FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hey whats up,
I have had my fish tank going for about a month. plus the cycling
I have had 5 Neon tetras die
I was sick of this so I decided to take my water to the lfs and have it tested,
I know I should have taken it weekly or got my own kit, but i didnt
When I took my freshater in and had it tested
They asked me what part of the worl i live in,
I was like What
I used local city water to fill my tank, some citys have diffrent Ph levels,
Guess mine is really High.

Here are the readings


Nitrite/nitrate is 0.0
Amonia is 0.25
Ph 8.2

Ha Yah 8.2 it was like dark blue.
Sucks So I guess I'll do something with my last neon
and then I'll fill it up with water for $0.75 per gallon
and its perfect water, ph level is 6.0

Ok, comments please.

Thanks, Later



Last edited by integra_for_life at 13-Apr-2005 19:15

have you thought of changing fish rather than changing water? look for fish that don't mind the ph... conversely, there's plenty of ways to lower yr ph, either with chemicals or natural methods...does anyone know where there might already be this kinda info posted on this site?

Yah, But my problem is I love tetras, and
I only have a 10G tank.
About to get a 20G tank.
I also dont want to spend alot of money on bigger fish or other fish,
I will If I have to but I would rather not.
I'll look at the profiles and look around.

Thanks, Later

I'm looking around for a colorfull fish, Like some saltwater(but for freshwater)
If I can find one for cheap a few bucks then I ight go with that.

I'm looking at guppy's right now
They breed which is what I want, guess we'll see.

Last edited by integra_for_life at 13-Apr-2005 20:09

Hi Integra,
What kind of Filter do you run on your tank?
You can easily add peat to most filters. Buy the granules not the fibre.
What I do is get a peice of pantyhose, and then I pop the granules in it, as much as will fit in the filter, and then tie it off and cut. Pop this into your filte. A pantyhose bag allows for good transfer of water, and is easily mushed around to fit in tight spaces.
I add peat to my Fluval Filter, my Eheim, and my Cascades.
I also have added it to aquaclear filter as well.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

You can also use drops to lower the Ph, but be sure that there are no fish in the tank, as huge Ph drops, will also kill your fish.



http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.deathbydyeing.org/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

They probably died from a combination of the tank cycling and the pH shock. Find another fish to complete the cycle for you. Danios are a great fish for this.
You could probably try the neons again but acclimate them to the pH very slowly, adding small amounts of your tank water to their bag water over a period of 2 hours or so. If you do try neons again find out what pH the shop's water is.

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

neons are not any good for cycling a tank, theyll drop off like flies.

I have hard water, neons like soft as we know, but i have kept them successfully by slowly acclimating them as described above.

there are also lots of fish that like harder water and higher ph's.

8.2 ph

i actually have to raise my ph to that level for my ciclids to breed.

for that PH range and that size tank i suggest a small species like shell dwelling multis check the cichlid o lake tang section on this forum for information.

alot of shell dwellers live in 8.0 and higher water as well as very hard water (high GH) since its a high ph your GH may also be high
and because its a small tank try to get a 40gal rated sponge filter if you plan on breeding which should be easy with multis in a ten with sand and shells.
you could get 5 or 6 multis in a ten

remeber in high PH tanks i suggest adding fish very slowly as well as double the normal cycling time, because in high PH amonia is alot harder to control

Last edited by AW0L at 14-Apr-2005 14:35

Integra - do you have rocks in your tank? If so, they might be what's causing the pH to rise. I know I purposely had to put sandstone in my tank to raise the KH, which raised the pH... check the KH (hardness/buffering) and see if you have hard water. The KH and pH are connected.

Rocks like sandstone, limestone, etc, will raise the pH. If you don't what sort of rockwork you have, try scraping/chipping off a piece and putting vinegar on that point of the rock. If it fizzes, that's probably your issue.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Ok Thanks guys

Here is the information

My filter is a crappy hawkee filter, so old ]

I can buy water from the lfs for $0.75 per gallon
The ph is 6.0

Rocks
I have a few rocks in the tank,
The lfs asked me the same question
Its slate, like red-ish brown
They said that isnt the problem.

---------------------------------------------------------
I am thinking about trying to do a few water chamges with water form the lfs,
there Ph is 6.0 so after awhile, doing water changes
I hope to bring it down a small amount.

I am thinking about getting some guppy's
I know the breed.
When they breed the fry would be put in a 5g tank and when large enuf I would either, put a few in the 10g
and take the rest to the lfs and trade them in for another fish.

I'm getting a 20G AGA Long soon


Ok, Ask me any other questions, which may help me out.

Thanks you, Later

Also, I was at my lfs and found a awsome tank.
it was a 55G tank, Like a cube.
I was just awsome, I'm sure its used for reef tanks,
but it would be awsome for a like cardinals or neon etc...

It was made by, Oceanic, but it wasnt tall, it was kinda short, but that made it just huge.




Sry I'm bored and felt like sharing.

Last edited by integra_for_life at 14-Apr-2005 15:34

your better off picking fish that will tolerate your ph, than buying water- it could lead to ph swings, which is worse on your fish that a high ph, or hard water.

Find out what the ph is at the lfs

i have 3 neons and my pH was high of 8.4 but i used pH Down with fis in it. i didn't kno it could kill them so i was lucky. after i did a water change and tested the water. i was surprised to find it acidic-neutral. so i went out and bought 3 neons. 1 had died due to a damaged tail. i went back and got another one. now they're living quit happily. along with bettas, guppies, and otos.