Hey everyone, so I posted a question the other day about my Ph level in my fish tank and how no matter what type of products i try to lower the Ph, it works but then the next day it would go back to its normal level. currently my Ph is 7.6 and I would like to drop it to at least 7.0. I have stopped using any and all products to lower my Ph! Here's all my info:
Ph - 7.6, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 0
Heater set to 80 degrees, 10 gallon tank with 4 guppies and 2 octo catfish.
I use a Master Test Kit to test all my levels of chemicals so the readings are accurate. The only time I had an issue with ammonia or nitrite/nitrate is when my fish had fry and there were too many fish in the tank. I ' ve lost 2 fish within the last month, one i'm not sure how she died cause she was already floating on the bottom when i found her in the morning, and the other died from Dropsy? That was the first time ever that has happened and all my current fish are healthy as can be.
These are the only products i am currently using in my tank now: API Stress Zyme, API Leaf Zone [for my live plant], and API Stress Coat water conditioner.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Anyways, my tap water is 7.6 Ph reading so every time I do water changes i use that water. But i've had people tell me that using distilled water could reduce my Ph level. With my current water in the tank, would it be safe to start using distilled water for my water changes and start using that instead of my tap water? Either that or not worry about my current Ph level, cause others have told me not to worry about the Ph being at this level?
Here is the link to the question i posted a few days ago about my Ph level.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101105171950AApyo13
thanks for your help!
Honestly, I wouldn't bother trying to alter this. It's going to stress and potentially kill your fish. Altering pH is best left for experts and having it yoyoing every time you do a water change can easily result in ex-fish!
Guppies and Otos will do just fine at a STABLE 7.6. Leave it be and don't stress about it! I would only be recommending alternative sources of water if you had much more alkalinity-sensitive fish or had a pH like 8.5 plus.
Distilled water is pH 7, so it wouls be an easy way to bring your pH down. 7.6 is a bit high for the fish you have, but not bad enough to be a problem most of the time. If you find that your tap water is hard (which high pH water generally is) you can continue to use the conditions, or do your changes with distilled water. Sounds like your tapwater would be perfect for Malawi cichlids!
what fish are you trying to keep that require such a specific pH??? why are you obsessing over the pH??? 7.6 is not out of control and most fish will adjust ... unless you have a very specific reason you are wasting your energy going on about this .. . you already asked the question, people already told you what to do, so what is the issue ... and again, IMPOSSIBLE you have 0 nitrates ... just saying ... it doesn't matter but every time you post that people who know what they are doing know you do not know what you are doing ... if you are using the api freshwater master test kit ... did you know one of the nitrate bottle cystallizes when not in use and for a reading to be accurate the bottle base must be knocked hard several times on a hard surface to break up the crystals and then a good minute of shaking of the bottle to dissolve the crystals??? this is right from API because when i started i posted 0 and i was educated on how to do it properly ... but just know, every time you post that, people with fish experience know you are not testing correctly ... and the fact that you used pH down is another example of not knowing what you are doing ... so you post on here, people tell you, you don't believe, so post again ... why???
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com "The most common questions about aquarium water chemistry are about pH. In almost all cases, these questions and their related concerns are unnecessary. Most fish will thrive in a wide range of pH, and different fish have different ideal pH requirements. Though some exotic fish are more particular about the pH they require, even most of these fish are only particular about pH when they are breeding - and the only bad side effect of not maintain an ideal pH or making the right pH change at the exact right time is that the fish will not spawn. Also, most of these fish, if for no other reason than the demands on the pH are not good beginner fish. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend in the pet industry to believe that the pH in a fish tank needs to be 7.0 or very close to that. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. "
"The pH scale is used to measure the degree to which your aquarium's water is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. The scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being the most basic. Most fish thrive in a pH of 6.4-7.8. "
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com "So pH is not nearly as important as it is believed to be. What I would suggest is that if you intend to get so called acid-loving fish like discus or tetras don't rush or panic to bring down the pH, or in the case of Malawians don't rush to lift the pH to around 9. Stay cool and your fish can adapt to your tap water, and don't spend more on water softeners like RO units or resins or water hardeners. "
