I have a 55 gallon fish tank, with a dual bio-wheel filter, i stock the media tray with activated charcoal. My problem is that my Ph stays at 6.2. It never moves any other direction. I have one of those meters that watches the temp, ph, and amonia. The tank is about 6 months old. The fish dont seem to be bothered by the water ph. I know my water is def as hard as its gets. I keep good control of the amonia and nitrates and nitrites. I change my filter once a month. aswell as the Charcoal. I have some gouramis, platys, danios, 5 snails, a pleco and some small guppies. Should i worry about the ph or not. My mother in law said i maybe vacuum the gravel to much is that possible. I just like to keep the gravel debris and poop free as you guys all know. Some one please give me some advice. Yahoo answers has helped me keep my fish tank this good for this long. Thanks in advance and i hope everyone has a great holiday season.
2007-12-07 13:25:58 · 5 answers · asked by fyreman81 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
As long as your fish aren't showing showing any signs of illness or behaving oddly, don't worry too much. Stable pH is always than better than using buffers to maintain a specific range.
Most city supplied supplied water coming from the "tap" is usually fairly alkaline which means the pH of tap water is generally 7.5 or higher. If you are using tap water as your water source, test the pH. I would venture a guess that if you use tap water, you have "well" water that is acidic (low pH).
If you are using "bottled" water, this water tends to be acidic, too. Regardless of your water source, if you want to know the pH level, test it using a pH kit. Since you have a pH meter for your tank, you can take a sample of the water you use to your local fish store and they'll test it. You can also purchase a pH kit and test it yourself.
Some tank decorations can also lower pH. Driftwood, some shells and some plants can lower pH. If you use peat in your filter, this will lower pH.
Should you wish to increase the pH in your tank due to the ideal range typically recommended for your fish, do so very slowly as fluctuating pH is harmful to fish. I would re-iterate that stable pH is much preferable than trying to maintain a specific range.
Vacuuming your tank will impact ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but typically has very little if any effect upon pH.
You should also bear in mind that your fish are tropical and need to be kept in temperatures ranging between 75 and 82F. I would warn against adding ANY additional fish to your tank. You didn't mention the number of fish you have of each type, but I hope your tank is at LEAST 20 gallons. If you have more than 2 of each type of fish, your approaching a dangerous overstocking scenario. If your pleco is the common type, it can get to be 20 inches in length or longer.
As far as pH goes, don't worry too much as long as your fish seem healthy.
2007-12-07 13:54:08 · answer #1 · answered by Finatic 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Low pH and hard water is an unusual combination. Have you tried a different way of measuring pH,or calibrating the instrument? No matter if the fish are in good condition and the pH remains stable as you say it does,your fish should be fine. The water conditions would probably be stressful for African Rift Lake Cichlids or Mollies, but Amazon fishes should thrive in it.
Stable pH is more important than hitting the exact numbers.
2007-12-07 23:02:21 · answer #2 · answered by PeeTee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As long as the fish are healthy and eating I wouldn't worry about the pH. The gravel vacuuming wouldn't change a thing - keep it up! Having a stable pH is more important that having a neutral pH. If it's sticking right at 6.2 I'd say your tank is A-okay.
2007-12-07 21:39:35 · answer #3 · answered by Corinne 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with many people on here, but you did mention about water hardness. Did you know that hard water can stress your fish? I bred and kept a lot of fish in the past and softening the water is important as this reduces fish stress. I add 1/4 tank reverse osmosis water to my aquarium. Reverse osmosis filters can be found in some pet stores as they expensive depending on the number of stages on the RO unit filter. You can find them at Home Depot or water supply store. Better yet, just get a large jug from your local water supply store, but do ask for RO water.
2007-12-08 00:41:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
finatic is right
also check your kh
there are testers for that
some people put baking soda in there tanks
you could also get the chemicals at a local fish store
2007-12-07 22:37:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