PH in my 55 gal.

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ryanmills

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2009
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New York Mills
Alright guys, I know there are MANY of you which are very wise when it comes to dealing with fish. About a week ago I set up my 55 gallon again with a 30-60 gal filtration system and in tank heater.

I bought 6 rosey reds to see how they faired and they lived for a solid week or so, I then threw in a cichlid and a tiger oscar.

The ciclid was bought at the same place I bought the roseys at however I bought the tiger oscar at petsmart.

I also did a 70% water change and drained about 10 gallons out and reused it with the new water while adding new rocks and completely gutting my tank and cleaning it.

After checking with a test strip, it was said my water was slightly acidic and the tiger oscar was pretty lazy and bumming around at the bottom somewhat on his side.

I added some PH balancer (about 5 tablets) and the PH did not change. I added another 3 and it changed slightly. Was wondering if you guys would advise adding a little baking soda? Or is there something else that would be causing the Ph to not change at a steady amount.

Was ALSO wondering that since the roseys and ciclid are doing fine, maybe the tiger was not used to the PH in my tank yet?
 
Was this a new tank (sounds like it was)? What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings? A tank takes about a month to cycle. I think what's wrong with your fish likely has nothing to do with pH, and everything to do with toxic ammonia levels. If you'll test those parameters, you'll know. Don't start using anything to mess with pH until you know those numbers, because all it will do is further stress your already stressed fish with fluctuating pH.

Do you understand the relationship between pH and KH? Try reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm Also included in this article is the mix I use to raise KH and pH, thereby keeping pH elevated and steady.

However, I'd like to stress again that pH is likely not the issue at all. Adding products to adjust pH may seem like an "easy" fix, but it's likely not going to bring the results you're hoping for.
 
ammonia says it is at 0 or "ideal"

nitrates are at 0
nitrites are at 0
hardness is at about 50 or "very soft"-grayish color
chlorine is at 0
alkalinity is at about 40 or "low"...might be the problem as you described.
and PH is at about 6.2 or acidic...
 
Nitrates shouldn't be zero... Are you using the strips? They're not always accurate. Also, make sure your tests aren't too old that they're not providing accurate readings. A cycled tank always has nitrates.

The thing with pH is that, especially with Oscars, the fish don't care all that much. Oscars have been captive bred for so long that they've gotten to where they'll deal with pretty much any pH. That's why I suspect that the pH isn't the problem. Fiddling around with it could make it worse.

I'd leave pH alone and get the water tested using new, liquid tests. The tank couldn't possibly have cycled in a week, and then you threw in two messy fish, and an immature biological filter couldn't have handled that without some type of ammonia spike. This is why I'm worried about those numbers, and there's either been an operator error in reading the tests or the tests are bad if they're showing no nitrates on the tests.
 
Okay so you do have ammonia. Do you understand the nitrogen cycle? This means that the ammonia will go up, up, up, until nitrite appears, which is also toxic, even at low levels, and nitrite will spike as well, until it's converted into nitrate. You've stocked the tank too quickly, and the best thing you can do at this point is either get a hold of some seeded media (from a friend or LFS's cycled filter) or add a BB-in-a-bottle that works (Dr. Tim's One-And-Only is one I can vouch for) or just keep doing big water changes to keep that ammonia level as low as possible, because it'll rise so high it'll sicken or kill the fish if you don't do something at this point.
 
Beneficial bacteria. Most of them are useless, so only go with one you know or have heard actually works -- otherwise, it's a waste of money! It's basically the same thing you're doing with the seeded media -- adding some of the beneficial bacteria needed to convert ammonia all the way to nitrate, without having to wait for it to grow and become established.
 
ah well it turns out there is Nitrate! I think it was prob around 20 ppm would be my guess...think I should do a 10% change in water? or just let it be for now...
 
You need to re-read the directions on testing so that you know what the parameters are. In addition, it ensures you're giving out correct information and getting the best advice. Also, it sounds like you have a lot of reading to do re: KH and pH, as well as the biological cycle. Again, I'd take a water sample to your LFS and get it tested using newer liquid tests. As I explained, adding new fish essentially added more ammonia to the system than your biological filter could handle, and so you have ammonia present. I would continue doing large water changes until you've got 0 ammonia. Also, what size tank is this, with what type of filtration?
 
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