GinaSue

Thank you for this info. It’s very helpful. My tank is lightly stocked but heavily planted. I will take this KH under consideration and maybe do a water change once a month. I do watch Girl Talks Fish and will watch this one again. I look forward to getting my pH monitor. I’m enjoying the science of water keeping much more than I did in my 20’s

Thank your Rube_Goldfish and everyone who responded to my inquiry. I appreciate the information on oxygen depletion. I am learning a lot and always open to learning more. I have ordered a digital pH tester to hopefully add some clarity. 😉

I try not to do a water change more than every 2 months. My ammonia levels stay at 0 and nitrites and nitrates are always great too. If I do use a dechlorinater it is API Tap Water Conditioner. But since I only top off I just leave water out for at least 24 hours so I don't have to dechlorinate as I recently learned that can lower oxygen levels in our water. I agree that it looks like the test strips are testing lower than my actual pH. Below is my tap pH. I'm not sure what to make of the test strip in this case. I'll do a test tube test here next. I do know Seattle water runs low for pH. I don't mind sticking with the water that Seattle gives me, but I do want to know for sure what pH I am dealing with so I don't endanger any fish. Has anyone else had results that vary from test to test? What do you recommend I rely on? Thanks so much for your help!

I have a 20 gallon long that I started Sept 17, 2022. I live in Seattle and used Amazonia substrate. This is my first tank in 35 years. Way back then I just used gravel with an underground filter and got my PH where I wanted it with PH UP or DOWN. I did not realize how Amazonia would buffer water and keep my PH low. I've been into Aquarium Co-op and purchased crushed coral to try to get the PH up, but so far it seems to be staying put. I test about every other day and have lately tried a few different tests. I am finding that I get different results, or I am not understanding how to read the results. My tank has 6 green tetras that are doing great. Friday I bought 5 panda corys from Aquarium Co-op. They all seemed to be thriving until yesterday morning when I found one dead. I worried it was a water issue so I tested right away. I did look at the cory under a very strong magnifier and saw no injuries or parasites. The test strips from Aquarium Co-op and Tetra seem to indicate low PH. However, the Master Test from API seems to indicate a much higher PH level. I tested with both the regular PH solution and the High PH solution. So, what is my PH level?? Thanks for your patience and help!