# Raising pH naturally



## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

So, I've been having some pH problems. It barely registers 6.0, if I'm lucky, using the API Freshwater Master test kit. I'm doing PWC every several days (3-4), though the fish have stopped eating, so I've stopped feeding them since the food sits and just makes everything worse. I've lost a few. (I have glofish and corys in the tank). 

So, I tested the source of my water (filtered tap water), and it turns out that it's low-same as my tank. But, unfiltered is 8.0-8.2, with the other parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) at perfect levels. I treat with AmQuel+ and stress coat. 

I did about a 35-40% water change with the unfiltered water this morning, hoping it would bring the pH up a bit, but it hasn't. I'd like to try and bring the pH up naturally, and have read about using crushed corals to do so. What I can't find is if I'm supposed to use live coral or dead. 

Has anyone tried the coral technique in a freshwater tank, and if so, did you use live or dead coral and how did it go?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

How long has the tank been running and what are the water parameters?

A Ph level of 6.0 is not bad for the fish listed as it is in the range fishe will adapt to it. The fluctuation of the Ph trying to fix it will do more harm than good.

Depending on your levels, there may be something else affecting the fish .


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

WildForFish said:


> How long has the tank been running and what are the water parameters?
> 
> A Ph level of 6.0 is not bad for the fish listed as it is in the range fishe will adapt to it. The fluctuation of the Ph trying to fix it will do more harm than good.
> 
> Depending on your levels, there may be something else affecting the fish .


The tank has been up and running since about July/August. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all 0. 

The pH used to level out at about 7.8 up until the last couple of weeks. I would keep it where it's at, but it's the only thing I can find that's changed that might explain them not eating. Unless it's something else I can't find.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

wolflover326 said:


> The tank has been up and running since about July/August. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all 0.
> 
> The pH used to level out at about 7.8 up until the last couple of weeks. I would keep it where it's at, but it's the only thing I can find that's changed that might explain them not eating. Unless it's something else I can't find.



ok, the levels are _showing_ the tank is not cycled, slightly odd as you would think you would have some type of reading for a tank running for 6 months. Some thing is very off.

May I ask why you are using the AmQuel+ and stress coat together?. It appears the AmQuel interferes with the cycle process. There is no need to use the stress coat as you are not treating injured fish, the extra build up of slime coat is not good. 

I would suggest stopping both the AmQuel+ and the stress coat, replacing with a general declor and use Tetra SafeStart (a suggestion by TOS) to jump start a normal cycle for the benefit of the fish.

Leave the Ph as is for the moment as trying to fix it may be more detrimental to the fish.


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

Are you using water straight from the tap or are you heating and aerating it in a container before you use it?

If your nitrates are 0 something ain't right. IMHO Stress Coat is snake oil.


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

WildForFish said:


> ok, the levels are _showing_ the tank is not cycled, slightly odd as you would think you would have some type of reading for a tank running for 6 months. Some thing is very off.
> 
> May I ask why you are using the AmQuel+ and stress coat together?. It appears the AmQuel interferes with the cycle process. There is no need to use the stress coat as you are not treating injured fish, the extra build up of slime coat is not good.
> 
> ...


Have I been using the AmQuel+ too much? I was originally using it to dechlorinate the water, and figured the added benefit of it taking care of any ammonia, nitrites and nitrates would be good.  And the stress coat, I followed the directions, adding when I added new water. 



LizStreithorst said:


> Are you using water straight from the tap or are you heating and aerating it in a container before you use it?
> 
> If your nitrates are 0 something ain't right. IMHO Stress Coat is snake oil.


I thought ammonia and nitrites should be 0, and for nitrates, anything under 40 was good. 

I was using filtered water, not heating since it didn't seem to throw off the temp of the original water (stays about 72 degrees). I don't aerate it, either, though they have one in the tank, especially since the AmQuel can alter the oxygen in the water. 

I kinda want to scream at myself.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

If you don't have chloramine in your tap water all you need is a simple dechlorinator. Easiest way to determine that is to use a simple dechlor then test for ammonia, assuming you don't show any right out of the tap. If you have chloramine in the water the dechlor will release the ammonia, and you'll need to ise Prime to treat your tap water.
Amquel doesn't remove ammonia, it just binds it up chemically. If you want to buffer the pH in your tank coral will work, either a large chunk or a handful of crushed.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

well ; i'm gonna stick my nose in here....i am certainly no expert in this stuff but i have my #1 rule for this.......

" The more you mess around with your tanks ; the more problems you create for yourself."

first you are running your water through what kind of filter i do not know...sounds like an RO or RO/DI of some sort..that will screw things up..
next , you are treating with Amquel+ and Stresscoat...let's start with the amquel.....if you do not have high ammonia readings you don't need it...it will just screw things up....as for the Stresscoat...OMG....
the primary function of stresscoat is to promote the production of the fish's bodyslime...but if your fish are healthy they already have plenty of slime coat...adding stresscoat will just screw things up...

