Urgent Care :: Unusually high Ph levels!!!

[Nettle]

I just did a water change before my dad told me that our ph thingy was off. The acidity is now off of the testing pad (way high). Is it harmful to them? What can I do to lower it? What product should I get?

[SpotsMama]

How high is it? How are you measuring it?

[Cramer]

post it's approximate reading.

And before you start adding ph-up/down chemicals, which can make even worse swings, try natural ways to lower the ph gradually and keep it down: like adding driftwood or filter peat.

[Nettle]

I was using pond test strips and the color was a deep pink which wasn't even on the reading scale. I fixed the problem though by going out and getting a 5 gallon jug of commercial water, so they're ok. I'll just have to fix the problem with our own water tank.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I would say that in the future, yes, any extreme pH's aren't good in the long term. You mentioned a water change, how much water did you change? You should never do a full tank change unless necessary, and 25% water changes shouldn't affect the pH that greatly. If the pH was that off of 7, you should definitely have your water looked at because it will be bad for human health too. I think the commercial water fix saved you this time, but find out where the problem lies!

[Nettle]

I usually do a 75% water change do to algae every once in awhile. These plumber type guys came by last week and fixed our neutralizer which is supposed to reduce the acidity in our water. It turns out they messed up, so we have to call them back in (what a pain). Thanks for the concern ^_^