PH in plain english please!

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xytrix01

Aquaria Intern (NOOB)
Sep 26, 2004
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San Jose, CA
Before I start, I just want to say that I have searched and can't seem to find an answer to this.

Ok, that said here we go. Ever sence I set up my 45gal tank, the PH has been at 7.2. Before I had this tank, the fish was in a 20 long and the PH in there was also 7.2. The tricky part is I had nothing to do with this! You see I had been doing my weekly water changes using just declorinated tap water. I had no clue what I was doing and didn't even own a test kit. After reading on here I purchaced a kit and started actualy looking at my water parameters. My reedings then as well as now are:
ammonia = 0
nitrite = 0
nitrate = <20
PH = 7.2

One day I read that PH fluxuations are harmfull to fish, and I got curious as to what I was putting in the tank. I tested a bucket of declorinated tapwater and my PH is at 8.4! I put up a post and it was sugested that I leave the bucket out overnight and then check it. It should drop. Well it did, but not near enough. In the morning I had a PH of 8.2. Still too high if you ask me. I bought some PH down, and have been using that to lower the PH of the water I'm putting into the tank, but my PH hasn't been as stable, and happychem has warned me against the use of such products.

So my two questions are (1) what is lowering the PH inside my tank? And (2) is it harmfull to be putting the higher PH water into the tank and letting the PH fairy knock it back down? I don't have any bogwood in the tank, and I'm not using anythin like peat. :confused: I'm so confused as to weather I should be trying to raise the PH of the tank to match the tap, or if I should be lowering the tap to match the tank, or if I should be doing anything at all!

Please help!
 
How long has your tank been up and running? I have the same problem with my tap water 8.4 sometimes 7.5 or anything in between .The problem for me is my city water comes from two differnet sources lake mead and wells around the valley.I just change no more then 20% of the water a week my fishes seem to be ok 7 yrs on the midas
5 yrs on the yellow lab 5yrs on the venustus 4 yrs on my jag two of these fishes like the higher ph the other two like the lower ph but they all are doing well sometimes fussing over ph can harm the fish more then help if your just keeping the brown bullhead cat then it should be alright it's a tough fish. Just my experience
 
Unfortunatly, I don't own a KH test. I will be getting one soon. I will try leaving a smaller container of water out tonight. How much do you think it will drop? I'm not too worried about the catfish, but I'm starting another tank that may need a bit more of an exact PH. Yes thats righ, I now have MTS. :D

I have a 10gal that is currently housing a big black mystery snail, and my newest addition a golden bristlenose plecto. Also into the tank is going a few corry cats and a male betta. (The plecto is only in there until she gets big enough that my bullhead won't eat her!) I'm also going to be starting my 20long as a brackish tank with a pair of knight gobys and a school of mollies.

These are really the fishes I'm worried about. Felix is fine. Considering we pulled him out of the San fransisco bay delta, :eek: he's probably in heaven in these water conditions.
 
A bullhead will get big enough to eat an adult bristlenose--they can eat fish up to 3/4 their own size.
 
hmmm she may need to live elseware then...
 
(1) what is lowering the PH inside my tank?
Click to expand...
bio activity, fish respiration, and the break down of organic matter
(2) is it harmfull to be putting the higher PH water into the tank and letting the PH fairy knock it back down?
Click to expand...
no, the new water adds back to the buffer capacity, your pH should not flux much at all.

If it ain't broke don't fix it ;)
 
yeah, as long as your water is stable INSIDE the tank then your cool. remeber that, becuase of natural buffers in the water, the PH will remain stable, as long as your KH is withen reasonable levels. This is why it is so difficult to alter the PH chemecly, as you found out. there are chemicals in the addative that try to "deactivate" the buffers. but slowly those chemicals are broken down and the buffers start to do their job and bring the water's PH up again.
 
Ok, so from now on when I do my water changes, its best for me to just fill my bucket with tapwater, add declorinator, and pour it into the tanks? I don't have a python setup for filling yet, so I'm still using the buckets to fill. sounds good and easy to me, I was just woried that every time I did a waterchange the ph was going to jump up, and then drop slowly over the next few days untill my next change.
 
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