freaking out

[aquatrippe]

just added 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to my 12 gallon to increase the KH which it did..but it also raised my PH from 6.4 to 7.0 instantly!

I don't know what to do..don't want to loose my fish>>

HELP!
advice please..

 

[OrionGirl]

Water changes.

In the future, play around with altering the chemistry in a bucket, not in the tank.

 

[aquatrippe]

yes..lesson learned..but should I do a water change to bring it back down or is that more stressful?

 

[OrionGirl]

The alterations in pH that are short term (ie, a quick dip) isn't as stressful as one that is there for the long term. A fish can encounter sudden, sharp changes that resolve themselves (ie, a pocket of deeper water that wells up, but only alters the chemistry for a short time).

Don't do a huge water change--you'll want to change enough to get the pH to a halfway point.