High pH

K

karen

Guest
I just took a pH reading last night for my nvv tank and it was 7.6 or 7.4.....it's usually around 6.4 - 6.8. What may have caused the pH to rise? I'm doing the same thing as always, removing waste, partial water changes etc. Any ideas?

Also, I know some people here use the dry tabs for reading pH, ammonia levels etc. I'd like to switch over from the liquid kits....can anyone recommend any dry tab kits? Are they more accurate?
 
Hi Karen, I'm not sure which kind are more accurate, but I know that my roommate used to use a 5-in-1 dry tap strip by Jungle that she bought at Wal-Mart.

I don't know much about these, whether or not they are accurate, but she seemed to like them.
 
The strips are known to be inaccurate.
In the USA, people tend to use the dry tab master test kit by Aquarium Pharmaceutucal.

Ed
 
As a tank "ages", the pH tends to decrease over time. I would say that a pH of 7.6 is perfectly OK, but you might want to think if there is anything that might be causing it to shift in this "unusual" direction. It could be that you've done more water changes lately, or perhaps your tap water has changed. Have you added any new shells, sand, rocks, etc to the tank?
 
I did change the gravel/rocks last month - perhaps that's it. As long as 7.6 is not too high I won't worry too much. I'll check the pH again tomorrow and I'll try to find the dry tab kit. Thanks.
 
If any of the gravel you used is any form of limestone, that would explain the shift. Keep an eye on it, you don't want it to get too high.
 
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