PH too high :eek:

[kamla]

Hi guys…
My tab water shows ph 8.2 :mad2
I have tried different ways, I put some water in a glass and left it for 24 hrs and also another test water was taken a bucket it has driftwood it had been soaking for 3 days
Both test show ph of 8.2

I am staring cycling on sat.. what should I do.. all the fish I want need ph of 7 – 7.5 :o

I don’t want to use stuff like ph down.. need a longer term plan

Thanks for any help :bowing:

[Harlock]

Most fish do not mind the pH being different, what matters is constancy. Ask the LFS where you get them what their pH is. If they are on the same water source as you likely it is just as alkaline. If not, just acclimate the fish slowly, a little at a time before putting them in your tank, and then, give them a little time to get used to the place. After a bit, it should all be good.

[JonTmw]

I am having such problem as well...The water direct from tap is about ph9.0, left the water for 2 days with air bubbles injected thru pump, ph for the water drops to 8.5. Cycle the tank for 1 weeks with co2 turn on for 24hrs without fish, ph drops to 8.3.

Tried to put in neon tetra (12), no significant sickness shown, it has been 5 days since, ph level remain at 8.3, the fishes seem to like the home as well...Test for the water all shown normal results. They eat well, swim well, so perhaps the water condition starts to mature.

I dare not try ways to lower the ph, cos previously tried with fishless cycling, my ph level is about 10.5, (very high) put in the ph decreaser, manange to drop to 9.7, but over the night it shot up to 10.5 again. Then i decide to WASH the tank carefully and change the gravel, it starts to improve as mentioned in the first paragraph.

Perhaps harlock is right, fish need the ph level to be consistent and not optimum.

[project15]

i have two jack dempsey's in a pH of around 8.3 and they don't seem to mind, just let them get used to it and then keep using the same water.

[kamla]

thax guys.. i will acclimate the fish slowly..... real slowly...
hopefilly it should work.... :)

[ArkyLady]

The driftwood may help over time. Another thing you could try is adding peat moss to your filters. Neither of these options are a quick fix, but can help drop your pH a bit over time. These options won't cause any huge pH swings like the pH products you can buy at the LFS.

As others have said, most fish will adjust to the pH you have and do just fine. If you're wanting to breed fish that just won't breed in that high of a pH, you can mix RO water with your tap water to get the proper balance for the results you're looking for. Please do some research though before deciding to use this option, you need to be fairly on top of pre-mixing the water or you could cause a huge pH swing in your tank.

Good luck to ya :)

[kamla]

How would you know how peat to add to ur filter, plus do you need to keep replacing th epeat.
i am using a Fuval 404 so i can put peat in it, but how much is th e main question..

Another question my fuval 404 came with carbon, should use carbon during Cycling..
i think not but better safe then sorry :)

[happychem]

Skip the peat. It can and does work, but simpler is better, imo. Unless you're looking to breed these lower pH fish of yours, a stable pH is best. CO2 will also lower pH, but it has its own considerations, it's great if you're planning on a planted tank, but again, unless you have a particular goal in mind your pH is fine, just acclimate the fish very slowly. On the other hand, as Harlock suggests, if your lfs has the same pH/KH then just acclimate them as you normally would.

[kamla]

in my test kit i dont have a way to see th e KH,
plus what is KH and what should be the nromal range..
Thax again..

[happychem]

Seems a little tacky to do this, but here's a fairly in depth explanation of KH (and some other stuff):
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=267193#post267193

[kamla]

Holly Happychem, you are overloading me with info.. LOL Thax a bunch

[happychem]

Take your time with it and carefully think about everything, use paper and pen(cil), that's what I do to get it all straight in my head, otherwise there's just too much going on, but once you crack it, it doesn't seem so complex afterwards, it's just like one of those wooden puzzles that you have to take apart/put together.