# inability to get a nuertal ph



## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

i have an interesting dilemma. i just started a soil based planted tank about a few weeks ago. i used RO water that i got from the water store, but my ph is still at 7.2 after several weeks. shouldn't my ph be around 7? whats causing the high ph even though i'm using RO water which has a ph of 6.8. how do i get it to be nuetral 7.0


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

There different ways of adjusting the pH up or down, but why you you want to change it from it's natural level?


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

my tank is full of cory catfish i have many different types. my tank is 60 gallon. i read that to keep cories healthy they need a nuetral ph ...is this true?


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

I've never heard that. I started with four Emerald Corys now I have about 30 in three different tanks and they seem to be happy, judging from all the eggs that they lay My pH is 6 and my water is very soft.


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

hi veloth, thanks for taking your time to answer my questions its much appreciated. my panda cories just laid about 6 eggs. since you have cories maybe you can answer another one of my questions. some of the eggs looks clear while some look white. the lfs guy says that they white ones have not been fertilized.. is this true. also the same lfs guy sold me this stuff called methylene blue and told me to use it. he said it prevents fungus. but i did some research and theres nothing about the stuff being safe for plants fish or adult cories.. do you know anything else that might be of use to me?


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

The lfs guy was correct about the coloration difference. I've read somewhere about the Methylene Blue, but I've never used it. When the eggs get a fuzz on the I just remove them. Do you plan on moving the eggs to another tank to hatch or are you going to let nature run it's course? Do you have any other in the tank?


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

well right now i moved the eggs to one of those plastic breedimg containers that sort float. i used to put the ablino cory eggs in a breeder net that hangs from the side. those were pretty good but once the eggs hatch they all died bc the guppies were biting through the net and killing the fry. or at least thats what i think. bc one day i had about 10 fry swimming the next day they all disappeared. curiosly i took the whole breeding net apart and saw what looked like fry remains. then i read somewhere that plastic containers would protect them better but were more susceptible to fungus at the bottom of the container hence the use of methylene blue. i sure hope it dosen't kill the plants or shrimp or my other fish. i usually get good results if i keep the eggs in the same tank water. thats if the guppies or dwarf loaches don't nibble at the eggs


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I think the net breeder is better. You are probably right about the guppies biting through the net and eating them. To prevent this I have taken a milk carton and using the flat side cut a rectangle to match the exact size of the bottom of the net breeder. Put this in before you stretch it over the frame and you will have a bottom. This prevents anything from trying to eat them. It works great. This is better because you still the the great water flow through all the sides.

Good luck with your eggs. It's pretty exciting!


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

hey tex gal, its nice to hear from you. i saw the pictures of your 125 gallon tank from the other threads. its absolutely gorgeous. i hope my tank will look that good one day. its really hard for me to invest a lot of time for my tanks. with the responsibilties of a full time job...50+hours a week. its really hard to focus on a tank. thats why i was kind of drawn to diane walstads book. i mean the allure of keeping a nice and thriving tank with minimal maintenence i.e water changes, co2, or other high tech gadgets is very appealing to a guy with a hectic schedue like mine.
anyways i like the idea of the milk carton as a bottom for the breeder net. thats ingenious. thats why i really enjoy this website. theres so many members out there with great ideas like yours. ps one adavantage of my job is that im on the computer all day long. easier to check posts when your online all the time


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## northtexasfossilguy (Mar 6, 2009)

I'm not sure if anyone answered you sufficiently or not so here are your options:

Your soil might have carbonate in it, or you might have decorated your tank with carbonate rocks, that's all I can think of if you are using RO water... 

One test on the water, just to be sure, would be to pour your conditioned RO water it in a bucket, do your typical process for a water change adding whatever chemicals you add, and let it sit in the bucket overnight, then test the water in the bucket in the morning to see if its the water that has a pH rise or if it is in the tank.

A test for your tank ornaments and substrate would be to take a rock or the soil out and drop some vinegar on it, after the rock or soil has been dried. If you see a fiz of bubbles and what looks like smoke, you have a carbonate rock. Be sure that it is dry when you test it, or the acid will be dissolved by the water and not the rock, giving you a false negative. Even a tiny fiz means you have carbonate. Acidity in your tank will cause it to become dissolved, along with its slow, natural dissolution process. If you feel its a problem, you should remove that kind of stuff at that point, or get a pH meter controlled CO2 unit if the pH is a real problem.

OR... 7.2 shouldn't be anything to worry about, unless you want more exotic fish that prefer lower pH.

You could use a pH buffer solution, like SeaChem Discus Buffer, if you want it to stay low, or add more CO2 at that point if you refuse to change the water techniques or the substrate.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

The difference between neutral pH (7.0) and 7.2 is so slight that it is absolutely nothing to worry about. Cories especially can handle such a wide range of pH that this is within the target of all the commonly kept Cories. 

Keep the conditions in the tank stable. 

Maintain the proper GH, KH and TDS and let the pH fall where it may. 

A planted tank will show a wide variation in pH over the course of the day as the plants use the CO2, then it is replenished at night. This is just fine with the fish. 

For Cories I would aim for a GH and KH between 3-10 degrees for most, or 3-5 degrees for the most delicate or for breeding. 

Absolutely do not go chasing pH with the various products that are supposed to adjust the pH to a certain target and hold it there. Much better not to be adding more minerals to the tank than what the plants and fish need.


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## gr8nguyen1 (May 18, 2009)

wow thanks diane it was very nice of you to answer all of my posts. where near sf are you? i have some friends there. sausalito, daly city? novato? marin?


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