PH levels

I have just done a water test on the tank of doom and results are amm 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20 ph 6.4 . Is the ph ok I have not done a ph test in a while , also went to get two clowns yesterday to replace the ones that died but the owner of my lfs told me he would not be getting any in at the moment as at this time of the year they are very expensive? . The two I have left are hardly out at all at the moment they have gone very timid I feel so sorry for them . But the goldnugget is out and about in the little tank all the time he loves it in there so until he grows a bit bigger I will leave him in there

The pH is probably just about right for the clowns, maybe a little low for the gold nugget. What else is in there & what decor do you have.

To start messing about with the pH isn't really recommended. You can make things worse by having fluctuating values, rather than stable ones. Bog wood will cause the pH to drop, things like crushed coral or a coral gravel/sand substrate will increase it.
The best option maybe to add a small net bag of coral sand/gravel to the inside of your filter (if there's room). That way, the water will stay stable without you having to add chemicals that'll throw the readings everywhere

A couple of stones some plants 5 moss balls and an ornament the oh wanted I dont like it but the clowns and polka dot plec love it ,I think the clowns get inside it as you dont see them when you look at the back of the tank if you look at pic 44 on my gallery you will see the tank and the offending ornament :lol:

What are the readings in your tapwater alison - have you tested that lately?

My lfs had LOADS of clown loaches in last week so you might find some if you look around a bit.

I'd suggest you test the KH and GH values also, alison. When a tank has been set up a while, it's possible for the KH value to fluctuate - especially if you have soft water. The pH value depends on the KH value and if the KH drops too low - below 4 - you could get a pH crash...

i never thinbk of checking for things like that - should we all be doing that once in a while then or does it depend on what type of fish you want to have?

jeez alison, i have just loked on you gallery pics - the one of the angels frightens the life out of you!!! that is definately in need of an urgent resize!! :lol:

just had a look driver and I see what you mean - they do look BIG AND MEAN!!!

The pic of two angels together are of the males, I have uploaded a pic of the female she is white and the all black angel is her mate

what do you use to download your pics aliaon - photobucket or something else?

I have got photobucket Diana but those came off desktop

Sorry its taken so long to post results from the tap PH 7.6 high range PH 7.4 .
Tested the tank again PH 6.8 high range PH 7.4. any ideas

That doesn't sound unusual to me, my tap water is Ph7-7.2 but tanks are anywhere between 6.4 and 6.8 (which should be fine for your Gold Nugget I have one and he's doing well)

Check your hardness (Kh and Gh) my Kh is around 3 so I buffer with bicarbonate of soda at water changes - not every one but at least once a month.

I had a ph crash once - lost a fair few fish and ph went down to 5!)

indigoj wrote:

Check your hardness (Kh and Gh) my Kh is around 3 so I buffer with bicarbonate of soda at water changes - not every one but at least once a month.

After discovering my KH had dropped to almost zero, I now test the GH/KH once a month and buffer the water if the KH drops below 5.

Is there a test kit for Kh and Gh I have the API master test kit but it doesnt have those in it

Alison you can buy them seperately. I bought them but you have to count the drops. I got mine from P@H

Thanks GD will get one tomorrow

They are very annoying, as GD said... you count 1 drop then shake, then 2 drops, then shake. If your reading is gonna be 15 it gets real tedious

I bought one about 18 months ago, haven't used it since

used once i lost count and got bored LOL

Lol

driver wrote:

i never thinbk of checking for things like that - should we all be doing that once in a while then or does it depend on what type of fish you want to have?

Well your GH value usually remains stable as it's a measurement of the softness/hardness of your water. It's useful to know this particularly if you're considering fish that have specific water chemistry requirements e.g. Mollies (hard), Rams (soft) to name but two. The KH value changes over time and is connected with the pH so it's advisable to check this at least once a month.