BillysBettas Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hey Everyone i need some help, My tap water come sout at a fine PH but when i add the water conditioner recomended by the aquarium shop its makes the ph quite high iv even tried halving the amount of conditioner they said i should use and it still stays high so they suggested using PH Down powder a level teaspoon for my 50L tank although it only works for about a day and then the PH is right up there agin, can any one tell me why my PH keeps rising and how i prevent it as i feel like im getting useless information from the Store Kindest regards, Billy :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 what water conditioner is it? It shouldn't do that. Don't use pH down. As you have learned, it doesn't work. You can use indian almond leaf or peat to reduce the ph, but let's see if we can work out why the levels are rising first. Also, what do you mean by "fine" and "high"? I regard 8 - 9 as high. I regard between 6 and 7 as 'fine' but that's because I breed soft water fish. You may mean that 7.8 is 'fine', or you may mean that 7.0 is 'fine' and 7.2 is 'high'. So we should establish some parameters before we have any more discussion :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Billy....mate THROW OUT THE BUFFERS!!! You will end up adding more and more and the pH will be bouncing all over the joint.... Buffers work for hard water fish or if you want to increase alkalinity Decreasing pH is a whole different story Lots of data needed to give proper advise... What fish are you keeping? How big is the tank? What is the substrate? Do you have real plants in the tank? Often the Best solution is to leave it alone.....most fish will live Happily in treated tap water with regular water changes...... chasing a pH number will allow the shop to sell you more buffers.....and more fish as you kill those you have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Totally agree with Rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Well Its called Tri-start Water Conditioner, well iv been assuming fine is anywhere between 6.8 - 7.8 as instructed by the guy at the pet store but its been going into the 8.0-8.5, I have a male and a female Betta 10 little neons 2 sucker fish and 3 of these other little fish that my BF brought home for me the other week he forgot the name and as i dont know to much about fish atm im not to sure what they are yet but im researching it as we speak. I have 2 real plants, 50 L tank aqua one with built in lights,heater and pump, filter etc Whats substrate? and Buffers? (Still learning my fish terminology) Thanks so much for your help :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandeecane Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Substrate is gravel/sand/whatever you use at the bottom of your tank to root plants into. (This may be natural coloured gravel or coloured... though coloured gravel can become a pain when it leeches the colour into the water...) Buffers is stuff to make your PH go down, up or neutral... I think it may also relate to water hardness which is completely different to pH. If your water is too hard, the pH won't lower easily. But if the conditioner is making it go higher... I suggest using something like Prime by Seachem? It works instantly and is very condensed so you only need a little of it to work. You can also 5x dose it so you can battle high Ammonia levels without killing your fish. Could you put your location in your profile so we might know a little more about where you're from and what you may have access to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Thanks for the information Rod FYI i use your general colourful rock (I havent had a problem with the water changing colour though due to gravel though) I will go to the shop after work to purchase a different conditioner to try im not sure what brands they have available close to me though, I am in Perth how do i change my profile? Billy :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Take some water from the tap....test the pH Then Test the pH in the tank Is it the same? If the pH in the tank is higher than the pH of the tapwater then the gravel or decorations are leaching into the water causing pH to rise It maybe necessary to remove gravel and or decorations Conditioner removes/detoxifies Chlorine/Chloramine......it wont make a big difference to pH Don't half the dose! pH down is a buffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 No the Ph in the tank is quite higher So maybe a gravel change, would live plants cause leaching? I wouldnt have though the conditioner would have made a difference either so i did a test i got 2 x 20 litre buckets filled them both with tap water tested them they were the same then one i added conditioner to and tested again and the PH was higher...??? confused me I will have to try a few things when i get home and see how I go I just want my guys to be happpy and healthy Thanks :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Billy, when you say general colourful rock, do you mean the brightly coloured marble chip type? It won't leech colour but marble is a form of calcium carbonate, a buffer that will raise the pH your water. I had this experience myself. We bought the chips at a lfs with our first tropical fish. It is fine if you have hard water fish, but no good for betta or neons. I can't find a picture of the coloured variety of chips for you, but if you look at an individual piece it usually has a rough crystalline sort of texture, as opposed to a smooth coated look. Also, when you say you have a male and female betta, do you mean in the same tank? If so I hope they are ok, they usually will fight with each other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 My gravel isnt rough very smothed off something like the this http://www.gardensgiftsnfabrics.com/catalo...%20Pearl%20.jpg I went home last night brought a new water conditioner did a 50% water change and PH back down to 7.5 which is better than up in the 8's like it was so HAPPY my fish are happy , although i think i will invest in some new Gravel for my tank just to rule out the possibility. Yes both male and female are in the same tank but seperated by a divider so they cant get to each other, i read soemwhere that once the male has blown his bubble nest then you can put them together and they are fine, but i also had a friend who wasnt really into fish and just didnt really know any better she had a male and a female in a 2L square bowl since she brought them at the pet store they never fought then one day after 2 years of having them they produced 2 spawn whch i though was quite abnormal to what iv been reading and she only noticed when she as cleanign the tank and flushed them accidentialy down the sink As im only new im still learning but i have got a 20L tank also which i am currently preparing to breed my 2 fighters i brought this breeding net to float at the top for the female the guy at the pet store said she will jump out to the male when she i ready to spawn after he has made his bubble nest, so im still reading up on it there are so many ways suggested on the internet its hard to decide what to follow i guess its also just trial to see what works for your fish, so once i feel a bit more confident im going to attempt to mate them ina few weeks time. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neffy Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Hehe not surprising they spawned some males and females can live fine together it all depends on the temperment of the fish and each little one is unique ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 I know its so amazing im learning that each one has so much unique personality, they dont just have a short memory like people say My little girl she is amazing she is quite small for a female i think she is only still young but the male and her are both constintly trying to get to each other they spend all there time next to each other at the glass they even try and eat together i cant wait start breeding i think they are going to make a great pair Im working on putting up photos for you guys Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 It's a bit hard to tell from that photo but I'd say your gravel is marble and is leaching carbonates into the water, making the pH rise. It is best practice to sit your tap water in a bucket for 24 hours after adding water conditioner to allow for pH fluctuations, which are common in the 24 hours after it leaves the tap. Try testing it 24 hours later after sitting it in the bucket, if it hits 8. something that would rule out the gravel, but I suspect the gravel is the culprit. live plants don't leach buffers/carbonates into the water. Good luck in solving your mystery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillysBettas Posted June 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 So I went to the shop last night stocked up on new gravel swaped it all over, Well i have been adding the conditioner to the water and leaving it outside for a day and this seems to be good, Iv been reading alot about people setting up tanks with just live plants in them to use for water changes is this a good idea? Cant wait to get home today to see how the PH is going it was at 7.3 this morning super happy:D:D THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts