how do i get the Ph in my 30 Gal.to stay in a Safe Area for my Fish?

Question

I Feed 1-2 times a day

Answer 1

Assuming the tap water is at a pH that is acceptable, water changes. As waste builds up, pH goes down. Just like when a kid pee's in your pool.

Answer 2

What is your ph at? You're probably best just leaving it alone, unless it's really high, or extremely low. A steady ph is much better for the fish then one that fluctuates. Usually you'll get fluctuations when you use those ph up/down chemicals, so stay away from those as well. You only need to feed the fish once a day, and I usually skip one or two days during the week as well.

Answer 3

Unfortunatly you haven't really specified what type of fish you have which makes it difficult to tell what PH you need to keep the tank at.

Also it helps to know what your tap water ph and hardness is like in order to help determine what the best way to acheive a certain ph.

Lastly Plants can affect the ph, causing the water to become basic in the day and acidic at night. (read more about plants altering PH in a google search)

For example, Discus require soft acidic water ph 5.5-6 is ideal. In this case i would place large peices of drift wood in the tank. The drift wood has tannin's in it that yellow the water, soften it and bring the ph down. Also i might put Peat in the filter which will have a simmilar effect. There is no need to add conditioning crystals in this instance.

If i wanted to keep Basic or alkaline water as you would for african cichlids then i would add calcium chips, shell grit or coral sand as the substrate (gravel). And i would use white rock or lime stone rock to decorate the tank. These things all buffer the Ph and keep it steady in the 7.8 to 8.4 range, again depending on what your tap water is like. Personaly i add KH powder and carbonate hardness crystals to keep the ph up in this case but the shells and rocks make sure the levels do not fluctuate.

Neutral water (provided it comes out of the tap this way) should not need anything fancy done to it. I live in Melbourne Australia which fortunatly has some of the best tap water in the world. I don't even bother to add dechlorinator to the water as it is just so good. If this is not the case where you live then add dechlorinator and that's more or less all you will need!

Lastly, it is important to remember it is not what the ph is but keeping it stable is the main thing. Most fish will tollerate a PH that is not exactly ideal provided it is stable. (probably wouldn't test this theory on Discus or frail fish like tetras).

Most Fish shops will use tap water for all but the most fragile of fish, think about it, how much would it cost to add salts to all the tanks in a fish store?

Keeping this in mind keep the PH STABLE, and dont use chemicals like PH up or down. They don't work and will have your PH up and down like a brides panties.

Answer 4

be careful with what you put in the tank, driftwood and plants can decompose and make it acidic, certian stones can also affect the pH. you can buy pH tests from a pet shop and keep records, this may help you find out what causes the change

Answer 5

What is it testing at now? and what kind of fish do you have? Just because your ph is at 7.4 or 7.6 does not mean it is high. Most fish can live and do well in a variety of PH ranges. Changing the PH or trying to control the water's natural ability to hold a specific PH does more damage than good. What is your tap water or the water you are using in your tank testing at? This is where you want to KEEP the tank.

here is more on PH and how it works in your tank:
The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. A reading of 4-6 dH or higher is usually adequate to keep the buffering system in place and maintain a stable pH. A reading under 4 dH means there isn't enough of a buffering system and the pH is likely to drop. For higher pH levels, you will probably want to aim for 6-12 dH. Many hobbyists choose to measure only Carbonate Hardness (KH), which is a measure of the calcium carbonates in your water. This test is also effective in maintaining a proper buffer system. When testing for Carbonate Hardness, a reading of 75-100 mg/L is adequate for most aquariums, while a reading of 100-200 mg/L would be desired for higher pH levels. For the purpose of freshwater aquariums, measuring either total hardness or carbonate hardness is necessary, but measuring both independently would not be needed.

You need to know that anywhere in your aquarium where detritus (a fancy term for dirt) accumulates is a source of Phosphate production. As detritus accumulates in your gravel bed and on your filter pads, the Phosphate levels in your aquarium rise. Free Phosphate ions may bond with calcareous buffering material, precipitating calcium from your aquarium, and reducing your aquariums ability to keep pH stable. This is why it is so very important to clean your filter pads regularly and vacuum the aquarium gravel with each water change. In addition, your tap water contains buffering ions. Doing regular partial water changes will help to replenish the buffers which have been lost. This is important in all aquariums, because fish respiration and organic wastes alone will cause a gradual drop in the ability of your aquarium to buffer against pH swings.

Now the question becomes what to do if the fish you want to keep have very special pH requirements. If your fish prefer a pH level which is reasonably close to the pH your aquarium water is naturally buffered to, then I do not recommend you make any changes at all. Unless you are keeping an extremely specialized fish your fish will be fine. On the other hand, if your fish have pH requirements which are far from the values in your tank, then you have work to do.

Let us consider methods of raising the pH of your tap water. There are many additives on the market today which claim to raise your pH. Most of the liquid products on the market today are a 50/50 success at best when used alone only to find the ph will soon return to the normal level of 6. You also need to use a product to increase the buffering ability of your aquarium. To maintain a stable pH in the upper levels of the pH scale for fishkeeping, I would recommend using a buffering substrate such as crushed coral. You can add crushed coral to your existing aquarium. You can place larger amounts of shells or chrushed coral beneath the substraight in the tank. I personally place the crushed coral in a mesh bag and place the bag in my filter. You will want about 1 kg of crushed coral per 40 liters of water to buffer the water to hold a pH around 7.6. This method does not allow for the use of large quantities of crushed coral, but can be effective if you only need to make small adjustments to your aquariums buffering ability. This is why ocean items such as shells and ocean sand should not be used in a fresh water aquarium. It does raise the PH level.

Be assured that attempting to control pH is the most frustrating experience for a fish hobbyist. I would guess that 50% of the problems encountered in new aquariums are a result of the aquarist attempting to change the pH level. Few fish keepers actually need to adjust their pH. For the majority of aquarists your tap water pH will be adequate. The dangers of adjusting the pH incorrectly far outweigh any benefit you may receive by moving your pH a few points on the scale.

Remember, when it comes to adjusting your pH, less is more! Stability is most important. Routine maintenance is the key to keeping your pH stable and your fish healthy!

Also, do not use baking soda in your tank. Over doing the ph plus adding additional salt is not going to do your tank any good. It will also revert back to what it naturally be when the carbon filters pull the Soda out.
Hope this helps