High pH, Fighting Danios
Hi guys. You have the greatest website! I got my first tank two weeks ago. It is a ten gallon freshwater community tank, several plastic plants, 50 watts heater, two thermometers one internal and one external, one fake rock with 3 holes on it, one undergravel filter, two inch deep gravel strata (rounded and more or less pea sized), one aqua-tech outside power filter, one small sponge filter. The pH of our tap water is about 7.4 to 7.6. I added water conditioner (Tetra Aqua Safe), Stress Zyme, five teaspoons of salt for freshwater aquarium. At the beginning the water got a little cloudy. I waited one week and added 3 Zebra Danios Next day I added one ounce of Bio-Spira freshwater bacteria from Marineland. The water became clear again within 24 hours. The Danios (one small male, one small female and a larger older individual whose gender is a mystery to me) were fine. They were exploring and racing around. Then the two smaller Danios began to dance in circles at the bottom of the aquarium. The older individual took possession of the upper and middle part of the aquarium and began to chase and bump-fight the small male while the small female was hidden in the plants. Within 48 hours the small male stopped racing and eating and died. I examined the body. There were no signs of disease or injury. The older individual still chases the small female every time they meet. The small female is fine but she is confined to a corner of the aquarium that is covered in plants most of the time. She ventures out often, but she goes back when the larger Danio chases her. When I feed the fish, I feed them very little food, twice or once a day. I try to feed them the minimum amount of food possible. I underfeed them because they are too busy fighting each other to eat all of it. Although the Danios come immediately to the food, they promptly begging to fight and some flakes end up sinking and the fish remain hungry. I worry about the food sinking. My last pH reading is in the range of 7.6 to 8. My ammonia reading is 0. My nitrite reading is 0.2. I have several questions:
What could have happened to the small male Zebra Danio?
<<Aggression, high ammonia, nitrites. What did your ammonia test at last week? Must have been some, there has to be ammonia for it to be converted into nitrite. Do you have nitrates yet? You should be testing this tank everyday.>>
What is it with the large Zebra Danio (I was told they are peaceful fish)?
<<They are not. And a toxic tank will not make them any nicer, either...>>
Could the small female Zebra Danio be hurt by constant harassment?
<<Certainly>>
Is it a good idea to add other fish to the tank?
<<No.>>
If so is this list a good list: one male Beta, two more Zebra Danios, two female Guppies and two small Cory Cats? Are this fish too many (taking into account all my filters and that I am willing to do a 25% water change weekly and a mayor water change monthly)? Would they take my pH as it is? How can I modify this list to avoid disaster?
<<Do NOT add any fish now. Your tank is still cycling. Hence the high pH, etc. And certainly don't add all of these at one time! And definitely avoid putting guppies and a Betta into a tank with Danios. Disaster awaits if you do.>>
Until now I have resisted the impulse of applying pH-lowering product to my tank but What can I do with my pH (7.6 to 8.0)? Should I make a 25% water change now (taking into account that the food keeps sinking because of the fighting of my Danios)?
<<As I said, your pH is high because the tank is CYCLING. It will stabilize in a month or so. Have PATIENCE, please. Do not mess with your pH, you will not be helping your fish if you do. The pH will end up all over the place, and your fish will end up dead from a combination of pH shock, nitrite poisoning, and stress..>>
Finally, If Bio-spira is so amazing, why are some dealers against it? Thank you for your help.
<<I personally like Bio-Spira, it's an excellent product when it's being used properly. However, results will differ from tank to tank. Dealers simply don't like it when people with no experience try to cycle with it and end up with dead fish, as in your case. Please do some reading, buy yourself some ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits, and be PATIENT. Test your water regularly, do waterchanges when readings become high, and do NOT add fish until the tank has NO ammonia and NO nitrites left. Keep two small fish in the tank during cycling. TWO! not more! Keeping a written record of your test results will help. :) -Gwen>>

- The pH is Falling! -
Help! I am desperate to solve my dropping ph problem that has killed all my fish save one. I am totally at a loss as to what to do and I don't want to give up.
I first set up my 25-gallon Eclipse tank about 3 1/2 months ago. I ran it for about a week with nothing but water, a couple of lava rocks, a presoaked piece of driftwood (it had been in the tanks at our fish store for a couple of weeks), live plants and gravel (natural looking regular gravel) and then added a modest number of really hardy fish (there were 2 stripped Danios, 2 Bloodfins, 2 Calista tetras and 2 cherry barbs).  I fed the fish very a very small amount of flakes every other day and added 10 ml of Kent Pro-Plant and Kent Plant Food on alternate days through the first cycle. Everything was fine. I regularly did 25% water changes once a week, added bi-aquaculture every 2 weeks and changed the carbon filter every 3-4 weeks. <Well... before we get much farther, I can pretty much guess that your problem is being caused by either that driftwood, the lava rock, or both. Even wood that's been soaking for years has the ability to release tannic and other acids which will drop your pH slowly to the floor. Lava rock is as well suspect - I'd remove both to a bucket or two of clean water and run two tests - one to see if the pH in your main tank returns to normal and the other test on the bucket of water to see if it is becoming acidic.>
After the tank cycled, I added 4 Clown Loaches and 2 German Rams and some more plants. I continued to feed lightly but increased it to every day and added frozen blood-worms to the diet about 2-3 times a week. Everything was going great for about 3 weeks. Then all of a sudden, the water clouded over white and some of the fish developed ick and fin/tail rot. I had the water tested and the PH was as low as could be measured. The fish store recommended a buffer. I added that and did an additional small water change. Also, I got medicine for the ick and fin/tail rot, removed the carbon from my filter and on the first day, it seemed to help. They started to look better and the water cleared. Then the second day, I tested the water and the buffer had done nothing to effect the ph. <Well... again, the presence of something in the tank producing more acid than the buffer can remedy, and the acid will slowly deplete the buffers.> The fish started to look worse, the water clouded over again and that night, all the fish (except one of the German Rams) died.
I took the surviving fish and some water to the store. They tested the water and the only problem was that the PH was off the charts low. They suggested that I do a complete water change and clean out the tank. I did that and changed the substrate to FloraBase to help my live plants. I tested the ph of the tap water and it was at 7.6. Within 24 hours of putting the water into the cleaned tank, the ph in the tank was under 6.  I tried the buffer again with no rise in PH. I did a 50% water change and added some baking soda. The ph then tested at 7.2 but within 4 hours has sunk to 6. Then I tried removing all the lava rocks and driftwood and doing another complete water change. The ph was 7.6 when the water went in and within 24 hours had sunk again to 6.
I then tested the tap water but setting it out in a glass overnight. The ph in the tap did not change after as much as 36 hours. Luckily, my one surviving fish has been living at the fish store until I can correct this problem.
We are at a loss of what to do now other than change the BioWheel, which I am loath to do because then I have to cycle the tank all over again (and change all the water and substrate again).
Do you have any thoughts or ideas? I really don't want to give up but I am getting close to doing just that! <Yes, please take out the driftwood and the lava rock... try running without them for a while. I'll bet at least a dollar that this will solve your problems.>
Thanks in advance for any help,
Lynn Bartsch
<Cheers, J -- >

