Regular Member sasha Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 the ph out my tap is 7.4 . but out of the tank it is 8.2 this is worrying me as what can i do to even it out could this be causing my fish stress and causing the white stringy poop someone before has asked if i have coral in my tank but no i have an airstone, 2 bridges, soft fern artificial plants, gravel, and an anarchis plant what would be causing my ph to be so high in the tank i also use prime but i didnt think that made a difference please help 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 I have 7.4 out of tap and 8.4 in tank. I age my water in a tub with an airstone for 5hrs. The pH is equal by then. Usually lower tap pH is caused by all the gasses in it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 I have the exact same pH situation in my tank. The reason is because the water out of the tap is under pressure and contains more gasses. As the water sits in the tank, the gasses (mainly CO2) evaporate from the water and allow the pH to rise. A pH of 8.2 is not a problem at all, but you do have to make sure it's stable. You have two options here: 1. Get a plastic or glass container in which you can "age" the water with an airstone. It normally takes around 6-8 hours (but less time for a smaller volume of water) for the pH to match the tank, and then you can use that water to fill your tank during a water change. This way you can still do really large water changes. 2. When you do a 50% water change, remove half of the water, then refill only to 3/4 of the way. After a few hours, refill the tank all the way. If I remember correctly, you have a 10 gallon tank with one goldfish, right? In that case, I think option 1 would be better, because option 2 only works well in a larger tank. I do option two, but that's because I have a 75 gallon tank, so even when it's halfway full the fish still have plenty of space to swim. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 22, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 oh hello and thanks i did do a little test the other week and i left a bowl of water to age for 24 hours and the ph was up at 8.2 .but i didnt use an airstone in it. so i will do that in future . i have 2 big buckets to do that too. so could that be the cause of the stress do you think oh and i made the gel yesterday and he seems to like it. lol i also have ordered sinking pellets saki hiraki lionhead, so hopefully things will improve vdry soon i do worry you know lol 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 Yes, I think the pH swings when you do water changes could have been causing some stress. Glad he likes the gel food! I was so proud of my "cooking" skills when my fish liked my gel food 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 22, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 lol im opposite i love to cook you guys have been so brilliant ,i want to say a big thank you to you. x ive been on some other sites and when i was looking for help. they were very abrupt and patronising and it scared me. lol i wish id found this place sooner xx ps how do i know if my fish is a girl or boy lol 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 Aw I'm glad you're happy with Koko's! We pretty much all love it here The girls will have a white nub kind of protruding from the vent (anus), while the males have an "innie" vent. Also males will get white breeding stars, which are white bumps on their gill covers and pectoral fins. Here's an example of the "nub" on a female: And here's breeding stars on a male: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 22, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 oh wow il have a look soon lo thanks again 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 i did do a little test the other week and i left a bowl of water to age for 24 hours and the ph was up at 8.2 .but i didnt use an airstone in it. the airstone is just helpful to accelerate the process and prevent bacterial buildup from stagnant water 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 Hey Sumer, I'm sure you know this already, but I just wanted to add just in case... make sure the buckets you use for aging are clean with no soap or chemical residue in them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 22, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 (edited) ooh i never thought of that . i might get another airstone then , or what if i stir the water now and again. i should still add my prime though for the amonia and nittrite to help make it less toxic. ooh yes i bought them new and i rinsed them in hot water, ive never had detergents in them thanks again Edited November 22, 2010 by sumer 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 22, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2010 yup I add my prime when I add the aged water to the tank as well. when the aging buckets start to get slimy I usually rinse them out with some white vinegar - works fine. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 hi well i left the water to age for just over 24 hours and it still was 7.4 ,and its still 8.2 in the tank any more idea guys thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 That is strange. How many gallons were you trying to age, and did you use an airstone? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 very strange... anything in the tank that would get it more alkaline? Like shells, driftwood... hmmm... Do you by chance know your KH and GH? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 no i dont know the kh or gh i changed the water at 11am and by 130 pm it was reading 8.2 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 How many gallons were you trying to age, and did you use an airstone? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 ive got 2x 3 gallon buckets but i didnt put an airstone in them 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 i have no driftwood or shells just the 2 bridges ,airstone, soft artificial fern plants , and an anarchis plant 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 It's probably because you didn't put the airstone - so the gasses didn't evaporate 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 ooh i only have the one airstone and that in the tank i will see what money i have spare and get another for the buckets thanks again 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 yea so probably the one in the tank plus the agitation from your filter is what helps the pH change so fast 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 (edited) ooh thanks for your help x can i just use an air pump, does it have to have the airstone on too,thanks Edited November 24, 2010 by sumer 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted November 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 you mean just the tube? sure thats fine. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sasha Posted November 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 24, 2010 yes just the pump witht the tube attached into the water 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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