PH

I just tested my tank water and found that the pH is too acidic. do the pH fixing products they sell at pet stores actually work? if so, what brand would you recommend? andddd, what could be causing the water to be more acidic? (i did just install a new filter). all my other parameters are perfect.

thanks for all your help!

What is your pH? Axolotls are pretty tolerant of a wide range of pH, and it's not usually something that needs to be fussed with. Do you have numbers for the rest of your parameters?

PH adjusting products aren't recommended, as they can cause wide swings in water parameters, and this is more dangerous than something that is slightly less than ideal. If your pH is quite acidic, you can raise it with crushed coral in a stocking, stuffed in your filter or hung in your tank near the filter.

its around 6 and have a P.labiatus.
nitrites are 0
nitrates are 0
chlorine 0
i have very hard water and the alkalinity is very very low as well.


do you think i should add the coral?

Nitrate reading of 0 is suspect. You need to be testing ammonia first, then nitrite, these need to be 0 ideally, then nitrate. The basic principle is: your filter bacteria convert ammonia from poop and leftover food etc, into nitrite and finally into less harmful nitrate. Your weekly 20% water changes then dilute the nitrate to safe levels. Nitrate levels of 0 suggest that you do not have this process going. This can affect your pH. pH is less important than clearing up the ammonia.


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the test i use only show in increments of 20 ppm for nitrate so its hard to determine exactly what it is. so really it could be anywhere between 0-5 i'd say, judging by the color. and the process might not be perfect right now because all i have are the bacteria on surfaces in my tank, since i just got a new filter. so what should i do? let the process run its course or intervene and put the coral in?

I would be more concerned about the ammonia levels, but then my experience is more with fish that like slightly acidic conditions. My little juvenile axies are still without filters. I manage the water quality with high water volume per axie biomass, clumps of Java moss mopping up some of the ammonia (in theory), clearing up waste with a turkey baster after feeding and 50% water changes every two days. My water is soft and slightly acidic so I would also be interested in responses to your query. I have one tank where the Java fern is tied to a seashell. Might test the pH tomorrow just to see if there is any difference.

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My apologies. I'm used to dealing with axies, and just assumed!

Tanks will naturally acidify over time, so if your tap water is on the acidic side, the situation isn't likely to rectify itself.

I tested the pH of the two tanks. The one without the shell was at pH 7 and the one with the shell 7.2 presumably because of the shell. The shell has been in the tank for about 3 weeks and I am doing 50% water changes every other day. I have shells in with my endlers to raise the pH, and bogwood with most of my other fish to lower it. I have been known to chuck in the odd tea bag to lower pH. My water is very soft so the pH could potentially go up and down a lot, so I really need to keep on top of water quality and I know soft water is not ideal for axolotls (hence the shell experiment). At the moment just keeping a close eye on my juveniles (who are looking great and growing well - so far). Just off to do an ammonia test on a random axie tank.



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yeah, the acidity is just getting worse, so i will get the crushed coral tomorrow /:

just an update, the crushed coral did wonders. thank you for your advice!