- The pH is Falling! II -
Thanks for your response. I have had the driftwood and lava removed for
over three weeks and the problem persists. Even after a total water
change to get higher PH water back in there. The Ph dropped again after
24 hours.  Any other ideas?
<<Dear Lynn; Hello. Do not change your BioWheel! Since you have tried everything J recommended and nothing has worked, I think you would be wise to buy a small bag of crushed coral. You can experiment by either mixed it into your substrate, or putting it into a bag and running it (kinda like carbon) inside your filter, and then test the pH to see which method raises the pH to a decent level and keeps it there. Add a small amount at a time, until you can get your pH to measure, say, 7.0. You can do this over a period of a couple of weeks, keep testing the pH and see what happens. Normally I would recommend crushed coral as the sole substrate, but that may cause some problems with your plants. At any rate, I DO believe you need some coral in that tank to raise the pH and keep it there, and crushed coral is the most stable method, and cheapest long-term. Good luck. ps make sure you keep doing weekly waterchanges and vacuuming the gravel.. -Gwen>>

Re: Dropping pH syndrome II
Thanks for your response. I have had the driftwood and lava removed for over three weeks and the problem persists. Even after a total water change to get higher PH water back in there. The Ph dropped again after 24 hours. Any other ideas? 
<<Dear Lynn; Hello. Do not change your BioWheel! Since you have tried everything J recommended and nothing has worked, I think you would be wise to buy a small bag of crushed coral. You can experiment by either mixed it into your substrate, or putting it into a bag and running it (kinda like carbon) inside your filter, and then test the pH to see  which method raises the pH to a decent level and keeps it there. Add a small amount at a time, until you can get your pH to measure, say, 7.0. You can do this over a period of a couple of weeks, keep testing the pH and see what happens. Normally I would recommend crushed coral as the sole substrate, but that may cause some problems with your plants. At any rate, I DO believe you need some coral in that tank to raise the pH and keep it there, and crushed coral is the most stable method, and cheapest long term. Good luck. ps make sure you keep doing weekly water changes and vacuuming the gravel.. -Gwen>
I'll try it. Thanks.
>Please let us know how it goes :) -Gwen> 

How to lower dKH
Hi. My dKH is 17 how can i lower it. I made water change, but it go up. Tks.
< Check your tap water first. Some areas of the country have high levels to start with. Check your substrate. Some things like shells and crushed coral sand will kick it back up. Check your rocks and decorations. Sedimentary rocks have been cemented together and may leech carbonates into the water. If your tap water is too high then you will need to remove these carbonates with a reverse osmosis filter or a deionization unit.-Chuck>

Strange pH situation 
>Hi, 
>>Hi Caryn. 
>First, I want to say "Thank You" in advance for offering the public such a service as this. Now I have a question that no one can seem to answer. My mother in law has a 26 gallon bow front tank that we got her for Christmas. I set it up (she knows nothing about fish but enjoys them) . We have goldfish in it. They have been doing great until the other day. There were 4 and 2 of them died. I tested the ammonia and the pH. I had a feeling it was the pH and it was. 
>>So, you're saying that you've been monitoring pH, and saw that there was a big swing in a short amount of time? 
>It was around 6.0 : ( very bad. I tested it out of the faucet and it was about 7.0 (still low). So my question is : What makes the p H go down??? 
>>Well, I'm not so sure that the pH necessarily dropped quickly, which is what would kill the fish very quickly. As for what can make it drop, lack of maintenance, excess food, certain types of decorations, all combined with water that has poor buffering ability (called alkalinity) can factor in. 
>I can't figure for the life of me what would make it go down even lower than it went in. 
>>See above. 
>I did a 5gal water change and put a large sea shell in the tank and it's not come up at all. 
>>A single shell probably won't do it, you'll need to add more than that, some crushed coral in a piece of pantyhose or similar calcareous substance. 
>I am going to get some pH UP and use it. I don't like chemicals but have no choice at this time. I don't know what else to do. 
>>I would strongly recommend against this, as it's going to be too easy to kill the remaining fish. I think that another factor here is that the fish in question may have simply reached a critical mass/density for the given water volume and filtration. I have none of this information, but can tell you that goldfish are very dirty as far as fish go. If the pH has dropped suddenly, then several large water changes is more in order, and only vacuum small sections of the gravel at a time (wait at least a week in between). If they're being overfed you'll see the results in the substrate, so that may need curtailing as well. 
>I know it has to come up slowly. I just don't understand. Does anyone there have ANY ideas ??? Thanks so much for your time, Caryn 
>>As above is what I would do, and don't add any more fish. Depending on the breed of fish, they may need larger quarters sooner rather than later as well. Marina

pH change & Dead Guppies  3/16/04
I had an excruciatingly painful experience last night with my guppies!  I had put a bowl with the water from the aquarium itself inside this aquarium.  So it was the same water - I thought.  I put fish in it that were pesky or causing trouble to the community and so it was kind of like a "jail house" for bad fish.  
<Hmmm, that's what breeder nets or quarantine tanks are for.>
I had this bowl inside the aquarium for at least a week, maybe two, with a male platy who kept trying to "eat" my albino cat fish.  I was afraid he'd eat him alive eventually, so I put him in there.  
<Kind of odd... My Cory catfish can hold up against dwarf puffer teeth.>
Then there was a female guppy which had given birth to about 6-7 babies and was being hotly pursued by about 4 male guppies, so thinking she needed a rest, I put her in there.  I noticed that she had scoliosis, so wasn't expecting her to fully recover.  
Then about two days later, I found her dead in the bowl.  I thought she'd died from the skeletal deformity she'd had, or something related to the stress from giving birth.
<Probably tuberculosis, extremely contagious to humans--http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/sp/feature/index.htm>
The thing that got me yesterday was this:  I saw these 4 male guppies had begun to harass the other female guppy and were relentlessly chasing her, so I put all 4 of them inside the bowl to "do some time for bad behavior," and to give the female guppy a little rest.  Then, to my amazement, about an hour later, I was going to turn off the light to go to bed and I looked and saw that ALL 4 MALE GUPPIES WERE LYING DEAD IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL!   
I fished them out, and thought I noticed one's tail had disintegrated, but I'm not sure about that.  There others' were all intact, but they were all dead. I then checked the ph in the bowl and found the ph to be acidic, about 6.2 or so.  The water in the main aquarium was at about 7.0 or maybe 7.2.  So that's about 1.2 points difference!  I didn't think the water would be that variant since it was the original water from the aquarium, but I hadn't tested it since I put it in there about two weeks ago.
<If there is no water flow getting into the bowl (like it would in a net breeder) then the ammonia & waste produces by your fish will build up in there, causing the pH to drop.  Your fish probably died from ammonia poisoning.>
Meanwhile, the original platy is still alive inside the bowl with the acidic water and is showing no signs of stress.  Why, then did all 4 guppy males die within one hour or so after being put into the bowl???  The only possible explanation I can think of is that the ph change was too drastic for them!  Is that a possibility?  I thought they would be maybe stressed out by such a change, but not DEAD!!!  Please advise.  Is there some other possibility that I am not able to see?   
<I'm afraid your platy is doomed in that bowl also.  Get a breeder net, or set up another tank for quarantine or to keep your more aggressive fish in.>
Thank you very much for your thoughtful advise!
<You're welcome & good luck.  ~PP>
Leslie Wilson

UGF and High pH? - 04/14/2004
Hi guys....
<Hello>
I have a 39G high tank that has been set up for 10+ years. All of a sudden
my ph is 7.6 , no ammonia, no nitrates, I do a 25% water change 1-2 x a
month.
<"All of a sudden"....  Have you added any new rock recently?  New
substrate?  Anything at all new in the system?>
I have a undergravel filter. LFS says that is the problem with the pH.
<If the UGF is properly maintained, I doubt that this is likely at all.  Do
you regularly vacuum the substrate?  Any large pieces of decor that would
create a "dead spot" under the UGF plate?>
PH used to be 6 and then it went up and won't go down. My live plants are
not enjoying it. Should I just remove UGF.... I know the plants would be
happier?
<The plants would certainly do better without it, that's for sure.  But I am
not convinced that the UGF is the cause of your problems....  Have you
tested your source water?  Removed peat or driftwood from the system?
Changed the manner in how you go about regular maintenance?  Added or
removed anything at all in the system that may have contributed?>
Please advise.  Monica
<Hope to help you get to the bottom of this....  Wishing you
well,  -Sabrina>

