LOW PH

[helen]

Hi There, Petal's water PH is sitting at 6.6
it is only a new tank 1/2 weeks old. The tank is 2ft long and Im changing water 20-30% each day.
Any suggestions to raise the PH would be greatly
appreciated.

 

[cheryl]

Add shell grit in a stocking. I think sea shells do the same thing, as does limestone.

 

[jennifer]

A pH of 6.6 is so close to "perfect" I would say don't mess with it. If it drops over time (which will happen if you have soft water), then think about adding some form of calcium carbonate, as Cherly suggests.

Are you also testing for ammonia and nitrite? Those are more of a concern in a new setup. Good luck to you and Petal.

 

[helen]

Thanks, Yes I read that from previous posts, I was trying to rush the process, not too fast to create mayhem but anyway Ive placed a tablespoon of grit into corner filter on top of charcoal and under wool so Ill keep testing,
Thanks, Helen

 

[helen]

Thanks Jennifer, Ive been using preventative measures to control amonia with the water conditioning liquids which are added to new water when I do daily 30% changes.I am going to buy a master test kit tommorrow to test these levels, Petal looks fantastic & fighting fit so I hope its fine. Ive been sucking up her leftover pellets and poos with turkey baster to try to avoid amonia buildup as well.

 

[sharn]

good on ya for spot cleaning!

i would remove the charcoal, its normally only used to absorb meds but if used constantly it can mask smells etc that are problems you want to fix, not hide. also if not replaced often it leaches the nasty stuff it absorbed back into the tank. id replace that with some nice bio rings or some more filter wool/sponge. just my opinion though

 

[helen]

Thanks Sharn, Being a Newbie I thought that charcoal was necessary for correct functioning of the filter process. I have lots of wool so ill take out charcoal and place just the wool in, I fed petal her heart strips tonite and she had her front hand om my finger for balance to stand up on her back legs, so cute, she watches me and turns her head to watch me walk around the tank.

 

[helen]

I forgot to mention that I tried to buy a master test kit so I can test ammonia ,nitrate etc today and the woman in the petshop said "Ive been here for 10 years now and noone has ever asked me for a kit to test ammonia levels " She wanted to try and make me feel like I was being overly protective of my axie. So I shrugged it off and let it go quietly confident that she dosent have a clue! I will buy one online. In the interim I will get the girls in the Aquarium shop to test for me. Their master kits are very pricey.}

 

[sharn]

not to worry, its a learning process once you find people that actually know that a axolotl isnt a fish lol. most LFS (local fish shops) hire staff and its not necessary for them to know much, they just have to sell lots, some shops are good but 95% arent sadly. the fact that she has been there for '10 years' and noone has asked her for test kits for that (ammonia is the number one killer in tanks says my test kit) amazes me and i think that 10 years might be 10 days lol.

yes buying online is often alot cheaper, i think master kits go for something like 50 bucks online compared to 90 in the shops over here so definatly a big save

 

[jojo]

Definately better to shop online for your test kit..
I bought mine brand new for $40, off Ebay.
It pays to buy online

Especially for the test kits, they are SO EXPENSIVE in the shops.