph except chichlids the MalawI and tangyanika chichlids more specifically

And except guppys, platys, many rainbowfish, danios, white cloud minnows, some gudgeons, many tetras, a bunch of types of barbs etc...