I have a 36 gallon fresh water tank, that has high alkalinity and low ph?

Question

When I try to raise my ph, the alkalinity also rises. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

Answer 1

It's supposed to happen that way. Alkalinity and pH (and hardness as well) are related in that higher pH is the result of increased alkalinity (which results from higher hardness, or certain dissolved minerals in the water).

Have to wonder why you're trying to change your water. Usually this is unnecessary for most fish species. Unless you have something wild-caught, or are trying to keep cichlids which need a higher pH, most are adaptable to anything in the range of 6-8.5. If you have a fish that's slightly more sensitive, you can just take a little longer during the acclimation process, or do a drip acclimation (add the fish and the water it's in to a clean bucket, tipping it on it's side if necessary so the fish can swim; use airline tubing with a valve to make a siphon from your tank to the bucket allowing for a slow drip; allow the bucket to fill until the water the fish is in is at least 75% tank water before netting and moving the fish to the tank). In the long run, this will save you lots of headaches from trying to keep a consistant pH other than what you have naturally. If you think about it, every time you do a water change, your pH is going to be different - this fluctuation is more harmful to your fish than just leaving the pH alone.

If it's extremely low, add some crushed coral or shells to a mesh bag and put this in your filter. It will bring the pH up slowly, but will be more constant than using chemicals.

Answer 2

Trying to chemically adjust aquarium pH is futile.

The pH will naturally stabilize to a place given your water chemistry, the substrate, filter system and kind of things in the tank.

Most fish will adapt to a wide variety of pH conditions and do better if it is stable, rather than a particular value.

Answer 3

Raising you pH chemically will also mess up other chemicals -- Raising it naturally will do no harm

To raise it naturally -- You can try putting one of these in your tank ..

1) Crushed Coral
2) Limestone
3) Colored gravel (Don't rinse).