UGF and High pH? - 04/18/2004
Nothing has been added; no rock, substrate, nothing.  I'm doing everything the same. Source water is 7.0 or greater, but has been that way, and ph has always stayed down, 6.4-6.8 or so.  
<Accumulated organic debris under the filter plate will tend to drop pH.  Ah, is it at all possible that you were more thorough than usual on your most recent gravel vacuuming before the jump in pH?  And again, any large decor items that might create a "dead spot" under the filter plate, where you don't/can't vac under, and where there is no suction through due to the footprint of the item?>
I tried SeaChem buffer to get ph down a little but it did not budge...
<What product did you use, specifically?>
That is when LFS said it was UGF set up for 10 yrs + , don't know what to do.... oh, and yes, I regularly vacuum
<It is not my experience that an aged system using UGF will go *up* in pH, but the exact opposite - pH should drop due to decaying organics trapped beneath the filter plates.  Another thought, perhaps your test kit reagents are old/expired; try testing with another kit (new, a friend's, even the LFS, if necessary) to verify your readings - and keep in mind the dipstick-type tests can be grossly inaccurate.  I do hope we can help you figure this out.>
Monica
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

UGF and High pH II (03/01/04)
<Hi! Ananda here with some ideas...>
No....nothing new....yes I vacuum, nothing has changed, it was 6 for so
long and now 7.4-7.6 ....tried SeaChem acid buffer/alkaline buffer.....for a
few days and ph did not budge....I am clueless
<Do you, by chance, have kids? Is there a possibility that the kids sent
something into the tank that you haven't seen? Or perhaps your municipality
has changed the way it treats its water supply? Or have you recently started
to use a different household cleaner? Are you using the same brand/type of
pH test kit? Is it possible the test kit chemicals have expired, giving you
an inaccurate result? Or did you recently get a new test kit, and your old
test results may have been inaccurate? Also, if you've had the windows and
such closed all winter, perhaps you've had a high level of ambient CO2 in
the house, which would depress the pH. If  you've recently had a bout of
spring weather and opened up the house, the pH could go up as the CO2 levels
in the house drop. Hope this helps.... --Ananda>

UGF and high pH III (03/12/04)
no kids, ? municipality changing the treatment, no new cleaner, same
brand/type kit, bought new a few months ago....but old one was showing the
same results. just have recently opened windows, but ph was up before that.
Hope this does not mean that ph will go up more. I have also lost a lot of
fish just recently. I added some Otocinclus (spelling?) algae eaters on a
Sat. lost one oto the next day, another one the day after, then in one day
(Thursday) I lost 2 dwarf cichlids, and a turquoise rainbow....all were
behaving normally that morning....and were dead by the afternoon. 2 days
later I lost my Siamese algae eater. I have left 1 clown loach, 2 boesemani
rainbows, 2 red tetras , 2 Otocinclus....they all act fine..., I have never
(in 10+ years) lost that many fish in that short of time frame. I am beside
myself trying to figure out what is going on, the tank at LFS that the
Otocinclus came out of is fine....they were with some discus that have been
there awhile. LFS tested my water....everything within normal...but they
came up with ph of 8.....but said that would not of killed fish since they
have been living like that for a few months. I am clueless....any more
ideas? thanks, Monica
<<Hello. From what I've read so far, it sounds possible that your municipality has changed the water. Even where I live, which is a major city, the pH in our tap water can fluctuate from 6.8 to 8 within weeks. This would wreak havoc in your fish tank, and even result in fish deaths from pH shock if you were unaware of the problem. The pH from your TAP needs to be tested, and compared immediately to your tank pH. I recommend buying a new pH test kit, and make sure the new test kit is Wide Range, and that it will register pH from 4 or 5 right up to 10. Perhaps your old test kit was simply giving you a false reading. Also, you must realize that, for example, if a pH test kit is rated from 6.0 to 7.6, and you test your water and the test reads 7.6, it means the test kit is not capable of showing you a higher reading, so it will show the highest one possible, even if your pH is 8. Same with low range test kits, if your pH is 6.5 and your test kit is rated from 7.0 to 9.0, then your reading will show the lowest on the test kit, which would be 7.0, even though your pH is lower. Also, I recommend you stop adding anything to "adjust" your pH until you figure out what's going on. So far, you have added products to change the pH to no avail, this is probably because your water lacks sufficient buffering capacity, in other words, your carbonate hardness (KH) is probably quite low, even though your pH is high. They are not the same thing. If you could find out your KH, it would help. One last thing that I highly recommend is that you get your water tested for ammonia, nitrite, AND nitrates, as pH will fluctuate when cycling a tank...in other words, have you cleaned your filter lately?  Changed the filter media? Added medications? Added salt? (salt in high enough concentrations, e.g. brackish, can affect bacteria) Anything that interferes with your biological filtration can result in ammonia/nitrite spikes, and hence, pH imbalances.
Hope this helps. -Gwen>>

pH and Hardness
I have checked the FAQ and search but have not quite found an answer. Thanks for trying to help me.
<Any time, Ron.>
I have kept saltwater for 25 years and recently switched a 45 gallon tank to be a cardinal/neon tank. My question seems elementary...but I am stumped.  
<I think that pH and hardness are the least understood subjects (by hobbyists) in dealing with freshwater chemistry.  Not an "elementary" question, at all!>
My cardinals keep dying after 4-5 days. My pH is 6.7 after I added a buffer to lower it.  My tap water is pH 7.9 with a hardness of 150. The hardness in my cardinal tank is 250!
<Are we talking carbonate hardness or general hardness, here?  I assume general hardness (total dissolved solids)?  And I assume you're measuring in ppm?>
I added "Amazon Rain " but it did not lower the hardness.
<Usually adding something will not remove something....  in this case, adding the buffers, etc., won't remove the dissolved solids.... uh, did that make sense?>
Do the softening "pillows" work?
<I'm afraid I have no experience with these....  You might try experimenting with a few gallons of tapwater in a Rubbermaid container and see what results you come out with.>
I do not like the look of peat colored water.  
<You *have* been reading the FAQs!  And you knew exactly what approach I would've suggested.  Well, let's explore other ideas, then.>
I have 2 suspicions: the tofu (lava) rock or the driftwood decor. Would these cause the hardness to raise?  
<The lava rock may very well be contributing to this issue.  The driftwood, on the other hand, is your friend in arms, and will help (perhaps only minutely, but help just the same) in keeping your pH low.>
What are "safe" rocks that won't leech and raise hardness?  Slate?  Sandstone? Quartz?
<Yes, yes, and yes, all safe>
White Tofu? Red/Brown Tofu?  
<Nope and nope/nope, both are suspect in this>
Petrified wood?  
<Perfectly safe>
Shale?  
<Won't affect your pH, *but* - depending upon where you collect this, it can leach other nasty stuff into the water.  This is a very, very absorbent rock, I would avoid it.  Use similar caution with sandstone.  I do use sandstone, but only collected from very natural areas; none from rock yards where who-knows-what has been spilled.>
Thanks for your help!
<Please read here: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/ there is *so* much information, in that page and in the links within it, that you'll be reading for days.  Also read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwph,alk.htm , there is a wealth of knowledge in there, as well; I hope these will clarify your situation.  Please let us know if you have further questions; this is a confusing topic.>
Ron
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Re: more questions about aquarium problems
I have some more questions. This time about ph and snails. I have had an ongoing problem of low ph. I raise the ph with some buffer I purchased and then I notice that the ph is down again the next few days or so.  
<Better to keep the pH stable than let it swing back and forth...>
I also notice there was a significant relationship between the ich and "shimmy" problem showing up on/in my mollies and the low ph because they prefer a more alkaline ph.  
<Yup, they do. I've seen the ich/shimmy correlation, too, though whether it's coincidence I don't know.>
I also noticed that there was a shell in my aquarium that dissolved at a very fast rate almost completely dissolving before I removed it!  
<Good grief. You probably have *extremely* soft water for it to dissolve like that.>
Could there be a relationship between the dissolving shell and the low ph and is it possible that the over abundance of snails could be the cause of the lowered ph?
<The dissolving shell will release calcium. Many people use crushed coral as a substrate to raise the pH in their brackish or cichlid tanks, and the coral skeletons and snail shells both have a fair bit of calcium.>
If not, what else could be causing the low ph, because the ph is usually high due to tap water changes and the shells sloughing off their calcium.
<Some of the things that reduce pH include bogwood in the tank, decaying plant matter, peat in a planted tank substrate... Sabrina says undergravel filters are often a culprit in low pH cases, due to decaying organics accumulating under the filter plate(s) where it's hard to clean. Have you checked your alkalinity? I bet it's quite low.>
I now have no visible ich on my mollies and I did not have to use ich medication (the bottle I purchased is AP PLUS+ CURE-ICK by AP Aquarium Products). Anyway, I didn't have to use the medication because when I raised the ph the ich disappeared!  
<That may not be due to the pH change, but to the ich parasite's life cycle. There is a stage when it drops off the fish. If that's the case, the ich may reappear in a week or so.>
The ich problem was probably exacerbated by the detrimental condition of the water (for mollies).  The ph is at about 6.8 + or -. I'm trying to get it up to 7.0, but seem to be having problems maintaining that level.
<What's your substrate? You might consider switching to crushed coral.>
No rush, but please advise with you opinion and or experience.  Thanks a lot!
Leslie
<To see how much crushed coral might help, you could put some in a filter bag and into a power filter or canister filter. --Ananda, with help from Sabrina>

