8.6 pH!

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Aimee

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Today I bought a new pH test. The one I had before was the dip strips and was really hard to read accurately so I finally decided for a more accurate drop test kit. My tap water tested at 7.8 but my axie tank tested at 8.6! Also, the measurement limit of the kit is to 8.6 so the pH of his tank may even be higher than that! He's acting fine and no changes in water chemistry so I'm inclined to think that his tank has always been this way and I'm just now seeing it due to a more accurate test. His substrate is small river rock I bought at a pet store and is the only cause that I can think of...though this has been his substrate for the past 4 years.

He's eating and acting like his silly self...but I was just wondering if any of the experts out there think I should be worried about this pH level? I have a smaller tank that I keep feeder fish in with no substrate and it's pH is 7.8. Any thoughts?

thanks! :happy:
 
The acceptable range for pH in axolotls is 6.5-8.0. The higher it is above 8 the more toxic ammonia becomes.
 
Yeah...His ammonia and nitrite/ate lvls have been pretty stable over the past four years. Do you think its the substrate? What do you think I should do?
 
How often should I do a water change? Do you think I need to do one every day? I do about a 30-40% water change once a month and last night I did about a 20% water change and the high pH didn't change.

Do you think I should change my substrate for good measure?

Thanks for the input!
 
You will need to do frequent 20% changes (every day or two) for a couple of weeks before you'll see an effect on pH. I really doubt that river rock could cause this problem. You're sure you don't have any shells or other kinds of rocks in there?

Since the axie is looking and acting normal, I wouldn't worry too much about this. You might want to invest in a "high range" pH test kit, as this will give you a more accurate reading in the range you have. The pH might not be as high as you think, as kits are rarely accurate at the edge of their range.
 
Aimee said:
How often should I do a water change? Do you think I need to do one every day? I do about a 30-40% water change once a month and last night I did about a 20% water change and the high pH didn't change.

Do you think I should change my substrate for good measure?

Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

As a general rule, I would advise doing a water change more than once a month - the standard seems to removing 20% once a week. If you're changing 30-40% only once a month, I would expect ammonia etc to be quite high by the end of the month.

Zoe x
 
The kit I have says its "high range" and goes up to 8.6...the company is Red Sea. Do you know of another one that might read even higher?

Also, I'm pretty sure now that the rock is to blame for the pH. I set up a new tank last night and used some water from and substrate from my axie's tank. I used about 20% of Sushi's water and a handful of his rocks. I filled up the rest of the tank with fresh water. After letting the tank sit for about an hour it tested at 7.6 for the pH. This morning I tested it again and it had risen to 8.6 like Sushi's. If the high pH of that 20% of water I used was to blame, I think the pH of the whole tank would have risen right away. So it seems to me that the rocks sitting in there all night is the cause. If anyone disagrees please say so and correct me.

Since his behavior hasn't changed at all, I guess my only worry is how this pH might affect his lifespan. I'm going to take the rocks out and start doing small water changes every other day as suggested and see what happens.

Thanks all for your suggestions and input. I really appreciate it!
 
Aimee said:
How often should I do a water change? Do you think I need to do one every day? I do about a 30-40% water change once a month and last night I did about a 20% water change and the high pH didn't change.

Do you think I should change my substrate for good measure?

Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

Depends on what you are using for substrate...

Jennewt said:
You will need to do frequent 20% changes (every day or two) for a couple of weeks before you'll see an effect on pH. I really doubt that river rock could cause this problem. You're sure you don't have any shells or other kinds of rocks in there?

Since the axie is looking and acting normal, I wouldn't worry too much about this. You might want to invest in a "high range" pH test kit, as this will give you a more accurate reading in the range you have. The pH might not be as high as you think, as kits are rarely accurate at the edge of their range.
Click to expand...

Jen has nailed this on the head. I personally recommend API brand test reagents, However they do not have a suitable high range test available. Kordon's has a high range kit that goes up to 9.5. This one will probably suit you better. There are also many industrial test kits available that have high end ranges, however they can be pricey.

Aimee said:
The kit I have says its "high range" and goes up to 8.6...the company is Red Sea. Do you know of another one that might read even higher?

Also, I'm pretty sure now that the rock is to blame for the pH. I set up a new tank last night and used some water from and substrate from my axie's tank. I used about 20% of Sushi's water and a handful of his rocks. I filled up the rest of the tank with fresh water. After letting the tank sit for about an hour it tested at 7.6 for the pH. This morning I tested it again and it had risen to 8.6 like Sushi's. If the high pH of that 20% of water I used was to blame, I think the pH of the whole tank would have risen right away. So it seems to me that the rocks sitting in there all night is the cause. If anyone disagrees please say so and correct me.

Since his behavior hasn't changed at all, I guess my only worry is how this pH might affect his lifespan. I'm going to take the rocks out and start doing small water changes every other day as suggested and see what happens.

Thanks all for your suggestions and input. I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Eureka! Sounds like you have been doing you homework!
Limestone or Calcite crystal rock?
 
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