pH levels

[tony]

check your tap water's ph,
(straight out of the tap, aerate it over nite or sit for couple
days to rid of the CO2 to see what is the PH changes)

don't try to change the PH. If you drop the water parameter like
that it would probably stress the fish....

Try larger volume/ more frequent water change to see what happen....

Your tank is probably too small for 2 gold fish in the long run....
Try the more frequent wc and see what happen....

--
Tony

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[tony]

I've forgotten to ask do you vacuum your ugf?
how often do you change water....
PH tends to drop, if it is organic decomposing in the tank though...
other folks know this much better than I do...
good luck....

[Anna Schmidt]

hello,

Hmm... you will probably encounter more problems than that since you're tank
is so small. What type of gravel did you use? Have you decorated with
seashells?...aragonite? or coral? These items can increase the hardness
of the water and subsequently buffer your pH up to 8 and greater. Keep a
close eye on your ammonia levels because at such a high pH ammonia is even
more toxic. You might consider returning your goldfish to the pet store and
getting tropicals instead (although, spoken from experience, 5 gallons is
real difficult unless you are keeping 1 betta in such a small tank).
Otherwise, a 20 gallon set-up is not terribly expensive and would
better house 2 goldfish until they get bigger...which happens rather fast if
they're healthy : )

good luck

[Peter Yung]

Hi,

I have just started raising two goldfishes in a 5 gallon tank. I am
using undergravel filtration, two airstones (one inside the tube and one
on the outside). Also, I am using a immersable pump with floss,
carbon and cotton for biological, chemical and mechanical filtration.
When I started off , the PH of the water was 7.0 to 7.5 , however after
4 days it has shot up to 9.

Can anyone tell me what I can do to control the PH levels of the tank or
how to change the PH levels of the tank?

Will I stress the fish too much by suddenly reducing the PH levels?

Peter

[Maagic]

Get a larger tank. You need at least a 20 gallon tank for 2 goldfish.
Also water conditions are easier to maintain in a larger tank. In the
meanwhile, you can get a pH test kit that usually has pH Up and pH Down
chemicals...

--
-Maagic
aka Bryan Foster
Webmaster of the Rick and Bubba Experience
http://www.rickandbubba.net

[Rod Farlee]

>I have just started raising two goldfishes in a 5 gallon tank...

>Can anyone tell me what I can do to control the PH levels of the
>tank or how to change the PH levels of the tank?

Well water can be supersaturated in carbon dioxide.
Aeration removes it, and the pH rises.

Suggest adding 1/4 level measuring teaspoon of baking soda.
This will raise KH (alkalinity) by 50 ppm, which should lower pH
to 8.4, and stabilize the pH there.
(Note: this won't work in a few areas of the US, such as western
Nebraska, which have highly alkaline well water. There, one needs
to buy a KH test kit and add acid to lower the alkalinity below 200
ppm; pH should then be stable near 8.)
- Rod