I had fish in it a month ago but they died due to the high ph. I have applied the ph lowering kit but it just rises back up the next day. There are no fish in it as the local pet shop said anything will just die and can't seem to be of any further help!! I have done all the water changes etc etc and nothing works. Can anyone help me as this was a xmas pressie for my son and we still have no fish. I have tested the ph in my tap water (town supply) and it is very high and seems resistant to change.
2007-02-09 09:06:24 · 4 answers · asked by Michelle P 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Your water pH is high and resistant to change because of the naturally occuring high levels of carbonate hardness. So what does this mean for you?
First, there are lots of fish that can do just fine in pH 7.8 with a high hardness and even in smaller tanks like yours. Do a web search for a group of fish called shell dwelling cichlids. They may or may not be available in your area, but most better pet stores could get them if you have a list fom them to work from. There are many others as well.
It is interesting that the local pet shop told you that, odds are very good his water comes from the same source. You might try another shop or two. That was a really poor answer.
Your other possible solution would be to mix some distilled water with your tap water to make it softer and lower pH. Some peat moss in the filter will also help lower the pH. As you have found out most of the chemical methods don't work well at all. Eventually, if you added enough day after day, you could get the pH lower with the drops, but it would be a real pain.
My suggestion would be to pick p a fish book or spend a few hours searching web sites for fish that like the water you have, reading about them and finding ones you think you and your son would like, then fins a shop willing to help youget them.
Best of luck and don't give up the search, the right fish are out there!
MM
2007-02-09 09:17:45 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
that is very high ph -- try mixing it with distilled water and it should drop it some. distilled water has everything removed from it so theoretically it should work. hardier fish should do fine in your water. I would find a better pet shop or an actual fish store -- there aren't many around anymore -- and ask them about reverse osmosis water filtering or what they suggest you do. all those up down chemicals are kind of worthless.
personally i would go with fish that prefer hard water. it makes life a lot easier unless your water ph flucuates a lot. livebearers like guppies, mollys, platys, swords should work fine.
goldfish can live in just about anything.
african cichlids like phs around 8 so you are even better off with them. learn which ones are african and which ones are south american though -- american cichlids are usually the opposite and prefer very low ph water.
2007-02-09 11:47:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any pH up to 9 is fine for most fish. Lowering the ph and making it unstable with swings is what will kill them. Never use a ph changing kit, you are lucky you don't have fish when you used it.
Pet store people work in RETAIL. Most of them haven't graduated high school. They have not training for pet advice and are not expected to know anything but to get your products and ring them up at a cash register.
2007-02-09 12:12:03 · answer #3 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
buy a dog
2007-02-09 09:12:48 · answer #4 · answered by peppermint 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