SO............................................

put all the chemicals on the shelf..go to your local fish store and buy a bottle of "DECHLOR" made by WECO...1 drop per gallon will remove chlorine...2 drops per gallon to remove chloramines..(if you have them)...this is all you need.....

SO........ use the unfiltered water for the tank..(even though a PH of 6.0 or so is great for the fish you have)
put away the chems...just use the dechlor...

something else to think about.....all that stuff you are doing and adding is giving you false parameter readings....

try this for a week or 2 and see how things are then....


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I second TOS. Filtered, especially RO filtered water has nothing much left in it. No salts to buffer the water. No trace elements the fish need. If you continue using it you will have to add back in what you've taken out. There are products for this like replenish and equilibrium or you can do it yourself, but unless you live in Flint, I'd try the tap water with dechlor.

As to the substrate, dolomite, crushed dead coral, cuttle bone, egg shells, will get the pH up. But I would try at least blending in tap water. Try doing water changes with 50/50 and see what happens.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

There's not much more for me to add, but I will say that if your pH used to stay around 7.8 and recently plunged to 6.0, then your water has likely lost it's alkalinity, which is the ability to maintain it's pH. If you have 0 everything, then a lot of bacterial action has taken place in your tank, and that eats up alkalinity and drops the pH.

Before you go messing around with crushed coral gravel, which will send your pH up into the mid-8's, I'd suggest making water changes with water that's straight from the faucet, unfiltered. That pH will be higher and have some alkalinity to it which will help it stay where you want it. It also has minerals that feed the plants.

You don't want your fish to swim in water that's too pure anyway. Osmosis will suck the life right out of them.

AmQuel is generally not something that you should use. It has it's time & place, but this isn't it.


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

Thank you all such much for your advice!!

I'll definitely stop using the AmQuel and stress coat, and start using the tap water.

The locally-owned fish store I went to close down :-( so I went to PetSupermarket, but the only thing they had as a dechlorinator was stress coat or some off brand of the same thing, so I didn't end up getting anything. I'll try PetSmart in a couple days.

I've already seen a change in the fish, in a positive direction. I fed the catfish last night and they ate up their waffers. I'm going to try feeding the glofish a little bit tonight, since they seemed to want to pick at the waffers. One of glofish looked like he was going to die over the weekend, but today he's swimming around like nothing happened. 

What's the proper temp for these fish? It stays naturally at about 73 degrees, but the guys at the fish store said they should be at about 76.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

76* for the Glofish

Which species of cory do you keep? Depending on the specie the temp can vary.


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

Albino Cory


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

you can get dechlor on ebay.....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WECO-DECLOR...hash=item1a01244d74:m:m1WneAtaSTvTk7fzaNQOi8A


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

wolflover326 said:


> Albino Cory


ok 76*-77* is the max for them, I would bring the temp up to at least 76*.


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

WildForFish said:


> ok 76*-77* is the max for them, I would bring the temp up to at least 76*.


I agree. Temp you have them at is too low.

I get my dechor from Ken's It's cheap as dirt. I understand that you can buy a 50 lb bag for next to nothing from Sears but I prefer it all measured up for me and not have a 50 lb. bag to bother finding a place to store. http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/water-treatments/sodium-thiosulfate.html


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

I'll be ordering that dechlor today, and I'll add the heater in to raise the temp, thanks so much! 

I did another water test, and I'm getting some readings. 

pH remains unchanged at 6.0, though since it seems that's the proper pH, I'm not so concerned with getting it back up to where it was. 

Ammonia raised to 0.50ppm.

Nitrites remain at 0. 

Nitrates raised to 5-10ppm. 

Is this the rank recycling itself? The last water change I did was on Saturday. Should I do another, without adding chemicals?


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Good to see things are on the right track! Your cycle is about midway?

The Ph should even out with regular water changes, not cause for worry at the moment.

I would do partial water changes to get the ammonia level down a bit and continue to do so since the cycle had a funky beginning.

Always use the declor with water changes but in this instance with the partial w/c you can wait until you get the declor and are doing full changes.


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

WildForFish said:


> Good to see things are on the right track! Your cycle is about midway?
> 
> The Ph should even out with regular water changes, not cause for worry at the moment.
> 
> ...


What if I don't have a dechlor? I'm ordering it today, but it's being shipped.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

wolflover326 said:


> What if I don't have a dechlor? I'm ordering it today, but it's being shipped.


 added the info to previous post


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## wolflover326 (Feb 10, 2015)

WildForFish said:


> added the info to previous post


Thank you!


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