I was redirected by 'Toothless' from the 'Desease and Diagnose' forum to start a new threat here. As my fish was prob stressed out by moving from hospital tank back to main tank, the poor water parameter may make things worse. Or in the way round, the poor water paramter stressed the fish out. Anyway the readings are just ...

The reading are:

Ammonia: 0
NO2 : 0
NO3 : about 10
PH level: 6.4-6.8
KH :3
Gh <3

The PH and KH is far too low than optimum, but I have no idea how to increase to a proper level.

By the way, I am running a bare tank which I believe easier to maintain, but just looks a bit bored.

Any idea to adjust the param?

Thanks!

Here is a link to Dataguru's pH and Kh calculator. You enter the size of your tank, what your current kH is and what you would like it to be and it calculates how much baking soda you need to add to your tank. Then you can enter your beginning kH and ending kH to see how your pH will change. She recommends a minimum of 4.5 dH kH up to 7dh.


Dataguru's KH calculator


Hope this helps. I am still a newbie or would offer you more information. All I can do is direct you to where I get mine!

Thanks Becky.

How big is the tank?

I usually recommend raising pH by about .4 per day using baking soda till you get into the mid to high 7s. Then adding crushed coral or crushed oyster shell to a high water flow area will help maintain pH (and will increase hardness over time). You may have to buffer with baking soda at each partial water change depending on how well buffered your tap water is.

I'd also raise GH as well. Right now, I'm adding calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) to raise GH in my goldie tank, but there's a commercial product called Seachem equlibrium I may try for that. see
http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...00gm-p-136.html

What are the readings from your tap water?

Thanks for your reply.

This morning I tested the water again it was out of the range of my test kit. Mine can test as low as 6.4. but it must be around 6.2 in the morning. Then I rushed to ASDA, one of the largest supermarket in Uk. They dont sell baking soda at all. What they do is 'baking powder' which contains: Disodium diphosphate, Soium hydrogen carbonate. I used it accoring to your chart, the ph climbs a bit to 6.6-6.7. But the problem is the powder cloudy my water. Then I went to a pet shop and got some stuff called Neutraliser which will dissovle in 2 weeks. And I got a block of coral which is said to help increase the pH further to about 7.5.

There is a potential problem that as the powder contains the Disodium diphosphate, it may boost up the algae in my tank.

Anyway I will put my eyes on ph and keep you posted.

Baking powder and baking soda are two different things. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, while baking powder is sodium bicarbonate PLUS cream of tartar (acidifying agent) and starch. I think you should not put baking powder in your tank.

Baking soda is a very common ingredient for baking. I am sure it is available in the UK, it must be identified by some other name. Anybody from the UK have any advice for Happy Oranda in purchasing some baking soda?

OMG, I got wrong stuff.

I hopt the acidifying agent is just microzymen which is a kind of anaerobe. If it is not, I may make things worse. What can I do then? I test the PH tonight, it goes up to about 6.8+ and hopely it will reach 7.0ish tomorrow.

BTW, before I finish post, I have binned the 'Baking Powder'

I'd take a hammer to the coral and break it up into small pieces and then put it in a knee high hose under the outflow of your filter.

Thanks a lot for your advice.

I have hammered the coral into small pieces and keep some of them in a 'basket' (with a lot of wholes on it) in the current near the filter and put a couple of medium blocks (as big as egg) at the corners.

The PH level continues climbing very very slowly, now it is about 6.9-7.0, I am going to search for the baking soda in all supermarket within 5 miles of my house.

By the way, how to use it? Will it cloudy water?

Go to this link and it will tell you how much baking soda to add! Have you found any?

Glad to see the coral is working.
Nope, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) won't cloud the water.