Evaporation Chemistry
Hello,
A quick first question or two from a long time reader.
<Welcome back>
If water lost to evaporation is mostly pure water then why do I need to buffer the DI water I use to replace the lost water? Don't the buffers stay in the tank when water evaporates?
<Mmm, they get "used up"... very basically (bad pun), the overall reactions in closed systems are reductive (as in Redox)... they tend toward making the water more acidic... in effect exhausting the alkaline reserve>
Second, how do I determine how much buffer to put in the DI make up water? I'm using Seachem Marine Buffer per a recommendation in one of the FAQs.
<Best way is to measure your water (new) and try adding your buffering product/s with testing... per your particular livestock, desires for GH, dKH...>
Thanks for providing such a terrific service to all new folks.
Regards,
Jim C
<Thank you for your participation. Bob Fenner>

Can't Keep it Up! 
>I read the FAQs, but still have a question. 
>>Ok, SHOOT! 
>My pH is around 6.0 to 6.2, comes out of tap at 7.6, no ammonia or nitrites, temp 78. 40 Gal. tall, undergravel filter, power head, lots of bubbles... 
>>"Lots of bubbles"? From what? If from the powerhead, then I'm wondering if you're using the venturi (which means superfine bubble-action), which isn't very good for your fish. The bubbles can get caught in the gills and cause something similar to the bends. Just an FYI, and a "heads up". 
>...planted, do have 2 pieces of driftwood. My existing fish seem happy. Just can not seem to keep pH up. 
>>Ok, if they're happy, why do you want to change it? Especially if you've got a planted tank, the plants will be less tolerant in their acceptable pH range than most of the freshwater fish we have available to us today. 
>Don't like to add chemicals for this. LFS said it is because I live in Atlanta, GA, and it is hard to keep pH up with undergravel filter in this area. 
>><giggle> Oh yeah? So, what they're saying is that if you used, oh say.. a BioWheel it wouldn't be so low? I'd be looking at the driftwood first, the alkalinity of the water second (or maybe first). 
>We do 25%-30% changes every 3-4 weeks, vacuuming gravel. I do not 
overfeed. I have 1 Angel, 3 tetras, 2 Siamese algae eaters, 2 boesemani rainbows, 2 turquoise rainbows, 2 Otocinclus catfish, 1 clown loach (I know he needs a friend, his partner died) 
>>No he doesn't, he'll be fine. You do need to watch that fish load, though, which can be another contributor the dropping pH. 
>1 dwarf Gourami. Could the problem be the undergravel filter? 
>>No, not the filter itself. The substrate might be taken into consideration, but if it's actual aquarium gravel then it's highly unlikely. 
>Or should I do the aeration test, have taken samples to LFS... did not say anything out of ordinary... just low pH... but I have tested theirs and it's about the same. 
>>Alright, so, if their water is from the same municipality then I think we can safely assume that this water has very low alkalinity--in terms of "buffering" ability, as opposed to alkaline in terms of pH--this means that the water cannot hold the pH stable very well. It is VERY easily fixed, Monica. 
>Also have a 10 Gal. quarantine tank with 2 guppies... also with undergravel filter... pH is low there as well. 
>>We have terrific consistency here, all pointing to the same thing. I don't think I'd even spend the money to test for what's pretty much in our face. 
>I have checked hardness before but can't remember what it was.... didn't really understand all of that... but reading the FAQ's enlightened me some.... thanks. Thanks in advance for any help. Monica 
>>Alright Monica, your solution here is VERY simple, all you need are two things, a length of old pantyhose (no holes, please) and some crushed coral or dolomite. Just make a "snake" of the crushed coral with the pantyhose, and bury it in the gravel. That's it. It will take a while, but after about a month or so the crushed coral will help to bring the pH up as well as buffer the water. Do watch your plants during this time, they may not respond well to this. If you don't feel comfortable with this method, then consider looking into some of the many fine freshwater buffering products, especially those offered by SeaChem (an excellent company that offers very good quality products). This may ultimately be a better route to take to avoid bringing your pH up too high (in the >8 range), which is far more detrimental to your fish and plants. A quick Google search has netted me products from both Kent and Seachem that will achieve this at very reasonable prices. They may seem to be "chemicals", but are usually in actuality mineral in content. Marina

Buffering Fresh, 2.1
>Marina,
Thanks for the advice.
>>Quite welcome.
>!ST bubbles from the bubble stones, not the powerhead.
>>Gotcha, so you've got excellent oxygen/carbon dioxide (O2/CO2) exchange.
>I did check kh and gh.... both WAY TOO LOW...... so I guess the
best thing to do is to find some of the Seachem products.
I do like Seachem best, as I said.  The products were quite easy to find online, and relatively inexpensive.
>I have read that clown loaches do much better as a pair or more? Is that not so?
>>They may be a bit happier, but honestly I've never known them to do poorly if kept singly, either.  They can grow quite large, though, something to consider.
>Thanks for all the help. Monica
>>Again, very welcome, I'm glad I was able to answer your questions.  Marina

