Manually buffering destroys the natural buffering capacity of your water, which can lead to pH swings.
Lowering PH
- Thread starter Aliciacb
- Start date
However, a change in pH from 7.4 to 8.2 would not wipe out a tank. Tanks have changes like that everyday. Very few people do a water change where the tank pH is the same before and after the change. Probably none. And people keep those same fish in that level pH or higher all the time. It doesn't wipe them out.
Tap water pH is not stable due to saturated CO2, so it changes within hours after it comes from the tap. And tank water pH changes over time simply because we have fish on the tank. So when we do a new water change, the tank water pH is going to be very different from the tap water.
Fish can withstand a wide range of pH (4.5 -10.5) without problems. People have tested fish with sudden pH changes, far larger than 7.4 to 8.2, and the fish did not die, but they didn't have any health problems.
Yes, you found a pH rise, but imo it was related to the change, but not the cause of the deaths.
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Agreed, especially with planted tanks. Once the the lights are turn off for the night, a ph swing will occur. It has also been studied in the wild.
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/basin_plans/ph_turbidity/ph_turbidity_04phreq.pdf
If you had anaerobic bacteria deep enough in your old substrate, disturbing them, can cause a quick ammonia or nitrite spike to occur.
The new gravel might have inadvertently had toxins or chemicals. I don't know what you had in the tank, but....
...you lost bottom dwellers (which are always near the gravel), and tetras which aren't the hardiest of fish. And it was new gravel.
Or it might have simply been the water change. Sometimes water suppliers add a lot more chlorine on a particular day due to a reported problem and when we add dechlorinator, it's actually not enough on that particular day Or sometimes people forget to add it at all. It happens.
If you removed old gravel and had cleaned your filters it could have been an old-fashioned ammonia spike. Gravel does harbor BB, although not most of what's in a tank, but enough to help cut down on ammonia spikes.
These of course are just ideas I'm tossing out.
...you lost bottom dwellers (which are always near the gravel), and tetras which aren't the hardiest of fish. And it was new gravel.
Or it might have simply been the water change. Sometimes water suppliers add a lot more chlorine on a particular day due to a reported problem and when we add dechlorinator, it's actually not enough on that particular day Or sometimes people forget to add it at all. It happens.
If you removed old gravel and had cleaned your filters it could have been an old-fashioned ammonia spike. Gravel does harbor BB, although not most of what's in a tank, but enough to help cut down on ammonia spikes.
These of course are just ideas I'm tossing out.
I agree the pH change was "probably' not the direct contributor but.....
when you changed the substrate, you may have wiped out half the tanks beneficial bacteria, which may have created an ammonia spike, which because of the high pH became acutely toxic to the sensitive species in the tank.
I always believe getting fish that work with your water conditions, is better than messing with the water.
One of my favorite species is Uaru fernadeseppyzi, but with my water it would have been ridiculous to try and keep it. I also had hard, high pH, high conductivity water.
Perfect for Central America, and African rift lake species.
If I lived in your area, I'd be looking for fish that need high pH, and tolerate high nitrate conditions.
There are Corys that do, but not Amazonian types, there are tetras that do, but also not Amazonian types.
Trying to keep soft water species is those conditions is to me like beating your head against a wall, and setting yourself up for failure.
when you changed the substrate, you may have wiped out half the tanks beneficial bacteria, which may have created an ammonia spike, which because of the high pH became acutely toxic to the sensitive species in the tank.
I always believe getting fish that work with your water conditions, is better than messing with the water.
One of my favorite species is Uaru fernadeseppyzi, but with my water it would have been ridiculous to try and keep it. I also had hard, high pH, high conductivity water.
Perfect for Central America, and African rift lake species.
If I lived in your area, I'd be looking for fish that need high pH, and tolerate high nitrate conditions.
There are Corys that do, but not Amazonian types, there are tetras that do, but also not Amazonian types.
Trying to keep soft water species is those conditions is to me like beating your head against a wall, and setting yourself up for failure.
I get all of that but my gravel is always vacced to prevent anaerobic bacteria. My ph also never fluctuates even before a water change it's always 7.4 and I always use dechlorinator. That has partially always been annoying as I've read about others having their ph drop after a while but mine was always permanently fixed at 7.4. I also have a shrimp tank with different gravel I know does not spike the ph and their tank is always 7.4. Only since using this new funny gravel have I had any rise/lowering of my ph.
I also have had no ammonia spike as I checked daily after the gravel change because I knew it might've happened as a result.
Also ive kept tetra and corys before and have never had them drop dead randomly on me. Like I said the only reason I've had fish die is because I've left family members to feed them whilst on a short holiday and they've been over fed and caused high ammonia. If them being sensitive to a higher ph is the cause of their deaths then surely this sudden rise to 8.2 from 7.4 is what caused it when I changed the gravel?
I also have had no ammonia spike as I checked daily after the gravel change because I knew it might've happened as a result.
Also ive kept tetra and corys before and have never had them drop dead randomly on me. Like I said the only reason I've had fish die is because I've left family members to feed them whilst on a short holiday and they've been over fed and caused high ammonia. If them being sensitive to a higher ph is the cause of their deaths then surely this sudden rise to 8.2 from 7.4 is what caused it when I changed the gravel?
