confused - pH will not go down
- Thread starter Lucky
- Start date
Using chemicals pH down is dangerous to your fish. If you don't know why, do a search on this site. If your kH reading is correct, the pH of your water will never move using peat or driftwood. If you have to have a lower pH your going to have to use RO water.
According to everything I've read, fish adjust fine to ph levels outside of their suggested ranges. The most important thing is that the ph is stable.
Your ph will probably be lower immediately following a water change, and will rise again within a day. That's the CO2 in the tap water gasing off. This ph shift isn't hamrful in the way that ph changes due to hardness changes and chemicals are.
Your ph will probably be lower immediately following a water change, and will rise again within a day. That's the CO2 in the tap water gasing off. This ph shift isn't hamrful in the way that ph changes due to hardness changes and chemicals are.
pH down is a chemical. Dangerous. Lucky, I'd say go for a good small size driftwood. Boil the driftwood for a few days, until the tannins are gone and place it to your tank in any location you desire
Fish can handle swings in pH better than they do TDS level swings. Lucky's pH is way different than the water the fish came from becuase he got them from a family members tank who did not maintain the aquarium properly about an hour and a half distnace away. Most of the time when you purchase fish locally, the pH will be similar to the pH of your home aquarium. This meaning that unless your breeding fish if your pH is a little higher than your lfs it shouldn't be much of a problem. Just drip acclimate and match the temp and odds are increased of survival. I'm really surprised that the neons lived in the previous tank, neons are known to drop like flies even in well-maintained aquariums. Good luck Lucky, keep us posted.
I agree with reddog.
drip acclimate the fish and you should be fine.
I am curious about the kH being 300 and the gH 0?? correct?
drip acclimate the fish and you should be fine.
I am curious about the kH being 300 and the gH 0?? correct?
I'm curious - Are you using crushed coral gravel on the bottom.
If yes - that is the culprit.
I used it once and the PH was always high.
Even lowering it with chemical, it would always come back up
Just my 2 cents
Please let me know if I'm right........:grinyes:
If yes - that is the culprit.
I used it once and the PH was always high.
Even lowering it with chemical, it would always come back up
Just my 2 cents
Please let me know if I'm right........:grinyes:
"change some of the water a little at a time"
My source water (tap) has about the same pH as the tank
"Using chemicals pH down is dangerous to your fish."
I quit trying three days ago. All fish are doing well.
"going to have to use RO water."
RO water?
"I am curious about the kH being 300 and the gH 0?? correct?"
That's the source water, yes. My tank's GH is closer to 50 because I put in maybe a liter of water from our old tank, which had a GH of around 100-150. I don't know why it's so alkaline, or if my test is just being weird/inaccurate. It's the same every time I test, though, so if something's wrong with it, it's a consistant mistake.
"I'm really surprised that the neons lived in the previous tank"
You and me both! But all four are swimming around and looking healthy at the moment.
"I'm curious - Are you using crushed coral gravel on the bottom."
I'm pretty sure not. I have biggish brown and white gravel. The white gravel smelled a little funny when I washed it, but our bathtub smells funny anyways and that's about the only comment I can make about any of it.
The tank has been running for about 72 hours now, and all seven fish are doing well. The neons are 'breathing' a little heavily - I wouldn't quite call it gasping, but I don't have a better word. They're schooling as normal and don't sit in the bottom or swim any differently than they did before (no crooked fish, yay!). All fins are unclamped, and the danios are content chasing each other around the rock they've got. So far so good! Ammonia isn't too high yet (between .25 and .5), and nitrites and nitrates are still low for an uncycled tank (Nitrite ~.5, Nitrate ~30 -- our old tank's nitrate level was constantly around 100ppm, so I consider that a small improvement?)
I've got a photo of the tank HERE (It's kinda big). I think one of the danios is hiding behind the rock in that one.
~Edit
Snagged a quick picture while they weren't paying attention to me. Ha.
One of the danios snuck out of the frame again. He's in there, I swear, lol.
LINK
Looks like I need to wipe a couple of water spots off. Must have happened when I filled the tank.
My source water (tap) has about the same pH as the tank
"Using chemicals pH down is dangerous to your fish."
I quit trying three days ago. All fish are doing well.
"going to have to use RO water."
RO water?
"I am curious about the kH being 300 and the gH 0?? correct?"
That's the source water, yes. My tank's GH is closer to 50 because I put in maybe a liter of water from our old tank, which had a GH of around 100-150. I don't know why it's so alkaline, or if my test is just being weird/inaccurate. It's the same every time I test, though, so if something's wrong with it, it's a consistant mistake.
"I'm really surprised that the neons lived in the previous tank"
You and me both! But all four are swimming around and looking healthy at the moment.
"I'm curious - Are you using crushed coral gravel on the bottom."
I'm pretty sure not. I have biggish brown and white gravel. The white gravel smelled a little funny when I washed it, but our bathtub smells funny anyways and that's about the only comment I can make about any of it.
The tank has been running for about 72 hours now, and all seven fish are doing well. The neons are 'breathing' a little heavily - I wouldn't quite call it gasping, but I don't have a better word. They're schooling as normal and don't sit in the bottom or swim any differently than they did before (no crooked fish, yay!). All fins are unclamped, and the danios are content chasing each other around the rock they've got. So far so good! Ammonia isn't too high yet (between .25 and .5), and nitrites and nitrates are still low for an uncycled tank (Nitrite ~.5, Nitrate ~30 -- our old tank's nitrate level was constantly around 100ppm, so I consider that a small improvement?)
I've got a photo of the tank HERE (It's kinda big). I think one of the danios is hiding behind the rock in that one.
~Edit
Snagged a quick picture while they weren't paying attention to me. Ha.
One of the danios snuck out of the frame again. He's in there, I swear, lol.
LINK
Looks like I need to wipe a couple of water spots off. Must have happened when I filled the tank.
Last edited:
I'd do a waterchange, keep the ammonia under .25. Although if your accurate when you talk about the water params of the previous tank, them fish are tough as nails lol. Keep in mind all test kits are NOT created equal. If you tested the previous tank with test strips that could have been the reason for fish living in 100 ppm of Nitrate.
Will do!
Yeah, I'm pretty sure most of the fish from the old tank are hardy for their species. My dad lost a lot when he was first stocking the original tank. These neons are four of probably 12-15. I don't remember how many we went through.