- Carbonate Hardness is Too... Well... Hard -
Hi Guys,
<Greetings.>
I have had my new tank (250L) up and running for about a month now. I put two of my existing bristle nosed catfish in the tank to cycle it. I know that these catfish are very sensitive to ammonia so I have monitored it closely. I added a bacteria solution (called CYCLE) as well to kick start the process. Doing this has worked very well. I have never been able to detect any ammonia but I am now seeing nitrates.
<Sounds like your cycle has come full circle.>
But on to my problem; I like my plants. I understand that they need a certain level of carbonate hardness. My tap water has low carbonate hardness (1-3 dH varying) and I have tried to raise it. I thought 5-6 dH would be OK. I bought some "kH up" powder from my local fish store (who are usually excellent) but all it seemed to do was raise my pH (from 6.5 to 8!). I asked them about this and they said that some pH rise was expected but that by adding acid this would go down and all would be fine. So I tried adding acid, I had to add a very large amount (around 100g which is 10 times what I would normally have to use). At this point I was concerned (the catfish would have had a hard time with the pH swing) but thought this would be OK. The pH was back were I wanted it and nothing had died. I checked the carbonate hardness again and to my horror it was 0. From this I had two thoughts: 1- The "kH up" powder was not "kH up" powder (but proved to be a very good way to raise pH and buffer the water) or 2- That some how the addition of the acid "removed" the carbonate hardness.
<Bad move on the acid addition, or perhaps better said, shame on the fish store that recommended it. Essentially, the acid consumed the few buffers you had, and that was that... dH of zero.>
I haven't tried to raise my KH since this rude shock but I want to keep my plants going strong. Can I have a low pH (6-6.5) and 5-6 dKH? <I think so, but likely not much higher.> If so how? <Well, first off you really shouldn't be making such drastic changes in pH - although your catfish have made it this far, I'd be willing to bet they're under tremendous stress. I'd just add baking soda - sodium bicarbonate - to the water you do water changes with, and change about 5% of your water each week. Give the tank some time, it is rather new, and I think things will stabilize.> Is my situation unusual? <Not really.> What chemical should I add to increase carbonate hardness? Are there any products available that raise KH and not pH? <Not that I am aware of.>
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Adam,
Australia
<Cheers, J -- >

- Softened Source Water, Follow-up Again -
A marine buffer in a fresh water tank? <I'm sorry, my bad - just stick with the baking soda, it's really the primary ingredient in just about any commercial buffer product, fresh water or marine.
Cheers, J -- >

Safe lowering of pH
I'm sending this email for my dad. We're not sure if you can answer this, but we thought we'd try anyway.
<We'll certainly try to help.>
He would like to add rams to his tank which already includes discus, cardinal tetras, angelfish, and neons.
<Tank size?  How many of each fish, currently?  Please do be aware that cardinal and neon tetras will be midnight snacks for the angelfish (perhaps the discus, too), eventually.>
The PH of the tap water is 7.4  He has been unable to keep rams.
<Woah.  I'm surprised the cardinals and neons are alive.  They almost require low pH.>
Do u have any suggestions to lower the PH?
<Using peat moss in your filter and adding bogwood to the tank will help.  The pH out of my tap is a whopping 9.2, but after filtering with peat, it comes down to 7.0-ish.  I imagine, starting with a pH of 7.4, you can get yours lower.  However, this will stain the water kind of a tea-like brown.  Personally, I find this extremely natural and gorgeously attractive, but some people dislike the coloring tremendously.  Another alternative would be to use reverse osmosis/deionized water (RO/DI), which is a pretty involved topic.  Begin reading on RO/DI here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/rofaqs.htm and also the other RO/DI FAQs.>
Adding PH drops hasn't helped at all.
<Not surprising.  Chemical means of altering pH is not very effective, often short-termed, and will result in a pH roller coaster that may ultimately end up killing the fish.  Try peat and bogwood - and to keep things stable for water changes, use a Rubbermaid container/trash can for making water change water ahead of time, so you can soak some bogwood or peat in it to get the pH to that of the aquarium, so as not to shock the fish.  Peat moss that can be purchased at landscaping/gardening stores is okay, as long as there are *no* fungicides, pesticides, etc. added to it.  I believe the brand I use is "Sunshine".  -Sabrina>

Freshwater Sting Rays pH changing...
To change my Ph level is it ok to use Muriatic Acid in my aquarium with
Female Sting Rays which might be pregnant
Thanks, John
<I caution against (I would not do this) using Muriatic (aka non-stock molarity hydrochloric) acid. Use sodium biphosphate (the most common pH reducer sold as such in the aquarium interest), or peat, or other means. Bob Fenner>

Hardness in whatever units
I was using a test kit that had the dkh norm as 8-12. I have since switched to a La Motte alkalinity test kit that gives the reading in ppm. I am not having any luck in finding the normal range for alkalinity in ppm. Can you please help? (a previous email to you guys about 2 weeks ago on the same subject was answered as we do not have a clue and good luck. That really is not the answer you guys meant to give, was it?)
<Mmm, here's a link to Ozreef's conversion twixt ppm, milliequivalents per liter... for dKH: http://ozreef.org/reference/alkalinity_conversion.html
Bob Fenner>

Hardness values
Thank you Mr. Fenner. Your book is great and I  read it all the time. This chart shows a normal range of 151.8- 303.6 ppm or dkh of 8.5- 17.0 as the normal range. Do you agree with that range. Thanks again!
<Yes to the "normality" of this range. There are certainly municipal waters that are harder (and are best dealt with by diluting with R.O. and/or Deionized water) and a scarce few that are softer that can be added to with commercial preparations. Bob Fenner>

Water too basic
    I'm having some trouble with my water ph levels.  I'm a new aquarium owner of a 20 gallon tank and about a week ago I tried to increase the buffering capacity of the water by adding some alkalinity buffer drops.  But then the ph sky-rocketed off the charts when I tested it and hasn't gone down since.  Even when I made a 60% water change the other day! What can I do to lower the ph (I have 4 red eye tetras currently) without having it just bounce right back up?
<Exactly how high is it? If it’s high but still under about 8, your fish will adapt and do fine in this, just make sure to fully acclimate new arrivals. If it’s over that, you’ll need to isolate that cause of why it’s staying so high. Generally when pH goes up it will also come back down, especially if it was raised with chemicals. To get it back down now you can do water changes with reverse osmosis water (many LFS offer this for sale), you can slowly but consistently bring it down with products like pH Down, or you might be able to do it with baking soda. Baking soda will generally raise your pH but a little experiment a friend and I tried found that it will only raise it to a certain point and then it will begin lowering it. I would try the RO water before anything else but definitely make sure there’s nothing in the tank causing it to stay high and also check the pH of your tap water. Ronni>

