why cant i fix the ph levels in my fish tank???? please help?

Question

i have a 55 gall0on fish tank wen i check the ph its at its highest like 7.6. ive been trying to fix it for a week now. i have the color code chart and it statrts at 6.0 obviously and ends with 7.6 my level is worse than 7.6 would i put in ph up or ph down on the color code chart u would want it to go up to 6.0 but technicaly u would use down cuz its so high. i know this all sounds confussing but if u have knowledge with fish and tanks you will know what im talking about. what should i be using up or down y wont it fix. could this be why my fish see very inactive?

Why cant i fix the ph levels in my fish tank???? please help?
i have a 55 gall0on fish tank wen i check the ph its at its highest like 7.6. ive been trying to fix it for a week now. i have the color code chart and it statrts at 6.0 obviously and ends with 7.6 my level is worse than 7.6 would i put in ph up or ph down on the color code chart u would want it to go up to 6.0 but technicaly u would use down cuz its so high. i know this all sounds confussing but if u have knowledge with fish and tanks you will know what im talking about. what should i be using up or down y wont it fix. could this be why my fish see very inactive?
some people have suggested to get a ph kit and i do have that thats what i am using the box says that the type of fish i have it shuold be a 7.0 and its worse than7.6 its comming out a dark navy blue wen it should be a litght blue. do i use ph up or ph down

Answer 1

Don't listen to those other people.

DO NOT put chemicals in your tank. Just don't do it. Ever. It will create an instability in your tank and will cause your pH to fluctuate, which is far worse for your fish.

Honestly, the vast majority of fish out there can adjust to high/low pH. Your pH is high, but it's not THAT high. Your fish will adjust to it and be ok.

If you're still really worried though, go to the pet store and buy yourself a big chunk of driftwood. Boil it at home and stick that in your tank. It will naturally and gradually lower your pH. It may turn your water a brownish color for a while, but that won't last forever.

Just don't add any chemicals to your tank unless your REALLY want to screw things up.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Your fish are most likely inactive because of the pH fluctuating from your attempts to adjust it. Really, unless you're keeping wild caught discus, African cichlids, or something of that nature, you shouldn't be trying to change it at all. Most fish are quite comfortable anywhere from 6.0-8.5. I used to live in an area where the pH was 8.3 straight from the tap, and I kept a variety of tropical fish then. So unless you have something very sensitive, 7.6 is nothing.

If your fish are inactive, rather than pH (which in your case is fine), have you tested for ammonia or nitrite which can be far more harmful? When these get to 0.5 parts per million fish can be stressed, and two of the main symptoms are inactivity and loss of appetite. They may also gasp at the surface like they don't have enough air. These are especially common in tanks that have been set up for less than 2 months, are overcrowded, where the fish are overfed, or after antibiotics have been used.


ADDITION: No fish needs to have EXACTLY 7.0. That can't even happen in nature! Every time it rains, or there's a drought, the pH of the water will change according to the amount, and kind, of materials dissolved in the water. The difference between this and what you're trying to do is that in nature, the changes occur more gradually.

Find the range of pH levels that are suitable for your fish in one of these links:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=830
http://www.fishlore.com/
http://www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/default.aspx?pnl=fresh

I doubt that whatever you have wouldn't survive at the pH you've got (7.6).

Answer 3

I am against putting chemicals into your water to balance out your PH. There is some really good sites that explain how to naturally balance it out. First, learn more about what PH is and then you can try to decide if it needs to be altered. This is a good page to help you get the quick run-down on PH.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/waterchemsitry/a/waterph.htm

Answer 4

if ur ph is too high then you need to buy ph down. If your ph is too low then you will need to buy ph up. Once you have the ph up/down bottle then put the required amount (shows you on the bottle) in the tank. After an hour test the ph and it should be alright.

P.S dont put too much in your fish tank or the ph will be too low

Answer 5

Go to the pet store and ask for a balancing chemical. The fish could be responding to the pH

Answer 6

you can buy kits at the pet store to fix that little problem. if you can't find one that works sometimes you can pay someone at the pet store to come over and fix it for you