pH buffering

[jcegt87]

ok guys so after losing a fish everyday ;_; and not figuring out why (since my corals are all thriving and actuyally even more open) i did a complete test on my tank, i nbormally just check trates and trites

i just finished checking ammonia trates trites and pH level

ammonia -0-
trites -0-
trates -5ppm-
and pH was at 7.8

im thinking since the fish that died were the ones that had ich , that the low pH didnt help :(

i been doing weekly water changes of 5 gallons , i did switch LFS for my saltwater , i do not know what salt he uses thought (ill have to ask em next time)

im confused thought should my corals be affected as well?

eighter way i added a buffer to raise it back to the 8.2 where it was , the bottle said used 20 drops per 15 gallons , i only added 20 drops, ive never used a buffer (because ive never had a pH problem)

how often should i use the buffer? any help would be greatly appreciated

a little observation ive seen is that the fish are breathing somewhat heavier but at different paces the clowns breath faster but the goby breaths slower but deeper

the six line wrasse and the purple firefish are breathing normal

did i jump the gun in adding the buffer?

sry if this seems more like a ramble im trying to multitask listening to other people here lol

 

[valasaraptor]

Do you have any water movement at the surface for gas exchange?? what all fish have you lost?

 

[jcegt87]

yep i have a K1 breaking the surface

as far as fish goes its been the coral beauty 4 days ago, a clown 3 days ago, another clown, 2 days ago my green mandarin,

i have to add all those fish had ich and i am blaming the CBS that i had because i did see it chasing all of them and snipping at them

 

[Amba]

I got my pH buffer from my chemical supply store. All a buffer is (basically) is a weak acid mixed with it's conjugate weak base. If you have a chemical supply store near you, just ask them for one with a pKa near 8.2. As far as adding it, (littlefish correct me if I am wrong) if your pH is not where it needs to be (means H+ and OH- ions are still free floating) then just add more. I added mine to my tank when I started it and the first time my pH moved I added a bit more every hour. Also, if your tank is cycling I think it would be best to leave the pH where it is, even if it's low, because NH3 ions convert depending on pH of the water. It will go down as it cycles which is a good thing. How long has your tank been set up? Also, buying saltwater (at least around here) is really expensive, have you thought of setting up an RO/DI unit? It will pay for itself in no time!

 

[jcegt87]

I got my pH buffer from my chemical supply store. All a buffer is (basically) is a weak acid mixed with it's conjugate weak base. If you have a chemical supply store near you, just ask them for one with a pKa near 8.2. As far as adding it, (littlefish correct me if I am wrong) if your pH is not where it needs to be (means H+ and OH- ions are still free floating) then just add more. I added mine to my tank when I started it and the first time my pH moved I added a bit more every hour. Also, if your tank is cycling I think it would be best to leave the pH where it is, even if it's low, because NH3 ions convert depending on pH of the water. It will go down as it cycles which is a good thing. How long has your tank been set up? Also, buying saltwater (at least around here) is really expensive, have you thought of setting up an RO/DI unit? It will pay for itself in no time!

im pretty sure my cycle is over i transferred everything from my old 10G (built in june-ish)

the buffer im using is the red sea buffer that came with one of my pH tests

also i still have a film on top of my water , i added anothe powerhead (now total 3 K1s ) breaking the surface, i tried removing the film using the paper towel system but it just came back within a day , thats the big reason i got a skimmer

also as far as RO/DI water system goes , since i live in an apartment building i dont think i wanna use a system like that , saltwater is 1$ a gallon where i get it 35cents cheaper than its closest competitor

 

[Amba]

RODI systems don't really take up much space or anything, you can mount them where you won't even see them and drip the water into a collecting vessel. Red sea buffer should work fine. When did you install the skimmer?

 

[jcegt87]

Skimmer was installed 3am days ago, started pulling some nasty crap right from the start. How should I dose tge buffer? Every water change?

 

[little_fish]

a pH of 7.8 is fine for our tanks, also a fast change in pH can be very damaging to your critters so dont raise it more than .1 per day.

But, i honestly feel that your issue with the fish is you are adding a lot of fish really fast to a small tank that hasnt been set up for very long.

 

[jcegt87]

but wouldnt that cause some kind of spike in parameters, and also to be completely honest ick started after i added the coral beauty, thats also the time i started noticing the CBA messing more and more with the fish

 

[valasaraptor]

+1 little fish,and you at the stocking limit for a 29 too and be carefull about the mandarin there tough little critters to keep in a small tank unless there eating frozen and still they might stop for no reason.

 

[Amba]

but wouldnt that cause some kind of spike in parameters, and also to be completely honest ick started after i added the coral beauty, thats also the time i started noticing the CBA messing more and more with the fish

Actually adding a lot of stock at once is the MAIN cause for changes in parameters. Fish produce waste which changes nearly every level in your tank, and it can show up many days after you introduce them. Also don't disregard that quick additions can stress your fish, causing them to be more prone to disease.

 

[jcegt87]

i understand about adding alot of fish in a short time. but i never got any spikes in my parameters or anything

i wont be adding any more at all, i understand my tank was overstocked

right now im just worried about losing more fish i really really dont want to lose any more stock,

2 ocelaris(sp) clowns replaced the 2 percs that died
1 purple fire fish
the six line wrasse
and tiger goby

thats my fish stock

the only thing breathing normal are the firefish and wrasse

 

[little_fish]

If you leave them in there after they are dead you will get a very noticeable spike, but unless you are testing daily right after you add them you might totally miss the mini cycle. But also adding a bunch of fish to a tank can be very stressful for the fish as they try and figure out the new place, the other occupants especially in a small tank.

It also sounds like you had the two clowns, mandarine, coral beauty, 6 line, goby and fire fish all in a 29 gal tank. That is waaay too many fish for that tank, especially when 4 out of the 7 are considered aggressive fish.

I have 7 fish in 46 and I struggle to keep my levels where they should be, and my tank has been set up for over a year.

 

[jcegt87]

i got carried away ;_;

 

[Amba]

It's easy to get carried away in this hobby. When I feel like I need to add something I usually just get a small piece of live rock or a frag, much safer than adding more fish. I actually have WAY more fun scapin' the rock and watching/photographing the corals than the fish themselves. Listen to littlefish, she knows what she is talking about.

 

[jcegt87]

Listen to littlefish, she knows what she is talking about.

haha yeah i know she does , i just try and ignore the rules and then im in a spot like where i am know and well the infamous "i told you so" words come into play lol


, in the back of my mind i wish i still had the 75 i used to have lol

 

[Amba]

If it's within your budget maybe get another tank instead of overstocking the one you have. I currently have 3 complete, working on my 4th. It is already a lot of work (takes about one hour to feed/clean/test/double check) all of them, but it is really worth it.

 

[little_fish]

Why dont you find a type of coral you really like, and when you feel like you have to add something to the tank, get one of those corals. For me, I like zoas/palys and encrusting monties.

Just work on keeping the fish you still have alive and happy. Its not fair for them to die over something that can so easily be avoided.

 

[jcegt87]

yeah i undestand, 2 more fish died last night including my tiger goby, he actually jumped out the tank , i managed to put em in the tank he fell all the way to the bottom and started breathing extremely heavy .

the other fish was one of the clowns, the other clown is also breathing heavy at the moment

only the fish are beign affected , none of my crabs snails or corals are affected so im pretty sure its not the parameters.

 

[sen5241b]

By chance are you seing any temp spikes? What is temp in your tanK/