ok.. I am new at this and given my normal run at things I am waiting for something bad to happen. I have had my fishes in my tank for about 4 days. Everything seemed ok but my ph is a little low. I took a sample of my water to the LFS and even had them check it. They said it looks goods but my ph was a little low. not harmful low though (was told last night). They told me to do a 25 percent water change and see how that did. I am doing that now. Just worried cause they tend to stay at the bottom. and one had a *poop* tail but I think that was becuase I was feeding them flakes and swaped to pellets. I am hoping its just the change in diet thats hurting sushi's belly. Anyway i am trying the water change and was told i could buy some treatment to raise the ph too. I am just wondering becuase everything else is low. Any comments questions and concerns are welcome.

P.S. and i promise i am reading the threads on cycling and all that. lol ME NOT SO SMRT!!

Hi BD when you say low ..how low are you talking ..playing with ph should only be done when it's a MUST ...anything STABLE above 7 is good . it might be a good idea to test ph right from the water source as well

It's important to find out the exact parameters when asking a LFS to test your water for you. Oh so many are ignorant about the needs of goldfish and may tell you "pH is too low" to try and get you to buy chemical pH modulators, which IMHO are unnecessary.

You should get your exact parameters for pH-- as well as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate-- to get the full picture on what's going on with your tank's water chemistry. Your own test kit would be a great investment-- most fish problems begin with the water quality, and a drop test kit will allow you to monitor the conditions in your tank.

I bought a test kit and have been testing it. everytihng seems to be good but the ph has been like 6 to 6.5 when I test it. i have finished my water change and they seem happier. suishi is swimming around. vader is a little more active to.

Anything below 7.0 pH is too acidic for goldfish. Do you have a test for kH and gH? If not, it is valuable to have them as they will save you a LOT of trouble if you start having pH problems.

pH can be raised using baking soda. You can read more about pH/kH/gH problems and how to fix them here.

Have you tested your tap water? 7 is neutral and anything below that is acidic, and can start to damage your fish. If your tap pH is higher, you could do a bigger water change to bring the tank pH up.

If your tank is still cycling, this can bring the pH down, especially if your KH is low. If the pH keeps dropping you should test KH too. The "Water problems" section has a good pinned post about pH and KH.

Oops! I posted at the same time as Joy. At least we both said the same thing.

thanks i i will read it. and try to adjust. i will let yall know what happens. I will say they they seem to be happier after the water change. not sitting on the bottom and not gaspsing. but still think i have issues with my water. i will be working on it.

i have been using API aquarium pharmaceuticals 5 in 1 test strips. tests gh, kh, ph, no2 and no3

The test strips are horribly inaccurate. They can seriously mislead you into thinking either your parameters are perfect when they are not, or that your parameters need adjustment when they do not.

I highly recommend getting a drop test kit. API also sells one of them, and they are VERY good (although I haven't seen one that comes with kH/gH-- those are separate buys). They are a good investment; they last longer than strips and will save you time, headaches, and money when dealing with your water parameters.

I would recommend using NutraFin Cycle, Seachem Stability, or a bit of both. Not for the pH issue, these help kick-start the cycle. My 29 tall, bare bottom, with a Fluval 405 was cycled within 2 to 3 weeks and stable now for 7 months or so.

Also look into using crushed coral or limestone if you need agressive constant buffering for the pH. Seachem Neutral Regulator might do the trick when you condition water before changes too - though I have limited experience with it. There's also Buff-it-Up from GoldfishConnection - I think Koko recommends it.

well i just upgraded to an emergency. i posted in the 911 forum. Vader looks bad. i am really worried about him. Both of them actually. we shall see how it goes. keep them in ya prayers