I have a 29 gallon tank with a ph of 8.6 and my water has a pH of 7.4?

The tank is new and not yet cycled.I have 11 argentine swords 1 wisteria and two pieces of driftwood.No rocks except the substrate is pea gravel everything is meant for aquariums and bought.I want to keep tetras platies zebra danios and corycats.I want to know if the ph in my tank is safe for them the water is soft though but not acidic.I dont care about them spawning I just want them to live.How do I lower the pH if they can't live in it.the test kit could messed up but the other readings are accurate.I dont know if it could be the aquarium plant food either.What do I do!!!!!

I have a 29 gallon tank with a ph of 8.6 and my water has a pH of 7.4?
8.6 is extremely high... considerably higher than what even African Cichlids would need (in most cases)... If everything in your tank (except the driftwood, which produces tannins that LOWER the pH) is inert, I would guess your test kit is off... The water's pH won't just magically rise. However, you might try putting the tap water in a large bucket with an air stone overnight, then testing it. Since the water is under pressure in the pipes, gas dissolves into it more easily, and gasses dissolved in water are acidic (carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, nitrogen gas forms hyponitrous acid, etc.) and may be affecting the readings. Allowing it to outgas overnight will give you a more correct pH.





EDIT: Chemicals, including pH 7, cause fluctuations as soon as they are "used up". Whether this takes a few hours, or a few days, the rapid return to the original pH kills fish.
Reply:You are not interested in breeding, your water seems ok for the fish you are choosing to add, from my experience and readings as far as your water is within the accepted ranges do not play it chemically, adopt your fish to your water not the opposite. Try dry (Fishless) cycling add plants before fish, stock gradually.


Wish you good luck
Reply:Your argentine swords will need lower pH levels.


http://www.fishlore.com/Plants-Argentine... The


wisteria is hardy and should do well.





Below is a link to an excellent read for beginner aquarists.


http://www.fishlore.com/FishFAQs.htm


--------------------------------------...


There are many kinds of Tetras, which are you thinking of?


http://www.fishlore.com/profiles-characi... Tetras





http://www.fishlore.com/profiles_bleedin... (PH 6 - 7) http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-SerpaeT... (PH 5-7.8)





http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Platy.h... (PH 7-8)





http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-ZebraDa... (PH 6.5 - 8)





http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Corydor... (PH 6-8)





The fish you are considering should do well as far as PH. To lower it I use a product called PH 7. I like it because it doesn't fluctuate an hour after you put it in. Many of the products made to lower the pH are not stable and tend to fluctuate a while after it is added.





Make sure that they do well combined with the tetra's you decide on too.
Reply:This is going to sound dumb but what kind of gravel do you have? Believe it or not certain types of gravel will keep your ph from increasing or increase it too much.





The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. A reading of 4-6 dH or higher is usually adequate to keep the buffering system in place and maintain a stable pH. A reading under 4 dH means there isn't enough of a buffering system and the pH is likely to drop. For higher pH levels, you will probably want to aim for 6-12 dH. Many hobbyists choose to measure only Carbonate Hardness (KH), which is a measure of the calcium carbonates in your water. This test is also effective in maintaining a proper buffer system. When testing for Carbonate Hardness, a reading of 75-100 mg/L is adequate for most aquariums, while a reading of 100-200 mg/L would be desired for higher pH levels. For the purpose of freshwater aquariums, measuring either total hardness or carbonate hardness is necessary, but measuring both independently would not be needed.





You need to know that anywhere in your aquarium where detritus (a fancy term for dirt) accumulates is a source of Phosphate production. As detritus accumulates in your gravel bed and on your filter pads, the Phosphate levels in your aquarium rise. Free Phosphate ions may bond with calcareous buffering material, precipitating calcium from your aquarium, and reducing your aquariums ability to keep pH stable. This is why it is so very important to clean your filter pads regularly and vacuum the aquarium gravel with each water change. In addition, your tap water contains buffering ions. Doing regular partial water changes will help to replenish the buffers which have been lost. This is important in all aquariums, because fish respiration and organic wastes alone will cause a gradual drop in the ability of your aquarium to buffer against pH swings.





Now the question becomes what to do if the fish you want to keep have very special pH requirements. If your fish prefer a pH level which is reasonably close to the pH your aquarium water is naturally buffered to, then I do not recommend you make any changes at all. Unless you are keeping an extremely specialized fish your fish will be fine. On the other hand, if your fish have pH requirements which are far from the values in your tank, then you have work to do.





Let us consider methods of raising the pH of your tap water. There are many additives on the market today which claim to raise your pH. Most of the liquid products on the market today are a 50/50 success at best when used alone only to find the ph will soon return to the normal level of 6. You also need to use a product to increase the buffering ability of your aquarium. To maintain a stable pH in the upper levels of the pH scale for fishkeeping, I would recommend using a buffering substrate such as crushed coral. You can add crushed coral to your existing aquarium. You can place larger amounts of shells or chrushed coral beneath the substraight in the tank. I personally place the crushed coral in a mesh bag and place the bag in my filter. You will want about 1 kg of crushed coral per 40 liters of water to buffer the water to hold a pH around 7.6. This method does not allow for the use of large quantities of crushed coral, but can be effective if you only need to make small adjustments to your aquariums buffering ability. This is why ocean items such as shells and ocean sand should not be used in a fresh water aquarium. It does raise the PH level.





Be assured that attempting to control pH is the most frustrating experience for a fish hobbyist. I would guess that 50% of the problems encountered in new aquariums are a result of the aquarist attempting to change the pH level. Few fish keepers actually need to adjust their pH. For the majority of aquarists your tap water pH will be adequate. The dangers of adjusting the pH incorrectly far outweigh any benefit you may receive by moving your pH a few points on the scale.





Remember, when it comes to adjusting your pH, less is more! Stability is most important. Routine maintenance is the key to keeping your pH stable and your fish healthy!





Also, do not use baking soda in your tank. Over doing the ph plus adding additional salt is not going to do your tank any good. It will also revert back to 6 when the carbon filters pull the Soda out. Check the label on your plant food. This could be the problem as well.


Hope this helps





Also, you have quite a few fish in this tank and it isn't even cycled.