PH problem please help

[Louis]

My aquarium is 4 weeks old and running really well. I keep 3 X shortnose dolphins, 3 x elephant noses, 3 x platy, 11 adult guppies (discovered +/- 20 little ones yesterday) and 2 pleco's. They all look really good but i am struggling with my PH. I know what the problem is, i ' ve got 3 x red jasper rocks, 3 x palandaba rocks and a few small bone rocks in the tank and its all playing a part on the PH by pushing it up to about 7.4 - 7.8. How can i lower the PH to 7 without removing the rocks?
I do 20% water changes every week and use all sera's products to prepare the water 3 days in advanced.:eek:

[lithosza]

You might be able to lower it by doing more frequent water changes, but the pH will just go up while the rocks are still in your tank. Maybe you should remove them?

[Louis]

Hi lithosza (http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/member.php?u=274)

Thanks for replying. My setup looks really nice and it would be such a pitty to remove them. Are there any rock out there that i can use? My dolphins loves the caves made from the rocks.

[Henk Hugo]

you must ALWAYS 1st do the acid test on rocks.... put a piece in viniger to see if it reacts. only way to stop this is to remove the rocks

[lithosza]

Are there any rock out there that i can use?

Hi Louis,

There is some nice information about rocks on the Skeptical Aquarist website:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtml

[Louis]

Thanks

[brentnorm]

Neutral Regulator by Seachem is a product that keeps your tank at a neutral 7.0 PH. Not knowing how much the rocks you have in the tank increase your PH means I am unsure of this products effectiveness.

[TyroneGenade]

Louis, why do you want to lower the pH? 7.4--7.8 is an excellent pH. At this pH most ammonia is available to bacteria to convert to nitrite and the bacteria converting nitrite to nitrate can function efficiently. The higher pH means your tank will be more stable so that when you do a water change it won't be a massice shock from acid to neurtral.

In anycase, a 7.8 pH is harmless. a friend in Belgium struggles keeping his pH above 4. After he added a tea spoon tip of calcium carbonate per tank it is at a stable 8-9 and the fish are happier than ever.

You want a stable pH, not a perfect pH. Stop worrying about pH. I have bred everything from guppies to Tanganyikan cichlids without ever using a pH test kit. If the fish are not worrying about pH why are you?

I hope you have soft sandy substrate for those Elephant noses, else they will scrape and scratch their "noses", get infections and die. The softest sand I have ever had in my tanks came from Walker Bay beach in Hermanus.

[lithosza]

I think pH shock is an aquarium mythology.
The only thing that I think really matters is the hardness of the water. Putting a fish from hard water into extremely softer water is a big no-no. The fish will explode :) Not really. Hehe
Just my opinion and a few others also:
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200207/msg00779.html
http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200309/msg00269.html

[TyroneGenade]

Indeed, Lithosza. Killifish, at least, can tolerate pH swings of at least 2 pH units without any problems. My hapless victims of the last 20 years probably also could stand such large pH swings. Your comments on water hardness, or rather total dissolved solids (tds), is the real issue. Generally, if you are messing with your pH you are adding various buffers which are mostly sodium based. These mess with the tds to a dangerous extent. a simple water change can have a rapid and massive effect on the osmoregulation of the fish, causing stress and death. The ammonium/ammonia balance that Wright talks about is also a great concern. This, I believe, is the only real problem with a low pH and sudden water change with alkaline water. His other comments about plants and salt are also kind-of true. I can't grow Java Moss in 1/4 sea water with my Rivulus marmoratus but if I add just a little Epson salts the Java Moss grows. :-)

People would be wise to take Wright's (70+ years worth of) advice.

tt4n

[Louis]

Thank you for all the advice guys. I am new to the hobby and would like everything to be perfect, i know not always possible but i try. Yes thanks tyrone i do have a sandy substract for the elephant noses. I did my research i was just worried about the PH cause most of the local shops told me that its to high??? I've got it running at a solid 7.4 now and will keep it there.

[TyroneGenade]

No offense to the good stores, but the bad stores are more interested in selling consumables than keeping fish healthy. And those same bad stores employ people who know very little about fish or fishtanks.

Stability is more important than perfect conditions. Most fish are tough and adaptable but don't like sudden changes. Do not worry about your pH. Worry about nitrite and nitrate (particularly if you have big fish). Do regular water changes and the fish will be happy.