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Thread: Help! PH Too High!

  1. #1
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    Help! PH Too High!

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    Hi bros,

    Need a bit of help. I have been testing the ph value of my tank water for the past 2 weeks using the Sera PH Test Kit (droplet type) and it has consistently registered between 8 to 8.5.

    In my 4ft tank, there are discus, tetras, clown / 6-banded loaches and bala sharks. Are they able to handle the high PH?

    Should I add some BLACKWATER to bring the PH down a bit?

    My tank is bottomed with small gravel (the planted tank type), rocks and driftwood. Can they be the cause of the problem? I use a cannister filter with an undergravel as well. The setup is relatively new (about 1.5 months).

    What are the PH values of the water that bros out there get from the tap? Has there been an increase in PH after New Water addition? Reason I asked is because I was pretty fanatic about PH when I had my planted and I had seldom come across such high values. Really strange.

    Any ideas / advice? Shall I maintain the PH at 8-8.5 or add some blackwater / ketapang leaves?

    Thanks!!!!

    MetaSard

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    try testing your tap water and perhaps bottled water as well, should be neutral around pH 7±0.5. If your kit registers above 8 even with bottled water, I'd suspect your test kit first.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Choy. I hope you are right! That would be great news!!!!! Im going try it tonite when I get home.

    You made my day!

    Cheers,

    MetaSard

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    Normal mineral water bottled water right?

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    Tap water is not a reliable control test. SG tap water range from 7 to 9.
    Bottle water... I'm not too sure either, considering it's supposed to be mineral water. The only one I'd trust is distilled water, which you can get from petrol stations as battery water.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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    yah agree, battery water is best. vinz, where you get tap water with such high pH!
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Choy, Upper Paya Lebar Rd Area. Mine is at 8pH. Probably why my shrimps die after water change.

    Anyway, those values are publicised on the PUB website.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

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    good luck to you, surely you will not suffer from osteoporosis
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Wah lao. How much does Battery Water cost? If I remember correctly, it should be somewhere around a buck right? Maybe I should just get a new test kit?

    Cheers,

    MetaSard

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    Dudes, so what can we do if we are stuck with high PH water? Will the fish be ok?

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    Vinz, May I know where you got your rocks for your cichlids tank?

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    Battery water, tap water and any unbuffered solution are bad pH reference. A little more or less dissolved CO2 will significantly swing the pH. Pure distill water without dissolved CO2 with have pH 7. By exposing it to atmosphere and dissolving the CO2 from the air, the pH can drop down to pH 6 or lower.

    Normally, colour indicator type of pH test kits will not go too far off.

    MS, do you inject any CO2? How about your KH reading? If you have KH of 3 or 4 and if you do not inject CO2, pH of close to 8 is not that surprising.

    BC

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    BC, so the most reliable would be to test a pH solution used for calibrating pH test pens?

    What about battery water straight out of a brand new sealed bottle?

    How much would ambient CO2 swing the pH solution?
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
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    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

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    ----------------
    On 9/17/2003 1:11:35 PM

    Vinz, May I know where you got your rocks for your cichlids tank?
    ----------------
    Mainland Tropical Fish Farm
    No 1, Pasir Ris Farmway 1.
    S(519352)

    Near but not accessible via Lor Halus area.

    They store it behind the main shed which has the aquarium accessories shop. I haven't been there for a very long time and I do not know if they have shifted things around. Asking them and/or walking around is probably a better idea. I don't remember how much I paid, but it wasn't a small amount. However, definitely one of the cheapest sources, and on top of that, I got a fairly good discount for buying a lot.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

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    ----------------
    On 9/17/2003 2:23:50 PM

    BC, so the most reliable would be to test a pH solution used for calibrating pH test pens?
    ----------------
    Yes. That will be so.
    ----------------
    What about battery water straight out of a brand new sealed bottle?
    ----------------
    You will never know how much CO2 was already dissolved in the distilled water prior to sealing the bottle.
    ----------------
    How much would ambient CO2 swing the pH solution?
    ----------------
    At equilibrium with atmospheric CO2, pH of distilled water can be as low as pH 5.7.

    BC

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    Thanks Vinz

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    Hi bc,

    Thanks for your help. I measured the KH of my tank to be between 3-4 units. My SERA test kit needed 3-4 drops before turning the test water from green to yellow.

    The water is 4 days old from my last 20% change and nope, I do not have CO2 injection.

    Actually the CO2 point does make sense to me. When I had my planted tank and was pumping in CO2, the PH was actually quite close to neutral at about 7 to 7.5. That would mean that I have been getting the same PH water all along!

    I guess you are right, the fish should be ok. I shouldnt worry so much. Its just that I recently bought a pair of discus and want to make sure that everything is ok for them.

    Thanks,

    MetaSard

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    Actually, the pH should not do much harm to the fishes.

    I presume that this is a fish only tank. If you really want to bring the pH down, you can use stuff like Seachem Discus Buffer or Acid Regulator or Acid Buffer. Check the seachem website: www.seachem.com

    BC

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    Hi bc,

    I think I am just going to let the water as it is. Afterall, most of my fish have been living in it for the past 2 years. Should be ok, I hope.....just have to work harder with water changes to make sure that the water quality is tip top[]

    I'll just keep my fingers crossed and continue monitoring the fish. Don't really like the idea of having a chemical regiment unless its a planted

    I also think that the test kit is screwed!!!

    Cheers,

    MetaSard

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