Ph through the roof.

[Rpul]

As above my ph has gone up to

8.8 in my 6ft tank and 8.0 in my 5ft

My tropical pond is as it should be.

All the water is fine apart from the nitrate it reading 0.0ppm with I find odd. I'm over filtering hugely mind you.

All my fish seem to be doing well apart from I lost a newly added fish, my brachyplatystoma capapretum. Expensive loss.

Although the theres some odd looking ulcers and damage to the Gill plate. This fish had been kept alone after something was nipping at its trailers.

So two question. Many ideas why my waters gone like that? I've recently salted the two tanks.

And how do I get it down. I've caried out 50% water changes over the last two days what seems to take it down. But 24 hours later it's back Sky high.

Also, any idea on what's on the capa? Gutted I've lost this guy. He was eating fine last night.

Thanks.

 

[BIG-G]

Check you source water. What kind of salt did you use? If you used salt for a saltwater aquarium it had buffers in it.
Have you added anything that would buffer the water? Any change in substrate? Add any type of decorations? Any sea shells or calcium based rock or sand? What does your Ph normally run?

 

[Drstrangelove]

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...ealth-diagnostics-read-before-posting.210102/

If you look at the link, you'll see some suggestions on information that will help people help you figure out what might have happened and what to do in the future. I'm not saying you have to post all of that, but more of it will help.

However, to answer your post, we'd have to guess. My guess is your tap water has very high pH. That would pretty much explain it given what you posted, that is, the pH is high in both tanks, and it went up after a water change.

I am also guessing that you used sodium chloride (salt) which is neutral from a pH standpoint, so that will not raise pH above neutral.

And it's extremely unlikely your water has zero nitrate unless:

1) this is an uncycled tank
2) you did a 100% water change with zero nitrate water just before you tested it
3) you have a large amount of plants
4) you are using some exotic form of nitrogen removal

Filtration (which I'm guessing you mean biological and mechanical filtration) will not reduce nitrates. However, if it was #3, depending on other factors, that might cause large pH swings.

 

[Rpul]

Thanks guys.

Tanks are mature and cycled though. Have been for almost a year.

My ph out of the tap is reading 8.0 and the nitrate is reading 0.0ppm out of the tap.

I've been and brought a lot of bigwood. And some ph lower, also sole stress coat and filter start. It's almost as if my tank have gone into a new cycle.

I'll have to just see how the next few days go.

I did lose two of my p. Gracilis this morning. Including my biggest one.

My biggest fish loss ever. 3 fish within two days.

The ph has started to come down now.

And yes. All treatment/salt products are from API.

 

[duanes]

A pH of 8 or a bit higher is not a big deal depending on the fish you keep.
The rift lakes of Africa, great lakes of Nicaragua and many other Central American waters have higher pH. Both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior have pH in the mid 8s.
I live near Lake Gatun in Panama where pH can often hit 9, and the lake is fun of healthy fish..
That said if you are trying to keep Amazonian fish, or soft water Asian species with a tap water pH of 8, you may be in for a tough time. It is always best to keep fish that "like" your tap water, rather than trying to chemically reduce pH, the fluctuations will tend to be stressful, and fish health will suffer.