I just recently purchased some angels and can't seem to get my ph down and stay down. I have used ph down, which got it down a little, but it keeps bouncing right back up. Any suggestions?
I need help with ph level
- Thread starter monstash
- Start date
i've got a suggestion ... leave your pH alone. your fish will acclimate to it and not suffer the yo-yo effects resulting from the use of chemicals such as pH down.
all water supply, whether municipal or well contains some concentration of calcium and magnesium (among other cations) which typically exist as salts of carbonates. hard water has more of these salts than soft water. these carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH. at some point, the carbonate buffer will become exhausted ... at which time, even a small concentration of acid will rapidly drop the pH of your water and may kill your fish. simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts.
in the other direction, i.e adjusting your pH upward, most common chemicals used for the purpose are carbonate salts. they have the effect of increasing many parameters besides pH. adding carbonate buffers to your water will elevate the GH and KH hardness in addition to the pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). while your fish may acclimate to the pH changes you've made artificially, they may not at all appreciate the concurrent changes. moreover, every time you do a water change you dilute those carbonate buffers resulting in a drop in your pH and a change in all those other parameters as well.
it's difficult to stabilize your water chemistry artificially unless you know something about buffers, GH, KH, hydrogen ion concentration, pKA, the effect of higher or lower pH on specific chemistry parameters of your water such as calcium solubility and the toxicity of NH3-NH4 in solution. the stability of the water in your tank is CRITICAL to the health of your fish.
finally ... most of the common fish in the hobby today are tank raised on farms in florida. others may come from private breeders or are imported. in other words, few fish today are wild caught which means that they have become adapted to water chemistry which is outside what might be otherwise considered "normal" for a given species. thus they can be acclimated to a wide range of water chemistry ... and that includes that which comes right out of your tap. there are certain species which will not do well in chemistry outside of their native habitat and if you're going to keep these, you do need to play chemist. Apistogramma are an example. in such cases, RO (Reverse Osmosis) may be an answer, but know what you're getting into.
all water supply, whether municipal or well contains some concentration of calcium and magnesium (among other cations) which typically exist as salts of carbonates. hard water has more of these salts than soft water. these carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH. at some point, the carbonate buffer will become exhausted ... at which time, even a small concentration of acid will rapidly drop the pH of your water and may kill your fish. simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts.
in the other direction, i.e adjusting your pH upward, most common chemicals used for the purpose are carbonate salts. they have the effect of increasing many parameters besides pH. adding carbonate buffers to your water will elevate the GH and KH hardness in addition to the pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). while your fish may acclimate to the pH changes you've made artificially, they may not at all appreciate the concurrent changes. moreover, every time you do a water change you dilute those carbonate buffers resulting in a drop in your pH and a change in all those other parameters as well.
it's difficult to stabilize your water chemistry artificially unless you know something about buffers, GH, KH, hydrogen ion concentration, pKA, the effect of higher or lower pH on specific chemistry parameters of your water such as calcium solubility and the toxicity of NH3-NH4 in solution. the stability of the water in your tank is CRITICAL to the health of your fish.
finally ... most of the common fish in the hobby today are tank raised on farms in florida. others may come from private breeders or are imported. in other words, few fish today are wild caught which means that they have become adapted to water chemistry which is outside what might be otherwise considered "normal" for a given species. thus they can be acclimated to a wide range of water chemistry ... and that includes that which comes right out of your tap. there are certain species which will not do well in chemistry outside of their native habitat and if you're going to keep these, you do need to play chemist. Apistogramma are an example. in such cases, RO (Reverse Osmosis) may be an answer, but know what you're getting into.
The pH down or up products are really bad. Don't use them!
How high are your pH levels? Although angelfish prefer slightly acidic, if the pH is a bit higher, it won't matter that much since they can get used to it.
If it's way too high, then you can go for distilled water or Ro/Di water to do mixes to bring it down.
Hope this helps
How high are your pH levels? Although angelfish prefer slightly acidic, if the pH is a bit higher, it won't matter that much since they can get used to it.
If it's way too high, then you can go for distilled water or Ro/Di water to do mixes to bring it down.
Hope this helps
alright
thanks for the quick reply...I guess I'll just relax and play a waiting game to see if these angels adjust....by the way the ph level is around 7.8. Although, take note that I added ph down into my water this morning.
thanks for the quick reply...I guess I'll just relax and play a waiting game to see if these angels adjust....by the way the ph level is around 7.8. Although, take note that I added ph down into my water this morning.
patoloco
De seguro no sabes lo que dice aqu
Changing the water chemistry of your tap water is difficult and time/money consuming. Chemichals that change ph are not good to your fish.
Get to know your tap water parameters and keep your tank as close as pisible to them, via regular water changes.
This way, you'll have a constant water condition for your fish, and you'll have less work to do.
Get to know your tap water parameters and keep your tank as close as pisible to them, via regular water changes.
This way, you'll have a constant water condition for your fish, and you'll have less work to do.
I just took my 1st ever water reading,have had this tank for about 5 yrs..
the results...
Ph 7
Ammonia not .25 but not 0 either
Nitrate 160
Nitrite .25
Are water changes the best way to lower the nitrate? How often and how much should I do...There are only 2 new fish in there..the rest have been in there for 2 yrs or more..
I'll check my tap water after dinner..but its well water,not a community well, so I can't see it being much of a problem
the results...
Ph 7
Ammonia not .25 but not 0 either
Nitrate 160
Nitrite .25
Are water changes the best way to lower the nitrate? How often and how much should I do...There are only 2 new fish in there..the rest have been in there for 2 yrs or more..
I'll check my tap water after dinner..but its well water,not a community well, so I can't see it being much of a problem
Where did that come from? If you want a question answered start a new topic, don't hijack someone elses.IceH2O said:
As for your question, your ammonia is too high, it should be reading zero all the time. Yes the easiest way to lower nitrates is by water changes, and you should do them as often as you can, the minimum that I suggest is 30-50% once a week. I sometimes do 3 in a week, but it is usually only two.
ashdavid said:Where did that come from? If you want a question answered start a new topic, don't hijack someone elses.
I just figured there was no real reason to start an entire new topic on something that was basically asking the same question...It wasn't meant to be a hijacking...Just more search friendly...
Why look search nitrates and have to read 200 posts saying basically the same thing when you could read it all in one post?
Guess I'm just of a more organized thinking,just the way I am I guess..
but thanks for the input..
While I'm still in the hijacking mode :devil:
I just took my tap water readings..
Ph 6
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 2.5
Nitrites 0
They look good to me :thud:
Hey, that wasn't meant to offend you.
And just for the record, that is what a forum is for, if you read all the available info on what you are trying to find and you still can't find an answer, post a new topic and say so. No question is a stupid question.
And by deffinition what you did is considered hijacking a thread, I understand you point of view very well, but there is also an added benifit of posting your own topic, you will get many more answers. Anyway I will say again it was a friendly jesture and was not meant to offend.
And just for the record, that is what a forum is for, if you read all the available info on what you are trying to find and you still can't find an answer, post a new topic and say so. No question is a stupid question.
And by deffinition what you did is considered hijacking a thread, I understand you point of view very well, but there is also an added benifit of posting your own topic, you will get many more answers. Anyway I will say again it was a friendly jesture and was not meant to offend.
IceH2O said:
BTW this was your first results and 0.25 ammonia and 0.25 nitrites, deffinately dose not look ok to me.
With a PH of 6 in your tap water is reasonably low, what is the KH? If the KH is low you could have problems in the futre if you are not careful.