How to raise PH?

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Khaleah

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So this is the water. hard to get a picture of it fizzy. However I was able to see where it started to stay fizzy and a few of the bubbles on the top. I hope this helps a little bitInked537378309_LI.jpg
 

FreshyFresh

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In regards to your live plants. What type of lighting do you have on this tank? Plants, especially rooted ones have all kinds of needs of their own that probably are not related to the pH in question.
 

FreshyFresh

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i have just the LED's that came with the hood
Almost certainly not enough intensity for rooted plants.

Plants/lighting is a whole'nother topic for ya! One issue at a time. LOL!
 

myswtsins

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Nothing in the tank looks suspect. - check!

Fuzzy water is most likely trapped gases, no problem. -check!

The plant looks like some sort of sword plant and most likely grown emersed so converting to submersed is my best guess. Could be many things though. Look at the base of it, is there any new growth?

I can see you've tested the tap water for sure but are any of these results from the tank itself? Do you get the same reading in the tank? Try testing other sources of water, if you go to the store buy a bottle of alkaline drinking water and that will definately test differently, If it doesn't or isn't high enough we know the tests are wonky. Also, you could bring a sample to your local fish store and they will usually do tests for free (usually strips if free but better than nothing, a good store will usually use a liquid test) or it might be a small charge that you could talk them out of if you offer to buy something.

Curious, how did you cycle your tank? For how long? How long did you have fish before they died? Anything stand out about how they died?
 

Khaleah

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The tube is the water from my tank.

Even the strips I have barely show yellow on the PH.

I have to goto the store tomorrow might just bring my "chem" set to work to test the water there.

Tank fish cycled for a week before I put my angels in. The plattys got moved to a 10 gallon after the Angel's brood didn't make it. Plattys got a bit beat up when they spawned. I had thought the angels had gotten fin rot so I was medicating them and testing with the strips. Once I got the master set and checked my ammonia it was through the roof. At that time everything else was at zero. So somewhere between week 2 and 6 I accidently restarted my cycle and killed my fish :(

So now I am doing my best to get my tank to where it needs to be.

My PH is my biggest concern right now. With it being so low i dont want to put any fish in there. PH shock and acidic water not the best :(
 

myswtsins

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Ah ha, things are becoming clearer now. How did you cycle the tank during that 1 week? And why did you think it was cycled after only a week? (test results?) Unless you were using established media from another tank or a really good beneficial bacteria additive (don't think they even make one anymore) the tank did not go through the nitrogen cycle, hence the sky high ammonia, "fin rot" and dead fish. It takes 4-6 weeks to cycle a tank. Have you read this thread? Cycling a tank It will tell you everything you need to know about cycling.

If you pH is truly below 6 (and who knows how far below) then there is a school of thought that thinks nitrifying bacteria can't even survive in that low of a pH. I don't know personally though, my pH is a rock solid 8.2 so I am not 100% versed in low pH chemistry.

pH should not be your biggest concern right now, a fully cycled tank is MUCH more important. Where are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels now? Have you been adding an ammonia source (pure ammonia, fish food, raw shrimp) since all the fish died?

pH is a minor player actually. Stability is more important. Do you have a KH (and GH) test kit? With such a low pH I would assume your KH (and GH) is going to be really low too. A low KH means you will have a low buffering capacity, allowing the pH to fluctuate more easily, bad for life IN the aquarium but actually good for amending the water before it goes into the aquarium.

When you were testing with the strips did you get similar pH results?
 

Khaleah

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I added the safe start plus and the 4 plattys. I hadn't had fish in quite a few years but they all survived my not very well informed self. I read the cycling tread after my fish died.

I checked the others 2 days ago. ammonia was at 1ppm (has been fluctuating even after the fish died), nitrite is just starting to change color so 0-0.25 ppm and nitrate is 0. Test strips for GH & KH. GH 30 and KH 80. I am getting the liquid GH & KH test today. I have made a log book for all of my results since I have started to become more informed.
 

Khaleah

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So here are the tests as of today. I think my tank is bananas

PH

I grabbed a water sample from work (Far right), let a cup of water from the tap sit a few minutes then took a sample in the middle (facepalm don't get water from tap to test tube), far left is from my tank.

Used the test strips for my GH and KH. Not sure what happened between 2 days ago and today.

Liquid tests

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 5

Ammonia was 2ppm again today did a 50% wc

20180112_173322.jpg

20180112_174326.jpg
 
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