The PH in my tank wont go down in my tank. It is 8.0. The water i use for water changes is 7.0. I have been doing a lot of water changes and I put PH down in it but it still wont budge. Any idea what is keeping it so high and how to get it down. My fish are showing signs of stress so I need help fast.
ph wont go down
- Thread starter Snook000
- Start date
hm strange then,what kind of fishes do you have,how many,what do you have exactly set up in your tank?
Wait, wait. What kind of gravel/decorations are in there? This is almost always caused by something leaching out minerals in the tank. I have natural pea gravel that brought my pH from 6.6 to 7.4 in a tank of mine, and any coral gravel will also raise the pH.
Whats your KH? PH and KH are intertwined. PH down and other chems won't do crap and likely stress your fish out more until you can address whats causing the PH raise. A stable High PH is alot less stress then a constantly fluxuating one.
What do you have for decor in your tank? some natural rocks will raise your PH as driftwood and peat can lower it. If your tap water is lower then your tank water decor is likely the culprit. Crushed coral, and limestone are 2 big PH raisers.
What do you have for decor in your tank? some natural rocks will raise your PH as driftwood and peat can lower it. If your tap water is lower then your tank water decor is likely the culprit. Crushed coral, and limestone are 2 big PH raisers.
i have river rock as gravel, 2 things of drift wood, some live plants, and like 2 bigger rocks. as for fish i have 1 EBJD, 1 pike cichlid, 1 red striped earth eater, 1 birchir, 1 pleco, and a foot long snowflake eel. all the fish are less then 2in. monsterminis i dont know what KH is.
KH is hardness of your water, It essentially tells your PH how flexable it's going to be, and if to High refuses to allow things like PH down ect to work, or cause extreme PH swings.
What water test are you using? generally liquid tests are the most accurate but a dip strip test works fine if it's a brand new container and the exp date is a good date away. If the test is consistant after the 24 hour then I would take the 2 large rocks out for a few weeks and see if that helps the PH drop abit. 7.5 shouldn't be a bad PH to shoot for with those species. Also do not be afraid to do water changes frequently. small amounts more often should help your PH maintain stability until you can trouble shoot where your issue is. and if it ends up being a false reading ect.. no harm to the fish. I've done as much as 25-50% daily on tanks w/out any problems.
What water test are you using? generally liquid tests are the most accurate but a dip strip test works fine if it's a brand new container and the exp date is a good date away. If the test is consistant after the 24 hour then I would take the 2 large rocks out for a few weeks and see if that helps the PH drop abit. 7.5 shouldn't be a bad PH to shoot for with those species. Also do not be afraid to do water changes frequently. small amounts more often should help your PH maintain stability until you can trouble shoot where your issue is. and if it ends up being a false reading ect.. no harm to the fish. I've done as much as 25-50% daily on tanks w/out any problems.