How high is to high ?
- Thread starter MortiferousSoul
- Start date
That is on the high-ER side but from what Ive read fish can acclimate to a higher PH and yes it is best to leave it alone, once you start messing with the PH it seems to cause the other balances to go wonky. Im by no means an expert but I have read afew things about this...what kind of fish do you keep or are wanting to keep?
fish can get used to any pH as long as they dont get tossed from pH 7 to pH 8 all in one shot!
i would ask you lfs what there pH is. that way you know what kind of change the fish will need to adjust too.
you might want to setup a quarantine tank with a pH that closely matches you lfs pH so you can slowly let the pH rise and the fish get accustomed to the higher pH.
but if you lfs has a pH similiar to yours (probably does), shouldn't be much of an issue since the fish will already be used to a high pH
i would ask you lfs what there pH is. that way you know what kind of change the fish will need to adjust too.
you might want to setup a quarantine tank with a pH that closely matches you lfs pH so you can slowly let the pH rise and the fish get accustomed to the higher pH.
but if you lfs has a pH similiar to yours (probably does), shouldn't be much of an issue since the fish will already be used to a high pH
The opposite of what rohnds said is true, at least as far as ammonia is concerned. Low pH makes ammonia less dangerous, high pH makes it very dangerous, because at a high pH more free ammonia is formed as the ammonium ions dissociate into ammonia and water. pH has no effect on nitrite toxicity, or nitrate toxicity as far as I know.
well ive been watching the ammonia closely and doing water changes each time the ammoina hits 1ppm. Which brings me to a question. Ive had my tank for about 2 weeks now. However i still havent seen a trace of nitrites. I bought a plant a couple day ago at the lfs in hopes that maybe it would help bring in some bacteria into the tank but so far nothing. Is it normal for it to take this long for the bacteria to start forming ?
Like everyone's already said, it's safer to leave the high pH than to try to mess with it. Just watch your ammonia and temp levels very carefully. I know you're trying to cycle your tank but with that high pH you're going to have to change your water even more frequenty. I have a tank that's been cycled for nearly a year and suddenly my fish started exhibiting symptoms of ammonia poisoning even tho test results showed none to very miniscule ammounts. It was roundeyez who helped me figure out the problem (thanks again!) I've lowered the temp and added some plants to help with the ammonia and haven't had any more loses.
Stay patient though cuz that cycle might take a couple months with such frequent water changes. Good luck!
Stay patient though cuz that cycle might take a couple months with such frequent water changes. Good luck!