Re: Mollies acting odd!
Hi, just got a 29 gal kit March 7th, and currently have 12 mollies (Gold Dust and Marble), and 3 young Albino Corydoras.  I'm having water quality problems.  I think my ammonia test isn't working (it's the water tube test, not the strips) because when I use it, I show NO ammonia, but when I have my water samples tested at Petco (they use the strips), then they show ammonia!
<Very possible, this happens once in a while. It sounds as if you may be overfeeding the fish. After this amount of time your biological filter should be established and the ammonia and nitrites should stay at 0. Cut back on the amount and/or frequency of your feedings and it should help.>
I also was having a nitrite spike and had high pH, which Petco people told me to bring down.  So, I've been doing water changes over the last few days and have finally brought my nitrites down to 1.0ppm (they were at 5.0ppm).  
<Ouch! Even 1.0 is still quite high and it’s a wonder any of the fish are still alive after 5.0!>
I also treated each bucket of new water with Stress Coat, Water Conditioner, and pH balancer (my tap water was off the charts when I tested it...must be 8.0+).  
<Just make sure that the water in the tank stays at the lowered pH, sometimes it will spike back up.>
MY PROBLEM IS...my mollies are acting weird, MANY are hanging around the surface moving their mouths a lot, they're not moving and swimming around like usual, and some will swim in place, others will sit on the bottom and move only every now and then.
<Sounds like they are uncomfortable with the ammonia and nitrites. These are common symptoms of poor water.>
Some still swim around, but only a few. I noticed 1 molly jump around on a rock, rubbing his body on it a few times.
<This could be the beginnings of ick or just a reaction to the ammonia and nitrites.>
I found 1 molly dead this morning, checked his gills and they're nice and pink, no parasites, or weird markings on him.  
<Probably a reaction to the nitrites then.>
My Corys act fine.  And there is about 3 tsp.s of aquarium salt in the tank.  My nitrites are at 1.0ppm, nitrates 0ppm, ammonia=??? (need a new test kit, I'm still showing no amm.), but my pH is 6.8 which is a drop from 7.0 an hour ago!!!!  Is this the problem?  
<pH will fluctuate a little throughout the day so I wouldn’t be concerned about this.>
Have I over treated my water in trying to decrease the danger to my fish?  I don't know what to do, they are clearly stressed!  They still eat, but I don't know how to help them.  I don't want to damage my biological filter by doing ANOTHER water change, but should I?
<For now, just keep up with the water changes and bring the ammonia and nitrites down to a consistent 0. I don’t think you over-treated the new water although you could probably get by without adding the Stress Coat. Small water changes aren’t going to damage your bio filter, they’re actually going to help it.>
And should I use something to INCREASE my pH now that it is falling?  
<Nope, they are adapted to the lower pH now and raising it would cause more problems.>
Aren't mollies supposed to be in water with a higher pH?  
<Yes, a little higher than what yours is. They do best in a pH of 7.5 to 8.2. You can bring this up by not treating your newly added water with as much of the pH reducer but the pH level needs to be brought up slowly or it can cause even more problems.>
What am I doing wrong?--fish_puppy
<Do some reading at http://www.wetwebmedia.com and at http://www.fishbase.org to find out more about your fish but I really think the main problem is overfeeding. Ronni>

Re: Clown Loaches & German Blue Rams...
I've really enjoyed your website and have a question for you regarding water parameters for my Freshwater Aquarium.  
<Thank you, I’ll do my best to answer>
I live in Northern New Jersey where we have relatively hard water and Im trying to keep my German Blue Rams and my Clown Loaches comfortable.  I have read that both the Clown Loaches and the Rams prefer softer water.  I have a 55 gallon tank with 3 German Blue Rams, 8 Clown Loaches (four 6" loaches, two 3" loaches, two 1 to 1-1/2" loaches). In addition I have two 5" - 6" Pink Tailed Chalceus, four 4" Iridescent Sharks, three 2" tri-color sharks, one small pleco, and 3 small Cory cats.  I am planning on upgrading to a larger tank in about 6 months knowing that my sharks are probably going to outgrow this one.
<Yes, you’ll definitely need a larger tank very soon. Your Clown loaches could reach sizes of 12” each and the pleco can get around 20”.>
My Tank:
PH - 7.6
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
GH - 9
KH - 4
I have recently put some of Fluvals Peat Granules into my Fluval 304, hoping to soften the water and lower the PH levels.  I have been doing small (10%) water changes weekly.  And I have provided ample hiding places for the Clown Loaches (there is a house/cave on either side of the tank for them to hide in, as well as plants and rocks for additional cover).  So my question is what can I do in addition to the Peat Granules in my filter, in order to give my Loaches and Rams better water quality (Softer - Lower PH).  I am currently just using tap water with conditioner to do my water changes and would like to provide the ideal environment for my fishies.
< The peat should help and really there’s not a lot else you can do that isn’t going to cause fluctuations. The best thing to do is provide a stable environment. They’ll be much better off in a stable but slightly hard condition than in a fluctuating softer one.>
Any suggestions or information you can offer would be much appreciated!!! Thanks, Stephanie Ward
<You're welcome! Ronni>

Re: pH is dropping!
I have an 80 gallon tank with African cichlids and have lava rock as hiding places for them.  I measured the ph in the tank and was really surprised to find out that the ph was 6.3 instead of 7.5 to 8.2 and was wondering if the lava rock will lower the ph that much.  
<Generally a pH drop like that happens when the water hasn’t been changed in a while. The longer a tank runs without water changes, the lower the pH will get. Lava rock shouldn’t drop it like that.>
I plan on adding Seachem Malawi Victoria buffer to raise the ph but was concerned about ph shock.  The Malawi Africans that are in there are healthy along with some babies and I was also wondering if I should let things go or go ahead and add the above buffer.
<Rather than adding a chemical at this point, see if you can gradually bring it up with water changes. Chemical fixes are only going to be short term solutions. But whichever way you go, the pH should be brought up gradually, not all at once. Ronni>

Re: New Tank Problems and General
It seems my Ph was off. I have bad eyes. It took me a few hours but I got it neutral finally, and I plan on doing a 20% water change soon. My store is giving me a refund on my 2 guppies (14 day guarantee’s are so cool). Ill keep you posted :) -Ray in Texas
<Glad you were able to pinpoint the problem and that your store is working with you. Good luck! Ronni>

Re: GH in aquarium
Hi Ronni, thanks for heater/temp response- so how are you at chemistry? This has me stumped...
<Uh-oh, chemistry has never been a good thing for me…>
I have been using AquaPharm tap water r/o conditioner because the tap water in NJ is 8.2 or so out of the tap- then I realized lots of bad stuff is in tap water.
<Yep, there really is.>
I use the AquaPharm electro right and ph adjuster that they recommend to use with this r/o system. After I used it the ph is now between 6.8-7.0 and rasbs and white clouds were brighter in color etc., and I assumed healthier. The KH also dropped and is down between 3-4 (using the AquaPharm fresh water kit and the 5ml tubes and drops) so I knew that conditioned water from r/o was working. BUT... The GH still remains high- it is now 20 (meaning 20 drops to get it to turn to green endpoint). I can't figure out why r/o use dropped the kh but not gh.
<Honestly, I don't know why it would either. These generally stay pretty close.>
I don't want to use a water softener pillow because of ion exchange and increasing salt in tank.
<These can also increase your Ph and cause other problems.>
So, what to do- especially since I have these new otos (it's now a week and they are great knock on wood)- maybe the rasbs and clouds are use to high GH- but what about the otos- and the other fish I want to add. So, other than continue to do the water changes with r/o, what can I do?
<Really, there's not a lot else to do. Check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/plttkmaintfaqs.htm there’s a post there similar to this that may help. I would venture that after a week of being in this, it’s not going to hurt the Oto’s.>
I have SeaChem fluorite as substrate, use Kent Pro and Flourish, flourish excel. Use Stresszyme every other day- tank is almost at 5 weeks cycled now. (BUT EVEN with the old tank levels of GH were high)- and the only thing in there is driftwood, no seashells, etc.
<This is just a thought but I wonder if the driftwood could be affecting it? I’ve heard of driftwood doing some pretty odd things to tanks.>
I just started to use Zoe Marine Vitamin liquid from Kent Pro, but only used it once, so that can't be it - any ideas....???
<Lots of thoughts but not really any that would be of help here! You might also use the Google search box at www.wetwebmedia.com and search for plant GH to see what else it pulls up besides the above FAQ.>
Thanks again, Rosa
<You're welcome! Ronni>

