FW PH question

TinaFoster · Oct 13, 2011

I went on a goldfish care site and this high Ph is not a bad thing. I knew they could tolerate higher Ph but here's a paste from there:

pH should be over 7 (preferably over 7.4). However if your KH (which measures your alkalinity) is low (under 80 PPM) you may see pH swings and if you experience pH drops between waterchanges you should look into increasing your alkalinity (KH) so your pH stays stable. Crushed coral or crushed oystershell added to a high flow area can also be used to increase KH and keep pH stable.
Some hardness (GH) makes for happier fish
So whether you decide to go with african cichlids or goldfish the prep should be the same. High and hard. Just be sure you can keep the Ph buffered up because ph fluctuations kill freshwater fish just like salt fish.
Another good buffer is baking soda. But it's better to do it with substrate/rocks as you don't have to remember to add it or decide how much to add.

SRT80 · Oct 13, 2011

I have a KH test kit. I will test that both from tap and the tank when I get home.

I called AC this morning to see what they thought. At first they thought it might be the PFS, but I told him about the 29 gal. and the bucket I setup. I forgot exactly what he said. But he said the goldfish should be fine....just acclimate them. I think he said to also use a rock salt? My cell phone was kind of breaking up. I will probably head that way this evening or tomorrow and let them test the water and see what they think.

Appreciate the help Tina,
Steve

TinaFoster · Oct 13, 2011

They probably did say rock salt. For cichlids we used a mix of rock salt, epsom salt, and baking soda to keep the ph up and keep the water hard. It works really well. There's never any need to spend on cichlid salt, and buying aquarium salt is much more expensive even than a bag of rock salt when you figure it all out. Just toss a handful into your tank to start up and for large water changes should be enough.

SRT80 · Oct 13, 2011

I just did a KH test.

Straight from the tap, the 72 gal, and the bucket all tested 10 drops which is 10 dKH/179 ppm

Does this help any?

Steve

TinaFoster · Oct 13, 2011

Yeah. It's as full of minerals as if we spiked it with sea salt! I think you're onto the problem . But there should be no quick drop like with CO2, as the minerals are always present. It seems like a good thing in this case. If you were keeping discus, it would be a huge issue. You'd have to RO.

SRT80 · Oct 13, 2011

Ok, so I guess what I will do is, just leave the tank as is maybe another week and keep a test on the PH and KH to see if there are any sudden changes.

Steve