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Hi Kelly,
My Baking Soda comment was in reply to this:

I'm happy to say my ammonia is finally dropping, but my PH is also very low. It's around 6.0 if not lower

In the very first entry the tank was quoted as having
a pH in the 6-6.4 range while the water left standing
was quoted as having a pH of 7.6.

The real question is why such a large difference in pH
between the tank and the standing water? This difference
can be caused by poor tank maintenance. Large amounts of
detritus (organic waste) and heavy feedings will
cause organic acids to occur and this, in combination
with a low KH, will lower the pH into the acidic range.

Proper cleaning, regular water changes, and small
feedings will eventually turn that around and should
bring the water up into a better pH range.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I went to another LFS with another water sample and they used the good tests not strips, and they tested the harmful ammonia and said it was 0 and my PH was 5.4. So now I'm working on the water changes to get my PH up. And my bala is still alive and kicking, but he will be returning to my LFS so hopefully he will get a better home in a bigger tank.

Hi,
Sounds like a plan!

Keep the tank cleaner with gravel vacuuming
and regular water changes. The things that
drive a pH into the acidic ranges are not many.
Low KH and high organic wastes which create organic
acids, uncured silicone cement that releases acetic
acid while curing, the use of peat moss, and a
chemical added to the water by the water treatment
plant are just about all the average person could
run into.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Update on my tank. I had a bala shark for 3 months which died Sunday. I tested my water to see if that was wacky again and it wasn't. PH was 6.4, Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10. I went Sunday afternoon and got 6 glow lite tetras and an alge eater. Today I tested my water again and all the levels are the same except my Nitrates. They're reading 20. Is that right or to high? If it's to high how do I lower it?

I can't remember.... Do you have plants? If you have plants anything within the range of 20 for Nitrates is good. But you can bring it down with a water change. If you don't have plants... try to keep the number as low as possible.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Hi,
The general rule of thumb is to keep the nitrate as close
to zero as possible in a non planted tank. (Just a few
or a couple counts as non planted) In a well planted tank
(lots of green growth) you want the nitrate between a
5 and 10, not more than 20.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I do have a couple plants and plan on getting a few more. How do I lower my nitrates?

Short of stuffing your tank with plants you're in water change territory when it comes to nitrAtes. Even tanks with lots of plants and low or zero nitrAtes need water changes on a regular basis.

Just make sure you match the water temperature, and use water conditioner if you're on public water. Using a gravel vac do about 1/3 of the gravel per week pushing it all the way to the bottom and holding it there till the water in the tube is running clear. If it's been a while the water will be rather dark. It's also a good idea to swish the foam of your filters out in the used tank water. Most of my filters are running just foam so I squeeze one out each time I do a water change leaving the other 2-3 full of the bacteria the tank needs.

Sorry if you knew all this already, just like getting the info out there


As for the best plants to get for lowering nitrAtes, I've had good luck with the floating plants, hornwart and duckweed. The problem with both of them is that often they end up making a royal mess in the filter


^_^

Hi,
Babel is correct. Water changes, gravel vacuuming, and
correctly feeding (just the right amount, and not leaving
any excess to rot) is the normal way to control nitrate.

However, none of us know where you are located. In many
cases nitrate is found in our drinking water. If that is
the case, then each water change merely swaps nitrate and
you would always run a small nitrate reading now matter
what you do.

Before you get frustrated...
Try drawing a glass of water and letting it sit over night
or for 24 hours ( no kitty spit, or doggie drool, or
people sips) and then test for nitrate.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Both the water straight out of the tap and 24 hour sitting out tap still have the same reading. Since the readings are the same straight from the tap and letting it sit 24 hours could I just do a water change and take the water straight from the tap, or should I continue to put it in jugs and let it sit? Although I have nitrates in my tap water which reads between 5-10 when I tested my tank water it would read 0-5. Which is why I'm so confused as to why it's now reading 20. Is there a possibility I added to many fish at one time?

Hi,
It's not the case of too many at one time. If you were to
do that, then there would be an ammonia and nitrite reading
where it had been zero. That is caused by the sudden
increase of fish waste over and above what was normal, and
the bacterial colonies that manage the Nitrogen Cycle would
have to grow to use the new ammonia and nitrite. Until they
grow, and consume the waste products, the ammonia and
nitrite readings would show a temporary spike.

Since you have a nitrate reading in your tap water, and
you have added fish, and now the nitrate is 20, that
difference could logically be attributed to the fish load.

Plants, of the fast growing type (stem plants) or wisteria,
or floating plants (if not properly managed, can be a pain)
would be a way to draw down the nitrate. Algae, and plants
"take up" the nitrate and remove it from the water column.
The problem is, that it takes quite a few plants to make
a difference.

I don't see any way, with the tap water nitrate reading,
to get the nitrate down much lower than you have. I would
just recommend continued regular water changes and regular
gravel vacuuming to clean up any detritus along with
small feedings. Remember, a fish's stomach is roughly the
size of its eyes. In other words it does not take much
food to fill them, despite what "we" think.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Alright my nitrate levels have come down to 10, but now I'm getting a higher PH reading. It was at 6.4 and now I can't tell what it is. It's not green but a very light blue. I'm hopeing my next water change will fix it as it's alwys between 6 and 6.4. Another question I have is about my plants. They're still alive and very green, but they're not growing anymore. I used to get a bunch of shoots off them but they aren't doing anything anymore. Do they need a food or fertilizer? If they do what would be safe to use I have glow light tetras and will be getting german blue rams if my PH ever returns back to 6.4. I'd look it up on a computer but I don't have one. LOL

What kind of plants do you have?

><>

The oldest one which is the one that's not growing I believe is a java fern. The other one which is coming out as soon as I'm done typing this is a peacock fern. I just found out it's not an aquatic plant. (wish I knew that before I bought it)