Low PH question

[sweetrld]

We have a 20 gallon fish tank that my husband usually takes care of, but he has not been able to fix this problem that we've had and our fish are dying. We have several fish in the tank, 2 of which were kissing fish. About a week and a half ago, one of the kissing fish died and the others didn't look so good either, so we got some water testing strips from the pet store (just a cheap kit...) and it said that the PH level was low. So, my husband bought some chemicals to raise the PH levels. He used the chemicals all last week, following the directions and the PH levels never went up. Meanwhile, more fish started to pass away and I was worried because he pretty much put the whole bottle in the tank over the course of a week. We did a 20% water change and the PH levels sort of raised a little, but then went back down. The fish that are left still look sick. They sit on the bottom of the tank and sometimes swim sideways and now their scales look red. Kind of like they are scratched up.

2 questions:

How can we higher the PH levels without further harming our fish?

Could the fish be sick from something else, or do you think this is all because of low PH?

TIA

 

[Igor The Cat]

you shouldnt EVER use chemicals to modifiy your ph, a stable ph is much better than the optimum ph (which is different for all fish anyway) so it sounds like something different, or that the chemicals caused other problems like they ususally do.

cheers

-Java

 

[Seleya]

How large is this tank? Did you also test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Do you use a dechlorinator/"water conditioner" -- what kind? How long has this tank been set up? When is the last time the filter media was replaced? What is in this tank?

 

[sweetrld]

It's a 20 Gallon tank and it's been set up for over a year. The filters were changed about 2 weeks before the fish got sick. We tested for everything else, and the only thing that was off was the PH. We have not changed anything in out routine. When we do water changes, we always fill up 3 buckets of water 3-4 days in advance before adding it to the tank. We do not use chemicals for this. Like I said, we've done this routine for over a year and we've never had problems until now. Many of our fish have passed. All we have left is one kissing fish, 2 tigger barbs and 2 catfish.

 

[Rush07]

I don't think that low pH would kill the fish. My tanks usually run about 6.2 and hold very constant and I have not had any problems. If all of the other parameters are in check you may have some type of parasite. You said that the they look a little red and cut up. I would try and match their appearance to pictures or descriptions on a site listing disease types.

FAQ: Diseases
Tropical fish Diseases, causes cures and prevention

 

[Igor The Cat]

yeah youd have to have a wicked low ph (<4) to cause any problems...

cheers

-Java

 

[sweetrld]

Thanks, I'll check it out to see if it could be a disease. I thought that they may be turning red from the PH chemicals that my husband added.

 

[Seleya]

You don't use dechlor in your water? You may wish to contact the water dept and ask if they've been working on the lines in your area, switched to an alternate source or are they now using chloramine. Does the water taste funny? Smell different?

You changed your filter 2 weeks before this happened -- are you sure there is NO ammonia in your tank? Red streaks could be from ammonia poisoning.

 

[echoofformless]

Okay several issues here.

You are definitely overstocking that tank. For instance kissing gouramis require pretty much a 20g tank each. And you have others living in there...already a recipe for difficulty.

Next you need to be aware of things like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Keeping your tank properly in cycle is probably the most important aspect of the entire operation.

You should be adding a water conditioner to dechlorinate and detoxify your tap water unless you are testing it for things like chlorine, ammonia, etc before adding it to the tank. You do say that this routine has maintained your tank for a year or so, thus I wouldn't concern myself too heavily on it. But still...it's always best to add some treatment to the water to make complete certainty.




Now questions - what exactly do you mean by "changing" the filters? That can affect your beneficial bacteria. An ammonia and nitrite test will show if that is the culprit.

Did you quarantine the new fish? They could have carried some nasties with them from the store.

 

[Illyria]

Water does naturally declorinate itself over time. When it is let to set for some time. Three to four days might not be enough time for the water to fully declorinate. Your fish might be reacting to pollutents in that water. It is generally a safe idea to have a separate quaranteen tank, with only your heater, air pump, filter, thermometer, etc.. No living creatures. Then you can monitor them for around ten days or thereabouts to check for abnormalities. You didn't write if you introduced new fish to your established environment, disease might be a problem also if you recently obtained new fish. I don't understand how your PH could be a lethal problem. That might be the least of your problems.

 

[echoofformless]

Water will dechlorinate itself...but it will not dechloramine itself.

Many water suppliers now use chloramine - a chemical bond of chlorine and ammonia. That does not evaporate and requires treatment to break the bond and make the water safe for fishies.

 

[Illyria]

Thanks for reminding me of that. I know when Chloramine passes through fishes gills and reaches their bloodstream it reduces the amount of oxygen they receive. They just might be suffocating.

 

[echoofformless]

Yeah I probably would have forgotten as well if I didn't live in Philadelphia. Our tap water smells like a swimming pool laced with ammonia! haha