Need advice on a pH problem...

[dragongirl413]

Alrighty, here's the problem. I acquired a nice long 20 gal tank for my axie about three months ago and set about getting the tank cycled. I put some of my "impossible to kill" guppies from a breeding stock I have. I started testing the chemical levels a few weeks later and watched as the levels evened out. Ammonia levels read consistently 0ppm and nitrates are well within parameters... Now here comes the weirdness. I test the pH and get a whooping 8.2-8.4 pH reading consistently. I use declorinated tap water for all water changes, so my next step is to test the tap water... It's reading 8.4-8.6!!! I've had my kit for about a year now... Do pH tests go bad? My kit is an API Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test kit. I places some "safe" driftwood I've used in other tanks in the axie tank because I've read it can help safely lower pH levels, and it did lower it so that it is now reading about 8.0 I know this could be better. Little Cronan has been on vacation in the fridge since the pH seemingly spiked, but the "immortal guppies" are still doing just fine in there. Nitrates are between 0 and 5.0ppm and ammonia is 0ppm. Temp is 19.2 degrees Celcius. Any advice? My next step is to find a petstore that will test my water for me to see if there're any discrepancies. Any advice on the situation would be much appreciated.

 

[dragonlady]

hi there,

Yes, test kits can go bad. If you still have the original packaging, there should be an expiration date on there. Having the water tested by your pet shop is a good idea too.

It's not a good idea to try to lower your pH through artificial means. Using pH adjusting chemicals remove the water's natural buffers and the pH will fluctuate during water changes as you attempt to return it to your adjusted level. This can prove very stressful. Axolotls can adjust to a high range of pH and you would be far better off to allow the axolotl to adjust to your natural pH. They are much more sensitive to chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia so use a really good dechlorinator and you should be fine.

 

[dragongirl413]

Thanks for the speedy reply Are you saying taking the driftwood out would be a good idea? And is the standard letting the water sit for 24 hours before putting it in the tank equivalent to using a good dechlorinator, as that is what I'm doing now? I'll see if i can track down that expiration date asap. Thanks for the response!

 

[blackdog]

I'm guilty of using a chemical ph down.

Maybe not so bad for me as the tap water is about 7.6, so not toooooooo high.

My tank seems to have settled on about 7.2 i havent adjusted the ph mannually for ages now thw water changes are smaller and less often

if you do use a chemical ph down, then i'd just suggest doing it ever so little by little

B

 

[Jennewt]

One other comment about the pH test... I believe that pH 8 is roughly the upper limit of what it can test. To get an accurate pH reading in that range, you'd also need a "high range" pH test kit. My tap water also tests at the upper end of the pH range, but it tests on the very bottom of the range for the "high range" test. Which is reassuring.

I would say leave the drift wood there. A pH of 8.0 is perfectly OK, just go with it. Be sure to equilibrate the axie gradually to the new water by adding tank water a few cups at a time to the water he is currently living in. It will be fine.

 

[dragongirl413]

I have been using a high range pH test, whether it's still good remains to be seen... Thanks for the tip on adding the tank water gradually to the water he's in now. I'm going to move him in once I get the water tested at an aquarium store. Thanks all!

 

[morphyrichards]

And is the standard letting the water sit for 24 hours before putting it in the tank equivalent to using a good dechlorinator

Not really. Chlorine evaporates from tap water over a few hours but most water companies no longer use it and instead have changed to using chloramines which have the same effect but don't evaporate and will still be there after "aging". You have to use dechloriator to make it safe.

 

[Jennewt]

Not really. Chlorine evaporates from tap water over a few hours but most water companies no longer use it and instead have changed to using chloramines which have the same effect but don't evaporate and will still be there after "aging". You have to use dechloriator to make it safe.

Right. You need to know for sure if your tap water contains chlorine versus chloramine. There is some info on this in the CC FAQ. I would also mention that chlorine doesn't vanish from tap water as quickly as most people think. At cool temperatures, it's still there after more than a week of sitting.

 

[Crysta]

Agreed jennewt, simple test would prove it, anything sitting below room temp takes a while longer than 24 hours.

I'd also like to add there are harmful metals in most tap water, which de-chlorination usually also gets rid of.