Fish at high pH

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
11
0
0
#1
My water here is ridiculously high for the fish I had been recommended at the local pet shop (barbs, bala sharks, some kind of fancy catfish...)my pH is about 8.4 (out of the tap), total alkalinity is 3.2 miliequivilents/liter, and it is about 26 dH...crazy.
Obviously everything keeps dying, and i can't lower the pH...should I be adding only distilled water (pain with a 46 gallon tank) or switch to cichlids or something?
 

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dattack

Large Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
982
0
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#2
Have you tried some chemicals to lower your pH?  Or do you have a reverse osmosis filter.  They are kinda expensive but you can use that for your own drinking water in addition for your fish.  A unit cost somewhere around 200$.
Looks like you can switch to saltwater tanks though or an african cichlid tank.
 

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
11
0
0
#3
I did try chemicals to lower the tank--they do initially but the pH goes right back up after not even a day.  It's b/c the total alkilinity is so high that the minerals in the water sort of "buffer" the pH and it can't be lowered.  That's why the other options would be to get reverse osmosis (which I was thinking about anyways since I refuse to drink the tap water) or going to Kroger every time I need to do a water change and buy 8 gallons of distilled.  
I had been thinking about saltwater, but have been told (rudely but true) by co-workers that if I can't even keep a freshwater tank to forget the saltwater.  Wouln't I have the same problems in saltwater with the pH?  Plus the fish are more expensive...
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#4
#4

How about going with cichlids then? There are many cichlids that like high pH.
 

Matt Nace

Matt Nace

Superstar Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
1,470
1
38
Pennsylvania
#6
You could use a "tap water purifier" much more effective than a r/o unit.

Just keep a 5 gallon or 10 gallon trashcac with some and mix it with your tap water.

If that doesn't do enough(which it should) inject some Co2 DIY for another point or 2 lower.

Sometimes the junk that builds up in your water heater can add hardness to the water. Try flushing the heater out and see if that helps. If you have any filters in-line of your pipes they may be adding something.

But the tap water purifier is said to work much faster than an R/o unit and is much cheaper. As long as you mix it with your tap you don't need to add anything to the purified water.
 

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