ok, well i phoned up alot of local fish shops today and found one that would take my albino oscar and commen pleco:). when i took them in they tested my ph and told me it was way to low. he had a digital test and also a fluid test and told me my ph was around 5.5-6..he even showed me the tests. they gave me £12 store credit but wont let me use it untill the fish have lived for a week due to my low ph, im not bothered about the money as i wasnt expecting any, however i am worrying about my ph as my test kit indicates my ph is aroung 6-6.5.

will this anoy my oscar or hurt him?

my tap water ph is around 7-7.5...

the shop advised me to buy coral sand and add that every month??

ow and one more thing:( i think my oscar now has white spot as he has tiny little white spots on his front..erm well arms??? i cant believe i dont know what they are called..my mind has just gone blank sorry lol..the front thing he uses to swim anyways lol...i will get pics.

sorry if this pic ends up big


cant upload pic...

Hey Rick: Try resizing your pic and/or compress it.

It's easier and safe to raise pH than it is to lower it. You might find it useful to have GH and KH liquid reagent tests. What puzzles me is the pH difference between your source and tank water.

Do you have new, uncured, driftwood(s)? Are you using some additive with peat extract? if so, tannins or other organic compounds are likely released in your tank.

I would go against raising your pH quickly, instead go slowly, for the sake of your fish.

Crushed corals will be helpful, there are several ways of using it. Slate rocks, and even baking soda are other options (the latter for raising KH) that would raise your pH. Do your research, I haven't done that yet (working on the opposite: bringing down pH).

In the long run, aim at keeping KH at or above 2.5 or 3 dKH. That should secure pH stability in your tank.

Glad you solved your other issues.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

i would get another test kit an test your ph again. if it come from your tap at around 7 any driftwood in your tank will lower it slightly. but a varience of the amount you are getting(6-6.5 from you and 5-5.6 from the lfs) tells me someone has a bad tester.
imo you should retest and go from there


as for the ick can you post a pic of the spots on the pectoral fins so we can have a look?

is it worth buying a digital ph test? i think you could probably pick them up cheapish off of ebay:).

i have a small ish piece of drift wood and an average sized piece, other than that there are just fake plants in there.

i have a regular dip strip test kit that was 15 dollars and i live it cuz im having water issues im testing once a week if not twice and they gradualy are showing better water qaulity ive never used digital testers tho sorry

just from personal experiance i dont like dip strips. i think liquid tests are alot more acurate:)

ok ill have to try those then i just dont no much about them ill look them up

Liquid kits are my prefered option.

Very simple to use and most have instructions how to carry out the appropriate tests included.

I think strips are probably used by people who are not confident enough to use liquid tasks. I use them years ago but didn't like them, I think the liquid tests give you a much better indication of what is going on in your tank. As long as you're not completely colorblind, it's very easy to see if you've got a problem.

And just for the record, my favorite company for test kits is aquarium pharmaceuticals. Tetra are not too bad although you've got three bottles for ammonia compared to two with aquarium pharmaceuticals. Also, you've only got to wait five minutes with aquarium pharmaceuticals compared to 20 minutes with Tetra

i would do your own test as others said. as you have been doing a fair number of water changes i would say this is a very likely reason for white spot(if it is white spot)you need to match the temputure of new water with tank water. This was a mistake I made a few times when I started out.I heated new water and the problem went.

im color blind lol so i have to make sure the misses is there to look at the color chart:).

i have water life test kits and i would say they are good but i have only ever used this make so i cant really compare:)