PH Shock?

[goldenpuon]

I tested my 40 gallon goldfish tank and the PH was 7.0 and the KH was low- 80. The hardness was 200 (it is always medium to high).

Anyway, the reason the KH may have been low is because I added less liquid Marine Buffer than usual when I did a water change on the tank.

But tonight I added 2 teaspoons of the powdered type of Marine Buffer. (the recommended dose for a 40 gallon aquarium to raise its PH of 8.3. I wanted to add 3/4 teaspoon to increase the mineralization more gradually and make it easier on the fish)

My problem is because I added the amount for the tank at once, I am worried the PH will go up too fast and the fish will get stressed.

Please note I know an exact PH is not that important, proper mineralization is and stable PH is.

What I am concerned about is the PH rising too fast and causing stress (aka unstable/rising PH from the buffer added).

I also added the Marine Buffer right next to the filter. Thinking it was food, the fish rushed to the area. The fish that got very close acted irritated by it. (They may have breathed some of the disolving particles in or it may have irritated their scales/slime coat.)

That said, is PH shock a possibility? (I am rather concerned becuase I would need to do a water change to counter it pretty soon if that is the case.)

Also, will the fish that came in close contact with it be ok?They don't appear physical injured when I quickly glanced at them. (Though they seem nervous after getting so close to the stuff.)

Thanks.

[parker002]

What brand of marine buffer is it? Some alkaline chemicals can be caustic but I wouldn't think they'd be used often in aquarium applications.

As for the pH rising too fast, it was 7.0 when you started. Even if it did raise it all the way to 8.3, that's not catastrophic I wouldn't think.

What is your pH now and how long has it been since you added the buffer?

[goldenpuon]

It is SeaChem Marine Buffer- the kind Carl sells.

It's been 2 hours since I added the buffer and the KH is reading 180, GH somewhat between 220 and 260 roughly, and PH at 7.8. I use test strips for testing. They are Jungle Quick Dip test strips. (I don't know if the reading would show faster on them. However, I have been using them for testing for years.)

The fish seem ok. They are half-asleep since it is midnight but when I approached the tank, there were no signs of obvious stress I could see. (Of course, I kept the light dim so I didn't startle them so I got a brief, fairly good look at them but not the best.) The fish did start to wake and approach me to beg for food when I came to tank.

[Carl]

I would recommend mixing in warm/hot water than adding a small amounts over a day so as to not increase your pH more than .5 over an 4-8 hour period.

Swimming is this blended mixture should not cause too much problem as Parker noted the ingredients used are not too caustic.
I use the Marine Buffer regularly in marine, livebearer, and african cichlid tanks (as well as tanks that naturally have very low GH such as here in So. Oregon where the municipal water comes froma river with volcanic origins, making it soft).

Another consideration is SeaChem also make Alkaline Buffer too which unlike the marine and Malawi Buffers has no minerals for GH support and is only for KH support.
I generally use this Alkaline Buffer for planted aquariums or for aquariums that already tend to do well with GH and only add mineral cations via Wonder Shells

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Thanks for the advice Carl and Parker. I will mix it from now on as you said. I was actually planning on this after last night. Everything seems to be food to the fish I put in the tank. lol

I tested the water today at 12 noon an found that the PH read 7.2, the KH was 120, and the GH about 300. There is no mulm buildup to explain such a drastic PH crash. Nitrites are 0, nitrates 20, and the water is crystal clear with much less waste than the average well-maintained tank at the bottom.

Also, the fish are STILL acting completelt normal, no signs of added stress and eating like gluttons.

Is it possible the test strips showed higher KH and PH levels because after a couple hours, the SeaChem buffer was not 100% mixed in?

Also, is it normal for the SeaChem Marine Buffer to raise PH and mineral content so quickly?

Despite what I observed avove, when I tested my water again at noon, I got a PH reading of 7.2 makes much more sense to me (at least in how fast it should be rising). Especially since I added the right dose for a 40 gallon (though I wanted to add the amount for 15 gallons), a PH change of .2 overnight seems much more probable and would explain the lack of stress exhibited by the goldfish.

I also want to mention once again that these strips have been accurate in the past (from what I could see), and I have been using them for 3 years at least.

These particular strips also don't expire until early 2012.

Renee

[Carl]

Is it possible the test strips showed higher KH and PH levels because after a couple hours, the SeaChem buffer was not 100% mixed in?

Also, is it normal for the SeaChem Marine Buffer to raise PH and mineral content so quickly?

Maybe, I have observed these spikes before too. My understanding is this is caused by an immediate chemical reaction before the buffer is fully assimilated into the water chemistry.

Despite what I observed avove, when I tested my water again at noon, I got a PH reading of 7.2 makes much more sense to me (at least in how fast it should be rising). Especially since I added the right dose for a 40 gallon (though I wanted to add the amount for 15 gallons), a PH change of .2 overnight seems much more probable and would explain the lack of stress exhibited by the goldfish.

I also want to mention once again that these strips have been accurate in the past (from what I could see), and I have been using them for 3 years at least.

These particular strips also don't expire until early 2012.

This is the results that I would normally expect too.

I would not worry about your strips; as well this is a best used by date and your strips will still be usable past this date.

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Maybe, I have observed these spikes before too. My understanding is this is caused by an immediate chemical reaction before the buffer is fully assimilated into the water chemistry.

I think you are right on this. I should wait several hours after adding it before testing.

If I recall, a long time ago, I had added Marine Buffer during a water change to my guppy tank and the PH read higher than usual. Of course, I try to keep the PH and mineral content higher in that tank than say for my tetras and I did not test before the water change, but this might serve as possible (though unsolid) evidence that this is teh case with Marine Buffer.

I generally do not test my water right after water changes or adding chemicals to my tank to avoid false readings. However, next time I do a water change and add Marine Buffer, I can try testing the water an hour or two after and see what reading I get to see if my hypothesis is correct.

Glad to hear that my strips are ok in your opinion.

Renee