The Puffer Forum

ph of 6 is low and i moved it higher because with the research if done. they like a higher ph.
after 12 days he is eating fully again and ripping around. honestly i think he was mad that i was gone for 7 days and had a friend feed him

Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:36 am pH 7.0
Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:55 am pH 7.6
im a little confused i don't know how that happened . i seen that and was confused too.anyways . i raised my kh 1 degree a day till it was around 4 which made my ph around 7.4 to 7.6. i find those API test kits a little hard to read the color .

How exactly are you raising it? What is the pH of your tap water?

Pufferpunk wrote:How exactly are you raising it? What is the pH of your tap water?

tap water is usually 7 to 7.5 . but it has dropped this fall to 6 while i was gone magically. i use Seachem. Alkaline Buffer to raise my PH

Do not use a buffer. If proper WC are done (50% weekly), the pH shouldn't shift far from the tap water's in-between.

But if the tsp waters ph is fluctuating as it seems? This is a strange one by me

It is lowering because of waste (acid) in the water not removed from proper WC.

I see

well in Vancouver BC Canada. there's is no KH OUR GH in our water it is 0. it gives your water the minerals and keeps the ph and hardness of the water . were it needs to be in Vancouver. the biggest fish store in Vancouver recommends. that your KH and GH should be at least 4 degrees each for the best health of all fish .
read this too
Tap water conditions in the lower mainland are extremely soft. This condition can actually kill some aquarium fish if left unadjusted. It is a very uncommon problem as most cities increase the mineral content of the tap water to prevent corrosion of piping etc. In North America, to my knowledge, Seattle and BC are the only places where this is a problem.
The hardness in the lower mainland is practically zero. This is similar to the conditions of rain water. Although wild fish are exposed to a similar condition, they are only exposed during the rainy season, and this condition induces spawning. The majority of aquarium fish are raised in hard water conditions. Many species of fish will breakdown in our water and contract various illnesses. Treatment with medication rarely improves this condition because it is the lack of minerals that are the initial cause of the sickness.
Fish absorb the minerals and balance the fluid in their tissues. A process called osmoregulation. Fish with poor osmoregulation can be subject to dropsy, a condition where the body fills with fluids and is very hard to cure. As mentioned it can also cause a number of other disease.
This problem is easy to fix using products such as Replenish and Alkaline buffer. Correcting this will also stabilize pH and improve the overall health of the aquarium.
Many hobbyists in BC use crushed coral to improve and stabilize the pH. Unfortunately hardness is the bigger issue here and the coral does very little in the way of hardness adjustment. Coral only dissolves in an acidic environment and once the coral increases the pH, no more dissolving. Virtually all our customers who have made these corrections have noticed a marked improvement in the health and color of their fish as well as a drastic improvement in mortality of their new fish.
Thanks for reading.

this is for people in Seattle and Vancouver
Here is a simple explanation and instruction to fix our tap water problem. These instructions will add the necessary minerals to keep your pH stable and keep you fish healthy by allowing them to absorb these much needed elements.

GH
GH can be raised with either aquarium salt, equilibrium or replenish. Follow the dosage for your particular fish but an average level is 5 degrees. If it is a fish only aquarium salt is easy. If you have plants, use either Equilibrium or Replenish. One is a powder the latter a liquid, preference is yours.

KH
KH can be raised by using Alkalinity buffer. There are other brands available but I like the easy dosage scheme of Alkalinity buffer in particular. 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons raises your KH from 0 to 5 DKH. This is a common desired level for most community fish.

If you have African Cichlids or Goldfish/Koi etc, harder water is needed for them to thrive. With these fish aim for a level of 10 for both GH and KH.

For the community aquarium at levels of 5, dont worry about the pH, it will level off just over 7, your fish will be fine and the pH will remain stable. We rarely check pH in store anymore, hardness is actually easier to test for, and much easier to read. The fish that prefer the higher levels like goldfish thrive in a higher pH anyways so don't worry about it.
This is very easy to do, for those who think it sounds like too much work, it isn't. You only add a little with water changes to replace what you have removed, after a while it is second nature. We buffer all our aquariums with the same products we are recommending, if in doubt, come on in and we can go over it with you.

I hope everyone in the lower mainland eventually goes this route, I cannot stress enough how important these minerals are and how they improve the entire conditions of the aquarium. Your fish will love you for it.

If your water is soft/low pH, then use aragonite or crushed coral as your substrate. DO NOT ADD BUFFERS, as this will only cause extreme pH swings, which is more harmful to your fish then the alternative.

You can just use baking soda too, it's safe and way cheaper than any buffer you could buy. The aragonite substrate will help keep the water in the tank balanced, but the tap water going in should be matched up to the water already in the tank.
http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/calKH.asp

johnnyfishtanks wrote:GH 0
KH 4
PH 7.0
AMONIA 0
NITRATE 5
NITRITE 0

I happen to have a close to 9in mbu now. I do notice he doesn't like to go close to certain plants..in my case it was a cluster of anubias. it was a new setup for him. He simply refuse to swim pass the left half of my tank. He would swim halfway, then reverse back.. even with offering of food. Until recently, after I remove the anubias then he started to explore the whole tank. In my old 4ft tank, he would simply stay within 1ft from the left. That tank was decorated with large pieces of drift wood and plants. They like open space I think.

I am running a close to 210g system of which 60g is heavily stock with live plants and multiple canister and internal filter. 50% wc every week. And am barely manage to keep my no3 below 20...how did u manage to achieve 5? I am not having any doubt on your result. I need help getting to that range. Yes.. I know my tank is too small but, I am trying my best to make him comfortable..

johnnyfishtanks wrote:ph of 6 is low and i moved it higher because with the research if done. they like a higher ph.
after 12 days he is eating fully again and ripping around. honestly i think he was mad that i was gone for 7 days and had a friend feed him

my puffers acted weird about seeing me after my gf had to feed them for a week while i was gone. maybe they just didnt remember me but they seemed like they thought i abandoned them lol