# pH8.2 in 75G Planted Tanks



## zfarsh (Mar 31, 2011)

Hi everyone,
I am getting 8.2 pH in my planted 75g tank. Should i be worried (ignore this), or do i need to take action, and what? Pls keep the subject on the pH level problem, not compatibility of fish/plants, etc...
Setup:
- 75G Open Tank
- Plants, both aquatic (Hornworth, Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias, watersprite, etc... )and Land (only roots in)
-3 x (2"-3" Fancy Goldfish) + 5 x Fancy Male Guppies
-PlaySand Substate from Lowes (well cleaned)
- Eheim 2217 and Aquaclear 110 filters
- 4 to 5 pieces of driftwood
- *Rocks from nature, not sure what kinds*
If the rocks are the problem, then i am not sure which ones are causing it I also dont know what kind they are, i picked nice "looking" ones though . 
Question again is, do i let it be and not worry about it, or do i need to take action, and if so, recommendations?


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## deman3 (Feb 17, 2011)

By the looks of it, I would say the rocks. I am not an expert by any means, but I would pull the rocks out. To check the rocks I beleive you use vinegar. When you dunk them in vinegar, if it bubbles, that rock is your culprit. Test them all and don't use the ones that bubble because they can change your water chemistry. The ones that don't bubble in the vinegar should be fine. Moderators please correct me if I am wrong.


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## Boredomb (Feb 21, 2011)

Deman, as far as I know that is correct and I did the same thing. I took some vinegar put it in a bowl soaked the rocks for awhile. None of the ones I used bubbled and my ph never changed. I did have some rocks that did bubble and I just throw them out.


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## zfarsh (Mar 31, 2011)

thanks for the tips guys, i can try this bubble technique. Do you madly clean it back in water after the vinegar test? And more importantly, is it actually bad to have a pH of 8.2 vs say 7.6 range, or in the end, it wont make much difference to the fish/plants?


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## Boredomb (Feb 21, 2011)

I can't tell you if 8.2 from 7.6 is bad or needs to addressed. I would think it would. Most fish and plants have a range they can tolerate. So I would look up those to see. As far as clean rocks afterwards I just ran them under hot water and used a scrub brush after the vinegar. Let them dry and repeat. Then I put them in the tank. Hope his helps


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

The hardness is of equal importance to the pH, and perhaps even more. Fluctuating pH is more dangerous than stable. But hardness affects the fish's internal organs and processes.

In your case, you have livebearers which are hard water fish, though not to extremes; but Guppy manage in fairly hard water as it notes in our profile [click the shaded name]. Goldfish according to the info in our profile [which was written by a member with more experience than my near-zero with goldfish] do well in harder water.

If the tap water is pH 7.6 and the tank runs at 8.2, water changes should be monitored to see what effect this has. A few decimal points is fine, but a sudden drop if it were say 1 full degree is not.

Byron.


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