Sorry to hear that, but in my younger fish keeping years I have done it also...........I just tested the PH and it is lower than my tests bottom range of 7.4 . My tap water is over 8.6 at the other end of my test.
So it looks like I gave my fish an acid bath
I tested my 20L and its in the 8.0 range. I tested my 29g and it was very acidic as well.
So now the question of how to fix this or what test to run to see the buffering abilities of my city water.
All my fish died (established tank with crystal clear water)
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You may want to get a wider range pH test. If it bottoms out at 7.4, you will want to know how low its really going.
Each tenth in the pH scale is a ten fold difference.
So for instance, 8.00 - 7.4 means 7.4 is sixty times more acidic than 8.00.
Each tenth in the pH scale is a ten fold difference.
So for instance, 8.00 - 7.4 means 7.4 is sixty times more acidic than 8.00.
I hope you get a handle on your fish tank woes...good luck! there has been great advice given. I heard somewhere that a 20% water change can actually do more harm than good. I do 50-75% water changes once a week on all my tanks and vacuum gravel in all tanks that have it.
Hardness is the general mineral content, pH is how acidic, or how basic.
You can have hard water and still have low buffering capacity, and your pH can drop without regular water changes. Because the hardness could be caused by iron or other soluble metals that may or may not buffer.
Your buffering capacity is how much carbonate/bicarbonate is available in the water to buffer (neutralize) the acid, that is produced by fish.
You can have hard water and still have low buffering capacity, and your pH can drop without regular water changes. Because the hardness could be caused by iron or other soluble metals that may or may not buffer.
Your buffering capacity is how much carbonate/bicarbonate is available in the water to buffer (neutralize) the acid, that is produced by fish.
