# pH too high?



## Staubsaugen (Mar 3, 2003)

The water in my aquarium has a pH of 8.4, so I figured I'd check it against the pH from the tap, and it's also 8.4. Is this too high for piranhas? Should I use pH down to get it lower? What about using the peat filter media since i'm running a Fluval filter?


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Don't worry about it, just keep it stable.

Mine is 8.8 out of the tap, my piranhas do just fine.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

they will adust to the 8.4, its more important for fish to have a stable pH, any dramatic changes could hurt em


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## weidjd (Feb 13, 2005)

Constant Ph is the best. I dont do anything with PH I check it at 7.8 always and that is what my fish are used to. The Ps I just got seem fine at 7.8


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## Staubsaugen (Mar 3, 2003)

aight, cool, even my pleco'll be fine?


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

Staubsaugen said:


> aight, cool, even my pleco'll be fine?
> [snapback]1047755[/snapback]​


he should be ok , long as things stay stable


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

with a drastic PH like that i would use the drip method to aclimate any new fish you add


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## Staubsaugen (Mar 3, 2003)

CTREDBELLY said:


> with a drastic PH like that i would use the drip method to aclimate any new fish you add
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what's the drip method?


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

get airline tube and tie a small knot. put 1 end of the tube into your tank and start a syphon on the other end into a bucket that u pour the fish into WITH his bag water. slowly let the water drip into the bucket till its 3/4 full you want 3 drops of water a sec this will allow the fish to stay in water but slowly adjust to your tank rather than tossign him into the water and goign into shock.


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## Staubsaugen (Mar 3, 2003)

CTREDBELLY said:


> get airline tube and tie a small knot. put 1 end of the tube into your tank and start a syphon on the other end into a bucket that u pour the fish into WITH his bag water. slowly let the water drip into the bucket till its 3/4 full you want 3 drops of water a sec this will allow the fish to stay in water but slowly adjust to your tank rather than tossign him into the water and goign into shock.
> [snapback]1048290[/snapback]​


cool







sounds good, i'll do that.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Mine comes out of the tap at 7.2
I keep my pygo tank at 6.0

8.4 is ideal if you are keeping african cichlids, but is way too high for piranhas.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

CTREDBELLY said:


> get airline tube and tie a small knot. put 1 end of the tube into your tank and start a syphon on the other end into a bucket that u pour the fish into WITH his bag water. slowly let the water drip into the bucket till its 3/4 full you want 3 drops of water a sec this will allow the fish to stay in water but slowly adjust to your tank rather than tossign him into the water and goign into shock.
> [snapback]1048290[/snapback]​


excellent bit of advice


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

Piranha_man said:


> 8.4 is ideal if you are keeping african cichlids, but is way too high for piranhas.
> [snapback]1048684[/snapback]​


I would agree with this if you have wild caught piranhas. Most are breed in aquariums so tap water is suitable for most owners.


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

I disagree, I have a wild-caught ternetzi and he does just fine in the 8.8 water of my tank.


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## j to the hart (Jan 18, 2005)

[quote name='Piranha_man' date='Jun 1 2005, 10:21 AM']
Mine comes out of the tap at 7.2
I keep my pygo tank at 6.0

how do u change it from 7.2 to 6.0 each water change???


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## Killa RedZ (Apr 10, 2005)

he'll be alright if it's stable


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

OK i must agree that a fish may live in a 8.8 PH but are you sure that it is not stressed or if he can breed in that PH?Also are you sure that it will have the same lifespan in 8.8 PH?

8.8 is the highest PH i 've heard for South American fish!!!!!!!!!!

I don't agree on keeping fish to water parameters that are far away from his natural environment.

i advise you to change that.


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

The are very adaptable fish. A pH of 8.4, although not ideal, is healthier for your fish then a pH that is bouncing up and down. A good general rule of thumb is 6.0-8.5 is acceptable.

Do be advise though that pH toxicity is higer with a high pH. BUT if you tank is running correctly and properly cycled this should not be a problem.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

husky_jim said:


> OK i must agree that a fish may live in a 8.8 PH *but are you sure that it is not stressed or if he can breed in that PH*?Also are you sure that it will have the same lifespan in 8.8 PH?
> 
> 8.8 is the highest PH i 've heard for South American fish!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...


I have a friend that bred 3 different species of piranha in a ph of 8.4.....I think people give the ph too much credit when it comes to a hardy fish.

I am not saying it is ideal but hell, I survived the humidity in Wisconsin...not ideal by any means but you get used to it.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

IMHO the pH should be lowered, piranhas are suited to slightly acidic conditions, that is what the water in the rivers of south america.

if it was my tank I would be adding some coral sand or something to lower the pH to just under 7

as already said a sudden change in pH is a bad thing, this is because the fish is mostly made up of water, if you change the water the fish is in then through osmosis the salt levels of the fish will change and can cause serious health problems for the fish

just out of interest which species of piranhas are we talking about?


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## Scarlet (Apr 15, 2004)

Coral sand raises pH doesn't it? It doesn't lower it.

The problem with trying to lower water with such a high pH is that the KH is likely to be high as well, meaning the pH will tend to fluctuate back to its normal level. Unless you want to go down the R.O route, of course.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Scarlet said:


> Coral sand raises pH doesn't it? It doesn't lower it.
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I believe it lowers it, but I could be confused


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Well...crushed coral will raise the ph and stablize it.....I dont know what coral sand is but I believe it would have the same effect.


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## shutter13 (Jun 23, 2004)

any type of coral will raise pH and hardness

i say you should lower it... 8.4 is pretty far from an ideal 6.5...


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## stone (Apr 18, 2005)

WOW! pretty confusing with all the conflicting advice isnt it! I would listen to those who have Piranhas in high ph setings. Those who stated that ph stability is most important are correct. My P's are in a 8.5-8.8 ph range as well. They are doing great, eating like pigs and growing like weeds.

Coral sand will raise ph.

Believe me, trying to bring down the ph will be a major headache. Most water with higher ph has very good buffer as well, meaning that it will bring the ph back to its orginal ph anytime something causes it to change, unless you have a constant flow of the material that you are using to change the ph available. Ive tried all the remedies and additives, and Ive even tried peat to bring it down without much success. I was able to bring it down for about 12-16 hours, then the buffers brought it right back up. I rapidly gave up the battle and now do nothing for ph and my fish are great. No problems.


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

stone said:


> WOW! pretty confusing with all the conflicting advice isnt it! I would listen to those who have Piranhas in high ph setings. Those who stated that ph stability is most important are correct. My P's are in a 8.5-8.8 ph range as well. They are doing great, eating like pigs and growing like weeds.
> 
> Coral sand will raise ph.
> 
> ...


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

smithgrind_who said:


> Piranha_man said:
> 
> 
> > 8.4 is ideal if you are keeping african cichlids, but is way too high for piranhas.
> ...


I have to disagree with this.
Just because a fish is bred in an aquarium doesn't change it's hundreds of thousands of years of evolution that suites it's body for a particular environment.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

j to the hart said:


> Piranha_man said:
> 
> 
> > Mine comes out of the tap at 7.2
> ...


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