High pH question
Hello WWM Crew...
<Hello, Gage here avoiding real work as best I can.>
I'm setting up a 75-gallon FW community tank and I have a concern about pH. My tap water is 8.2 and I have done nothing to adjust it. I have read here and elsewhere that it is better to have the pH too high than to play with it and risk sudden changes.
<I agree>
On the other hand, I have heard of a great number of people who adjust their pH to exactly where they would like it to be.
<can work as well, its up to you.>
I have three Buenos Aires Tetras and three quite small Bala "Sharks" now and intend to ad Rainbow Shark, Clown Loach,
Pleco or maybe Pictus Cat. Am I doing the right thing by leaving the pH alone?
Thanks. --Charlie
<My tap water has a rather high PH as well.  I do not adjust it and get along ok.  If you would like to adjust it get a separate container dedicated to mixing water, the large 44gal Brute garbage cans work well.  Mix your water and adjust the PH in there before adding it to the tank.  If you do decide to adjust the PH, bring the PH down in your main tank slowly.  There is a HUGE difference between the ph measurements.  We have got some good articles on the subject.  If you have not checked them out already I strongly recommend it. -Gage
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwph,alk.htm  >

Re: low dKH
Hello Ladies and Gents of the Crew,
<<Hello, hello…>>
I've recently set up a 29g freshwater tank - 10 days ago.  Water is cycling nicely.  In the tank I have 40lbs of gravel, several rocky caves, one piece of bogwood, Proquatics power filter at 200gph, an Airtech pump with bubble wand type thing, and a submersible heater.  Temp has remained steady at 77F.  There are five plants:
1 green Cabomba
1 green Lloydiella
1 red Ludwigia
1 Rotala indica
1 marble sword
I add 1 tbls Kent freshwater plant supplement per week.  Will the plant supplement be necessary after I have fish established in the tank?
<<Possibly. It certainly won’t hurt to keep using it as long as it says it’s safe for fish (I would certainly assume it is!) but you can try going without it and see if your plants start failing. I don’t think they will, I have several of these same plants in a tetra tank and they are all doing fine with no supplements.>>
I ran tests last night (AquaPharm liquid)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 3
Nitrate - 5
pH - 7.1
GH - 3 dGH  (53.7ppm)
KH - 2 dKH  (35.8ppm)
I tested the tap water and the pH, GH, and KH are all the same as the tank water.
Okay, my real question is this:  Is this very acid water going to create a problem with the pH stability?
<<The low dKH could cause problems with Ph stability. Since your tank currently has no fish, this is the perfect time to raise the DKH. There are commercial products that will help with this.>>
And what kinds of fish will thrive in this environment?  I know Discus like the softness, but the pH is still 7.1 and besides that the tank is way too small.  Will the hardness rise as the tank completes its cycle?  Any suggestions on fish?  Is it too soft for Corydoras catfish?  (Just love those little guys.)
<< There are many fish that will do fine in these conditions and it’s fine for Cories. There is quite a range for what Cories can handle, pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 2.0 - 25.0. >>
One more thing, I am in the planning stages of my first saltwater tank.  It's either going to be 90g or 125g.  But, since testing this water, I am greatly concerned about its buffering capacity.  I want a FOWLR with a DSB.  Have been reading your website for about 3 weeks now.  So much info to process!  It's wonderful :o)  Thank you for your time.  It's greatly appreciated.
<<I’m by no means an expert on saltwater but I believe if you use a substrate specifically for saltwater tanks these will help greatly with your buffering capabilities. Crushed coral should do nicely.>>
Jen

Increasing buffering capacity in FW tanks
Dear Crew,
I have 5-gal. and 10-gal. freshwater tanks that are well-established.  Municipal tap water (ozonized, not chlorinated) is pH 6.2, GH 6 degrees, KH 6 degrees, zero nitrates.
I have platys, Cory cats and algae eaters in both tanks.
Both tanks test pH 6.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, GH 6, KH 6.  I just
bought a nitrate test kit and was shocked to find out both tanks are off the chart!  I do 20-30% water changes weekly but both tanks are somewhat overstocked (those oversexed platys keep having babies) and I do tend to overfeed a bit.  After using Aquamarine Nitrate Reducer (a bacterial product) an algae bloom cleared up completely so I thought I had solved the nitrate problem.  I plan to get Coralife Nitrate Remover and I will do more water changes, so I am not so concerned about the nitrate.
<I would be. If you are concerned with buffering, this is to counteract acidic wastes, IE: nitrates. Overfeeding, fouled substrate, filter media, filter sponges, bio-wheels and bio-balls all produce nitrates from nitrites. It is best to reduce these sources of nitrate pollution.>
My question is about pH and buffering capacity.  I am of the school of thought that you should not adjust pH, simply require that your fish get used to whatever your tap water is.
<This is a complete fallacy and is inhumane to your fish. Fish don't just adapt to improper pH, alkalinity and salinity that took perhaps millions of years to evolve to. That's why we don't see marine fish in the Amazon or sharks in your toilet. You are blessed with soft, acidic water.  This means you can either choose fish from soft acidic conditions (Discus lovers would die for your water) OR you can add buffer to add alkalinity/hardness and raise your pH. You only need to raise your pH to 7 and hardness a hair for all your fish. The nitrate is a bigger concern.>  
However, since my water is so soft, I am afraid it doesn't have much buffering capacity, and am worried that it will get too acid if I should be late with a water change.  Do I understand correctly from previous posts, that adding baking soda increases the buffering capacity (alkaline reserve)?  Or does it simply make the water more alkaline?  Also, live plants use up the carbonate and reduce the alkaline reserve?  Both tanks have flourishing Java Ferns and Water Sprite, which grows so fast that I have to weed out great handfuls of it.
<Again, this is nitrate, the key ingredient to most fertilizers. That your plants are growing profusely in acidic, soft water is an indication that these nutrients aren't that necessary as opposed to the nitrate levels.>
I had thought to get Kent pH Stable. Would that be appropriate?  I have some Seachem Equilibrium because I thought the fish or plants might like the water a bit harder.  Would that increase the buffering capacity?
<If these are FW buffers, only enough to raise the pH one point.>
I thought about Seachem Neutral Regulator or Kent pH Precise Neutral Regulator, but both soften the water!  Do they precipitate out the calcium and magnesium?  Shouldn't I be making my water harder, if anything?
<Just a simple buffer and waste reduction/prevention. Get the numbers down, stop overfeeding, OR get up to speed on maintenance for the load you have.>
Another question that NO one in the LFS has been able to answer -- I add 1/2 tsp. salt per gallon to make the platys happy (and they do indeed do better with the salt).  Is this enough salt to prohibit using "freshwater only" water treatments such as Nitra-Zorb, which is regenerated by salt?
<It may leach *some* by ion exchange with sodium ions, but not like the saline solution required for complete regeneration.>
I do not have a phosphate test kit.  Do I need to be concerned about the phosphate level, if I don't have an algae problem?  Does it hurt the fish?  Thank you for your assistance. Your web site has been invaluable. Sincerely, Marron
<An adequate program to reduce nitrates should also reduce any phosphates. If you are trying to stretch your maintenance schedule or are having nutrient problems, then test kits are vital. Better get after those water changes and gravel vacuuming!  Craig>

Re: acidifiers
Hi,
I just had a quick question.   I have used citric acid for farm uses to reduce the PH of drinking water for swine.  I was wondering if this could also be used to lower the PH of my aquarium water?  I am thinking if it is safe for animals to drink, then maybe it is safe for fish to swim and breathe in?
<Yes, this is a not-uncommon additive to some marine fish medications, particularly copper compounds, that otherwise "fall out of solution" due to the alkaline nature of seawater. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Jess

