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	???pH fluctuations???WHY???
simpkia Hobbyist Posts: 114 Kudos: 93 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-May-2004	Why is my water so alkaline? I live in Melbourne Australia and have a tap water of about 6.8 pH. I add it to my tank, sometimes even adding some 'pH down' chemicals. As I do this gradually, it takes time for the pH to get down to 6.6, 6.8. Howeverm once it gets to the desired pH, and I leave it alone, it gradually creeps back up again. What do I do? I have clown loaches and neons that prefer slightly acid water but my pH has suddenly risen to 7.6!!! This is very frustrating as I'm running out of chemicals and I don't want to have to keep an eye on my pH every day! ]:\|
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
DoctorJ Big Fish Posts: 344 Kudos: 1159 Votes: 191 Registered: 13-May-2003	pH adjusting chemicals often don't work very well because the natural buffers in the water will usually absorb them. I'm not sure it would be worth fighting to lower your pH below the normal tap level unless you were keeping fish that absolutely had to have low pH water. As for why your pH is rising above the normal tep level, the usual culprits are aquarium decorations, espcially rocks and gravel. Some kinds of rocks can cause pH to rise. What do you have in the tank?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
Babelfish Administrator Small Fry with Ketchup Posts: 6833 Kudos: 8324 Votes: 1570 Registered: 17-Apr-2003	I agree....ph down doesnt' work...and ph fluctuations cause more stress to fish than living outside their comfortable ph. clowns will tolerate a ph to 7.5 so I'd really just leave it alone. ^_^ *Proud member of the Committee for Sig Line Restoration*
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	There is no such thing as a "preferred" pH... Except for Clown Loaches that are wild caught and will adapt to just about any pH if slowly introduced, Neons and just about all popular freshwater species, are raised and shipped in 7.0 pH water. --garyroland.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
simpkia Hobbyist Posts: 114 Kudos: 93 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-May-2004	i currently have two fake log decorations that have little hidey holes in them, java fern and mangrove wood. i realise that most fish can tolerate various pH's but they must prefer others. I know neons are happy in a pH of 7 but i currently have 7.6. I'd be happy if I could get the pH down to 7! The sodium biphosphate works to bring the pH down but it doesn't last. I would assume it would as my tap water is naturally around a pH of 6.8. Thanks for your help thus far guys!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
sumthin_fishy Enthusiast Posts: 237 Kudos: 314 Votes: 16 Registered: 13-Aug-2004	hi simpkia! hmmm if only i could mix your melbourne water with my sydney water! i have the opposite prob! how long has ur tap been established for? is this the first time in has suddenly jumped to 7.6?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
DoctorJ Big Fish Posts: 344 Kudos: 1159 Votes: 191 Registered: 13-May-2003	What's the substrate? Gravel? Sand? What kind?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
Dr. Bonke Moderator Posts: 367 Kudos: 215 Votes: 36 Registered: 15-Apr-2004	Hey Simpkia, if your tapwater is around pH 6.8, then I don't see a clear reason why it should not be able to stay that way. My guess is that either your substrate (As DoctorJ was hinting at) or some other things in your tank (maybe some shells?) are causing the rise of your pH. Do you have any idea what the fake logs are made out of? Are they specifically designed for in the aqaurium? If not, then take those out and replace them for instance with bogwood, that will actually soften up your water and can lower the pH. Good luck
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	Most, if not all tropicals are very happy in 7.6 pH water... Commercially raised tropicals at 7.0 pH couldn't care less if slowly acclimated to a higher pH value and neither should you. --garyroland.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
james747 Banned Posts: 232 Kudos: 203 Votes: 14 Registered: 03-Jan-2004	Hi, I used to chase my PH with "up" & "down" until Gary gave me the same advice. My fish stopped dying! Since then I've just left the tank alone and it's maintaineed a stable PH ever since Last edited by james747 at 05-Oct-2004 15:41
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	The sad part is that the pH changes never allow the metabolisms of the fish to stabilize... In large bodies of water the pH changes are so slight that the fish never are affected. We, sometimes beginners, read the silly literature that this fish and that fish "prefer" a certain pH to thrive in. Nothing could be further from the truth. Authors of related tropical literature just love to write about water conditions of various species pretending that the fish just came out of their natural habitat. Times have changed since the days of wild caught fish. Today's fish hatcheries, commercial in nature, produce thousands of the trops seen in your local fish store. Any experienced hobbyist will tell you to leave the pH alone and concentrate on a good diet and excellent water quality. In a tank that contains unbuffered water, the pH will seek its own value, slowly, and the trops in turn will adapt to the gradual change. There's also a group of "Melafix" dosers, a group that seems to be expanding, just waiting to splash the extract of "tea tree oil" into their aquarium for no known reason. I feel sorry for their fish who only desire a med free environment, one that is devoid of concoctions that only a tadpole could put up with. --garyroland.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
simpkia Hobbyist Posts: 114 Kudos: 93 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-May-2004	just to correct that last statement - clown loaches are mostly caught in the wild - there are no recorded cases of commercial breeding to date. but the rest of your info has been helpful. i will leave the pH alone and see what happens. I just don't want it to keep rising. thanks for your help.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	You didn't read one of my posts before that last one... I stated Clowns are wild caught. --garyroland. --Vero Beach, Florida.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19


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