# High ph!



## Shaon (Jun 27, 2011)

Hi everyone! My tank preparations are almost at an end and I have a few little things to fix up. 

I have a planted 15G tank with an Aquaclear 20 baffled filter. The tank is in the middle of its cycle and progressing well. The only problem is that my High Range test indicates that I have a pH of 7.8! 

Now I've read that pH is not that stressing since Betta fish can adapt to new pH levels. However, I'm worried my plants may be a bit sensitive. Also I plan on getting shrimp which I believe prefer slightly acidic to neutral pH levels. 

I want to bring down my pH to 7.0, any suggestions?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Your pH is fine.....I wouldn't change it both the plants and shrimp will be fine....my pH is well over 8 along with high KH/GH in the 300 area and all fish, plants and inverts are fine....by changing the pH without the proper buffer the pH will rebound and those sudden changes can be deadly......

If you are set on changing your pH I recommend that you also get GH/KH test products to see what the hardness is or buffering and also do a 24h pH degas to find out what the true pH of your source water and this will also give you your CO2 level......


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## Shaon (Jun 27, 2011)

That is reassuring! Are you absolutely certain that a pH of 7.8 will be fine for plants, some shrimp and 1 Betta? I want to be absolutely sure, I don't handle loss of life very well, especially when life is short lived 

On the other hand, it seems like neutralizing the pH comes with its own complications...are the benefits of getting a pH from 7.8 to 7.0 worth the risk that comes with the neutralizing products?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Nothing in life is absolute......I am saying....sudden pH changes can be deadly......unless you have a good understanding of how pH and hardness work in a closed system....I would not recommend changing the pH and hardness especially with chemical additives...do some research......unless you are keeping extremely sensitive species the fish, plants and inverts..they will adjust to your source water without problems as long as the extremes are avoided.....


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## Shaon (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks for the help OFL! I've decided not to mess around with the pH. I'm not equipped nor am I ready to deal with the sudden changes in pH. 

I do not plan on having sensitive species so it shouldn't be a big deal


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

If your tank is cycling, it's actually better for the pH to be giving higher readings. If it drops below 7, the growth of your bacterial colonies will slow and in some cases, can even go dormant. 

If you do want to gradually lower your pH, you can use wood in your tank hardscape. The tannins released will slightly acidify the water and drop the pH. Likewise, Ketapang leaves or the addition of peat in your filter, will also give you similar results.

One of my tanks has an extremely high pH reading because I put in some crushed coral to buffer the pH up (it was stalling my cycle), and forgot to take it out. However, the betta living in there is perfectly fine, and I haven't noticed any ill-effects from not having the 'perfect' pH. 

Whenever I do water changes on established tanks that have a very different pH from my source water (example my Betta coccina tanks sits around 5.0) I usually only do 25% or so water changes so as not to cause huge shifts in pH.


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