# pH 7.6



## snappy (Mar 7, 2012)

I have a new 37 gallon tank. It was cycled over 3 weeks using stress-zyme before i added most of my 10 gallon community: 2 angels, 1 cory and 1 oto. Also added a red tail shark and 2 more corys. 
At times all seems well but a few times a day the corys frantically swim around the tank. Also it seems the redtail will periodically get stressed (particularly in AM when I first turn light on) his color will be washed out and tail faded.
have done several water changes past week. Ammonia was 0.5 ppm and pH was 7.6.
Can't figure why its so high - especially w/ Angels?!

I need to get the pH down right away or can I wait this out?

Thanks.


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## congar15 (Dec 6, 2011)

This tank is quite overstocked, angels need at least triple that and red tail shark i would only keep in a 10g alone and even thats pushing it. Also the ammonia to me is a bigger concern than the ph, so if you remove the 2 angels and the shark and add a couple smaller fish, then the ammonia should go down. The ph is not really that extreme, and once you remove the angels (if you listen to my advice) then the ph wont be bad at all. Good luck!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Ph isn't doing anything to those fish. Their biggest issue is the confined space you have put them in. Put your 2 Angels in your 55g. Never even heard of someone trying a tank that small for Angels unless it was for very short periods during breeding phases.

Whatever you do, don't put in ANY ph products. You'll do nothing but stress them out more.


EDIT - sorry, I see I got the 55g tank from the person that posted above me. You need to take fish back to the store.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

The tank wasn't completely cycled in 3 weeks even usin stress zyme. You need to add ammonia source for it to cycle properly, when you add the fish from the 10 to the tank and then adding more on top of it your cycle started with the rise in ammonia.

The fish are getting stressed because of the ammonia is burning thier gills and such.

PH of 7.6 is fine for the fish you have.


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## snappy (Mar 7, 2012)

Wait - a 37 gallon tank is to small for 2 angel fish? 

I had the pH tested @ the pet shop and it came out 7.0. I have the drops and they had the test strip - not sure which is correct but I won't use any pH products.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

No, just me mis-reading your original post. It does sound like your tank is cycling.


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## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

snappy said:


> Wait - a 37 gallon tank is to small for 2 angel fish?
> 
> I had the pH tested @ the pet shop and it came out 7.0. I have the drops and they had the test strip - not sure which is correct but I won't use any pH products.


I wouldn't even be concerned at ALL about your PH.....the ammonia is the problem. My PH is around 8.0 and I have kept fish very healthy for past 11 yrs on my private well which is normally around 8.0 PH. I tried lowering it once for tetras and only tried that once as they do just fine in the 8.0 PH anyway.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

snappy said:


> I have a new 37 gallon tank. It was cycled over 3 weeks using stress-zyme before i added most of my 10 gallon community: 2 angels, 1 cory and 1 oto. Also added a red tail shark and 2 more corys.
> At times all seems well but a few times a day the corys frantically swim around the tank. Also it seems the redtail will periodically get stressed (particularly in AM when I first turn light on) his color will be washed out and tail faded.
> have done several water changes past week. Ammonia was 0.5 ppm and pH was 7.6.
> Can't figure why its so high - especially w/ Angels?!
> ...


Hello snappy...

Unless you keep rare fish, you don't need to worry about hard or soft water. Most fish adapt to most public water supplies.

Even a trace of ammonia is enough to stress even the hardiest fish. I'd start an aggressive water change routine asap! Every week, remove and replace at least half the tank water. Small water changes are useless and do nothing to stabilize the water chemistry.

Flushing a lot pure, treated water through your tank every week will guarantee no pollutants have time to build in the water and hurt your fish.

B


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## snappy (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I have been doing frequent water changes but only 1/4 tank. I will start changing 1/2 the tank. I'm not overstocked so I must be overfeeding, right?


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## debisbooked (Jan 7, 2012)

BBradbury said:


> Hello snappy...
> 
> Unless you keep rare fish, you don't need to worry about hard or soft water. Most fish adapt to most public water supplies.
> 
> ...


Well said BBradbury!


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## LaurenK (Mar 18, 2012)

Your pH is fine. My tanks pH is at 7.5. You need to get that ammonia down though. Your ammonia should always be at 0 and the same with your nitrite. Since your tank is over stocked it is trying to catch up with the bioload which might be why you see the ammonia increase. Also, having cramped stressed out fish will cause the ammonia to rise. I suggest taking your Angels back to the store or getting them a 55g at least like others have suggested. Your redtail shark, I'd also either take back or get another tank for it. I wouldn't keep him in a 10gal forever but that would be an option for the moment to try and get your tank stable. Once you've done that I wouldn't add anymore fish to your 37 gal until you see the levels are stable. Best of luck with your tank.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

snappy said:


> Thanks for the advice. I have been doing frequent water changes but only 1/4 tank. I will start changing 1/2 the tank. I'm not overstocked so I must be overfeeding, right?


Hello again...

You can feed enough so that a little makes it to the bottom of the tank. You can even do that a couple of times a day, provided you faithfully do your large water changes weekly. You don't necessarily have to vacuum the gravel either. I don't because I have a lot of plants and don't want to damage the plant roots.

You can test your water by simply smelling it. A slight odor is normal considering you have an "unflushed" toilet that your fish and plants live in, but as pollutants build, there's too many for the good bacteria to use and the water will begin to have a stronger odor. You must do large volume water changes every week. That's how you guarantee tank water stability and that's the most important thing for your fish and plants too.

B


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

Don't worry about your ph, worry about the ammonia and such that everyone has been talking about.

I keep rasboras in a 10 gallon and my ph is somewhere between 7.6 and 8.0 and the recommended ph for rasboras is 6.0 - 6.5 and they are all happy and healthy. Unless you keep rare or fish sensitive to water conditions (like discuss) you need not worry about your ph.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Red-tails always loose their color at night. They also tend to get bossy when crowded and may pick on your Angels. As far as your ph problem is concered, check the ph of your tap water. Often the ph of tap water is above 7.5, once CO2 has dissipated.


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