rising pH issues

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Jan 13, 2004
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Little Rock, AR
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55g planted tank.
Fish: 8 espei rasboras and 6 zebra danios
Setup for 2 mths (including 1 mth fishless cycling)
Water changes 25% per week

I noticed today, just before my water change that my pH was just over 8.0. Until now my pH was always around 7.6 (based on my water test kit with the color chart)

What could be reason for the pH rise?

What are the downsides of high pH?

Will more frequent water changes help with keeping close to normal levels?
 
Usually as water quality declines, pH goes down slightly. On the other side of the coin, when you do a water change the pH is known to go up slightly so it is strange that your pH is going up before water changes. :confused:
 
Is your substrate Seachem's Onyx sand? that does buffer the water upward to some extent for a few morths.

Or are you using another branded substrate?

Or something akin to Southdown sand, which has shell fragments and also buffers the water upward?

Are any of your rocks (if any) carbonate- contaning?

Are you adding CO2, and if so, are the addition rates the same and the solution technique the same?

Have you checked the KH of your tap water and of the tank water prior to changes? That would tell us what is happening, if not why.
 
Thanks, RTR and aquariumfishguy.

The substrate is not the Seachem Onyx variety. It is partly ordinary aquarium gravel from Walmart (I forget the brand) and partly a Seachem substrate suitable for plants. I can check in the store to get the exact brand.

Also the rocks I have in there have been there for about a month also. I had bought them at the LFS and was meant to be for freshwater. This too I can check and get back on the exact rock type.

Also I do not at present have the KH test kit. I will get one this evening and get back.
 
I just checked on all the information requested.

Substrate - Aquarium gravel - AquaClear from Walmart
- Seachem Flourite Red
Rocks - lace rock

KH - tap water 6dkH
- aquarium water 6 dkH (1 day after change)

Does this help?
 
I would blame it on the lace rock... I had a piece of that in mine and it sent the pH through the roof, along with hardness... try taking it out and doing a couple of medium sized water changes over the next couple of days.
 
Agree w/OD - I'd also bet on the lace rock. Folks use it to help support high pH/KH in Rift Lake tanks and low-level BW tanks where there is not enough marine mix to fully buffer upward.
 
The PH in my tank is always on the high side. Can someone suggest how high PH can hurt fish? I actually lost a few guppies recently and everything else seems to be normal with my water except PH level. By the way, how can I lower the PH level?
 
Fish are quite adaptable to pH/KH so long as the transition from one water parameter level to another is gradual. "Quite high" does not convey a lot of information. Numbers would tell us more.

Generally it is better to adapt your fish to your water than to adapt your water to your fish. Additives for water so popular with fish stores tend not to work for long and can play havoc with the water chemistry. Certain fish do require soft water for breeding, but adding more ions/minerals to hard water cannot make the water softer - they will make it harder still, just temporarily with an artificially low pH. If your fish require soft water to breed and that is your aim, you need to mix RO and tap to get to the desired levels - an expensive and water-wasting process. Know what you are getting into if you elect to go that route,and do so with your eyes open.

Guppies are originally from hard alkaline water.
 
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