Hi folks
Back again to bend your ear with some bothersome queries.
After about two months I have started getting a little algae problem in my tank -@ 15 gal. 3 small fish -panda moor, pearl scale, fantail, & 2 bigger fish - black moor, indeterminate goldfish(veiltail?)
The pet shop suggested I might try a Green Away treatment which recommends that the PH value of the water must be between 6.5 and 8.5 before use.
So I bought a test kit at the same time and having just changed two thirds of the water obviously the nitrate/nitrite value was at an acceptable level but the PH value was worryingly high.
The colour chart with the kit only goes up to 8.5 and it was certainly registering the corresponding colour to that, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was above the 8.5 mark?
Our water has quite a substantial limescale content, which I imagine must be the primary contributing factor and bar the extremely expensive idea of buying gallons of mineral water, or spending days boiling and cooling tap water, I am stumped for any sensible ideas.
I wondered if anyone could offer me some possible solutions to reducing the PH value of the water to a level that will make my fish a little happier with their environment.
I should tell you that I inherited the tank with one of the fish and although I assume the water was changed, it does not appear as though the gravel was cleaned regularly, once a month. Since I believed this might be a contributing factor to the algae problem, I decided to do another two thirds water change/gravel clean, only a week after my second monthly two thirds water change/gravel clean to try and reduce the amount of crap lingering in the gravel.
I have also discovered from the pet shop owner that my five fish are more than is recommended for this size tank which is @ 12" x 24" x15" (only after he flogged four of them to me ('
') !!) and as we've become so attached to all of them there is no way I would want to give any back to him (besides they have loads more room to swim around in my tank than the rather crowded ones in the pet shop)
I therefore wondered if I can compensate for the amount of waste produced by the five fish with more frequent or more substantial water changes/gravel cleaning than the procedure recommended by him of 10 per cent water change every week and two thirds on the fourth week.
For example I was wondering if I could keep the nitrate level down to an acceptable amount with a two thirds water change every fortnight? However if this is to be my routine, I guess there will be an even bigger necessity for finding a means of reducing the PH levels resulting from our tap water.
With my utmost thanks in advance as always in the hope that one of this happy band of fish fanciers will take the time and the trouble to respond with some solutions for my somewhat tedious troubles - and there was me when we saved the one fish from its frightful fate before being thrown in the park pond, thinking it would be a doddle, no twice daily walks, just a matter of throwing a bit of fish food in once in a while, little did I know what I was letting myself in for ('
')
TTFN
Bernard
Back again to bend your ear with some bothersome queries.
After about two months I have started getting a little algae problem in my tank -@ 15 gal. 3 small fish -panda moor, pearl scale, fantail, & 2 bigger fish - black moor, indeterminate goldfish(veiltail?)
The pet shop suggested I might try a Green Away treatment which recommends that the PH value of the water must be between 6.5 and 8.5 before use.
So I bought a test kit at the same time and having just changed two thirds of the water obviously the nitrate/nitrite value was at an acceptable level but the PH value was worryingly high.
The colour chart with the kit only goes up to 8.5 and it was certainly registering the corresponding colour to that, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was above the 8.5 mark?
Our water has quite a substantial limescale content, which I imagine must be the primary contributing factor and bar the extremely expensive idea of buying gallons of mineral water, or spending days boiling and cooling tap water, I am stumped for any sensible ideas.
I wondered if anyone could offer me some possible solutions to reducing the PH value of the water to a level that will make my fish a little happier with their environment.
I should tell you that I inherited the tank with one of the fish and although I assume the water was changed, it does not appear as though the gravel was cleaned regularly, once a month. Since I believed this might be a contributing factor to the algae problem, I decided to do another two thirds water change/gravel clean, only a week after my second monthly two thirds water change/gravel clean to try and reduce the amount of crap lingering in the gravel.
I have also discovered from the pet shop owner that my five fish are more than is recommended for this size tank which is @ 12" x 24" x15" (only after he flogged four of them to me ('
I therefore wondered if I can compensate for the amount of waste produced by the five fish with more frequent or more substantial water changes/gravel cleaning than the procedure recommended by him of 10 per cent water change every week and two thirds on the fourth week.
For example I was wondering if I could keep the nitrate level down to an acceptable amount with a two thirds water change every fortnight? However if this is to be my routine, I guess there will be an even bigger necessity for finding a means of reducing the PH levels resulting from our tap water.
With my utmost thanks in advance as always in the hope that one of this happy band of fish fanciers will take the time and the trouble to respond with some solutions for my somewhat tedious troubles - and there was me when we saved the one fish from its frightful fate before being thrown in the park pond, thinking it would be a doddle, no twice daily walks, just a matter of throwing a bit of fish food in once in a while, little did I know what I was letting myself in for ('
TTFN
Bernard