Re: acidifiers
Do you have any idea of a measurement to use to lower for instance 1 point.
I only have a freshwater aquarium.
Thanx for the quick response!!
<This is reliant on the alkalinity of your existing water. How to put this... water is more than just H2O... it has buffering capacity, mainly carbonates, bicarbonates that "resist" pH change... and all waters are different in this capacity (alkalinity). You can get/use an alkalinity test kit... or just try adding some citric to a given volume (outside the tank) and recording how much it shifts pH. Please see here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwph,alk.htm
Bob Fenner>

Re: acidifiers
sooooo if i am going to have a freshwater tank and currently our water measures about 8.5, would you use citric acid to get it down to that 7
range??
thanx again
<If that is the range your livestock enjoys, sure. Most commercial "pH adjusting solutions" are phosphoric acid... a few are dilute sulfuric... Citric is safer, to use than these, but can't be as easily stored in aqueous products (microbes start growing in it over time). Take a look on the Net re Citric Acid... it's very commonly used, relatively safe. Bob Fenner>

PH shock-- curable?
I did something very stupid just over a week ago-- I introduced an old piece of mahogany driftwood I had into my discus tank. I had used the driftwood years ago in another discus tank, and it provided a good buffering pillow. I was about to introduce two new discus and also thought they'd like the shelter it provided, as the three discus already present had pretty much staked out their favorite spots around their piece of driftwood.
Darned if the new/old driftwood didn't leach scarily-large amounts of nitrate into the water (which I didn't even think to check because everything else-- ammonia, nitrite, PH all tested fine), and drive the carbonate hardness down to near zero-- and, of course, cause an acid fall -- from 7.0 to 6.2 between Friday afternoon and Sunday nite. Well, I've pulled out that hunk of driftwood and carefully and slowly corrected the water conditions (PH back to 7.0, carbonate hardness 50 ppm, general hardness 80 ppm or 4.5 dh, no detectable nitrites or ammonia, nitrates still high at 50 ppm but much better than the 110 they were!) and the discus are now looking a lot less stressed, as long as I don't walk up to the tank, since they now connect me with Big Scary water changes instead of yummy food. Their fins are barely clamped and are spread full much of the time, body colour a bit dull but not dark anymore, eyes better-- still a bit dull, but the red colour's back But nobody's eaten a thing for six days. And they're still not at all frisky. They mostly hang about their old pieces of driftwood Obviously, they endured PH shock.
Can they recover? Can I help them recover?
<More than nitrate was released by the wood... I would make a large (25%) water change (with pre-conditioned water) today, maybe another tomorrow... and place some activated carbon (several ounces) in your filter flow path. Do your discus have favorite food items? I would try these. Bob Fenner>
Judy Waytiuk

- Freshwater pH -
<Greetings, JasonC here...>
Another question for ya guys I have a 55 Gal freshwater tank Ph 7.0 Nitrates are off the chart. Am doing water changes to lower the nitrates. The tap water Ph is 7.8 every time I make water changes the Ph in the tank goes up what is the best way to control a steady Ph rate of the 7.0 in the tank during water changes? <You might try the product, pH Down, which is a weak/mild acid that is safe to use in aquaria. Do add to the change water sparingly and test before adding to your tank.> Also I have a fine film floating on the top of the water what is it and how do I get rid of it? <Not really all that uncommon, you might try finding a surface skimmer for that Emperor filter.> I am running a undergravel with 2 power heads and an Emperor 400 with Bio wheels and carbon. Thanks again as always and Merry Christmas
Bill
<Cheers, J -- >

Malaysian Driftwood, pH Reduction
Hello.
<Scott F at your service>
Where I live the pH is high; therefore, the pH in my 10 gal tank is also high.
<Just how "high is "high"? It may be acceptable, depending upon the kinds of fish that you keep>
Someone suggested that I purchase some driftwood since it would help lower the pH in my tank, but I should let it soak since the wood would tint my water until the water becomes clear. Is there any way to speed up the process of getting rid of the brownish water? 
<Activated carbon in your filter should do the trick. Using driftwood, peat moss, etc. to lower pH may be hard to control-much depends on the rate of dissolution of the tannic acids, etc. present in the wood. If you are dead set on lowering the pH, you may want to use one of the prepared products designed just for this purpose >
Are there any other "natural" ways to lower the pH in a high pH area? 
<Do read this faq: "pH, Alkalinity, and You" in the freshwater articles section of wetwebmedia.com>
Thanks, Rachel
<And thank you for stopping by!>

pH (freshwater)
I have recently set up a 20 gallon freshwater tank. It has been about two weeks in cycle and I am struggling to keep my Ph under control. I use tap
water, which has a Ph of 7.8 to 8.0 to fill the tank and have used tap water conditioners, as well as a Ph control powder to bring the Ph down. However, I am only able to bring it down to around 7.6 with treatment and once in tank the Ph just continues to climb <How high?>. If you can offer any suggestions I would appreciate it. Thanks.
William
<Depending upon what type of fish you are planning on keeping this may be ok. It is always a good idea to test the test kit against another one to make sure you are getting an accurate reading. Do you have any decorations in the tank that could be causing the high ph? You could try a different brand of buffer to bring the ph level down, but if it keeps shooting back up it sounds like there is something in the tank that is causing the change. The links below may help you solve the mystery. The first one refers to marine tanks, but the information on ph and alkalinity are still valid
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/phalkbrackish.htm
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
Best of Luck, Gage>

pH/Ammonia Problems
I have a 20H freshwater aquarium with nine fish in it. I have had it set up at least a month if not longer and still cannot keep the ammonia from going through the roof. My fish are not overly big and I am careful about not over feeding. Also, my ph has just dropped to 5. My nitrates are zero though. I also make weekly 1/4 water changes. My fish are healthy and acting fine. We have a green spotted puffer, two clown loaches, red tail shark, gourami, spotted catfish, pleco, a cichlid and a blood parrot fish. The blood parrot fish is a relatively new addition and has come down with black spot which is obviously from my water. What can I do to correct these probs. 
<you have two primary problems: 1)water quality and 2) horrible fish incompatibility problems>
In case you were wondering, we have a penguin 125 w/bio filter, an underground filter with a powerhead for a 30 gal tank. I change the filter at least 2 times a month. Help. Thanks, Lori.
<if the gravel bed is less than 2 1/2 -3" (fine gravel) or 4" course gravel then the Ammonia problem is because the substrate is too shallow for a biological colony to establish. Large gravel pebbles are especially poor for UG filters. You want fine media of a size closer to large grains of rice (2-3X) rather than pea sized. Regarding your fish selection, however... you need to prepare for serious problems with disease and aggression or separate these fishes properly: The puffers need brackish alkaline water, the loaches need somewhat soft acidic water, the sharks are near neutral to medium hard water. The gouramis and cichlids vary by species. Some of these fishes are going to suffer because of the homogenized mix. Furthermore, the puffers are severely aggressive in time and will literally pick the eyes out of the other fishes. The spotted catfish will swallow all smaller fishes whole in time (and die from eating the toxic flesh of the puffers if so) and the clown loaches grow to over 12" long each and may stunt and die if crowded. Sheesh, my friend. Someone has steered you terribly wrong. Do take the time browsing this site (WetWebMedia) and beyond to get a better knowledge of the fishes before you buy them. My advice would be to keep the gouramis, shark, pleco and possibly the cichlid (if a smaller or more peaceful species) and have an active semi-aggressive community tank. Get rid of all other inappropriate fishes or get more, bigger aquariums :) Best regards, Anthony> 

Re: pH/Ammonia Problems
<Steven Pro in this morning handling the follow up questions.>
This is very weird because I have had this exact community of fish (except the puffer and blood parrot)
<The puffer was one of your biggest problems, along with the Clown Lo