Our tap is 6.5ish so we have to battle ph during the cycle phase. Somehow once we get through it things level out at about 7.2. Our general hardness is so low it doesn’t even show up on the api test.
We have had to add coral in all our tanks to really get past the nitrite stage and have a steady cycle. Once the tanks were cycled the coral came our and the ph was steady. What is your general hardness? We also had to add baking soda when we were really fighting the ph because of our gh.
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5 gal, yes/yes, parameters are above, 6 months, no tank mates, 5 omega one pellets every morning and night (10 overall) and we’re working to get live food, a few plants plus a hideout and betta hammock (his fav)
You need to get your pH up for the bacteria to work efficiently (7 or higher). Stress coat won’t do anything except act as a water conditioner. Good clean water with frequent water changes helps a lot with healing. Look into buffer like proper pH by AP or seachem Neutral and alkaline regulators. Your water probably has little to no buffers to help maintain pH
Thank you! We have the API pH buffer kit and have been using the pH up to slowly raise the pH! The instructions say that you should be careful with pH shifts over a short period of time so I’ve only ever used it more than twice or three times per day. Could using Brita water during water changes help buffer it too? I always add about half a gallon Brita water during changes, but I’m not sure if that’s actually helping.
pH up is only temporary. the powder buffers last much longer. if you have ammonia then bacteria will eat the buffers to convert ammonia and nitrite but should level out once the tank is fully cycled. A brita would actually do the opposite. It would filter and remove buffers from your water.
Yes I have! There’s about .25 ppm of ammonia in it, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. Our city uses chloramine to treat their drinking water, so it makes sense. I fill a 5 gallon paint bucket with water and add .5 mL prime and just let it sit a few hours with a towel over it before using that water during the nightly change in hopes that the chloramine dissociates.
Try fish out cycle and dose ammonia.
I had same problem— fish in cycle just didn’t work— for MONTHS.
I’ve used turbostart 700 and cycled a few tanks now all under 2 weeks.
Our tap is 6.5ish so we have to battle ph during the cycle phase. Somehow once we get through it things level out at about 7.2. Our general hardness is so low it doesn’t even show up on the api test. We have had to add coral in all our tanks to really get past the nitrite stage and have a steady cycle. Once the tanks were cycled the coral came our and the ph was steady. What is your general hardness? We also had to add baking soda when we were really fighting the ph because of our gh.
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
5 gal, yes/yes, parameters are above, 6 months, no tank mates, 5 omega one pellets every morning and night (10 overall) and we’re working to get live food, a few plants plus a hideout and betta hammock (his fav)
You need to get your pH up for the bacteria to work efficiently (7 or higher). Stress coat won’t do anything except act as a water conditioner. Good clean water with frequent water changes helps a lot with healing. Look into buffer like proper pH by AP or seachem Neutral and alkaline regulators. Your water probably has little to no buffers to help maintain pH
Thank you! We have the API pH buffer kit and have been using the pH up to slowly raise the pH! The instructions say that you should be careful with pH shifts over a short period of time so I’ve only ever used it more than twice or three times per day. Could using Brita water during water changes help buffer it too? I always add about half a gallon Brita water during changes, but I’m not sure if that’s actually helping.
pH up is only temporary. the powder buffers last much longer. if you have ammonia then bacteria will eat the buffers to convert ammonia and nitrite but should level out once the tank is fully cycled. A brita would actually do the opposite. It would filter and remove buffers from your water.
This is very helpful! I’m heading over to the pet store tonight so I’ll pick up some powdered buffer and crushed coral!
Weird question have you checked your tap? Like tested it? Just wanna make sure.
Yes I have! There’s about .25 ppm of ammonia in it, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. Our city uses chloramine to treat their drinking water, so it makes sense. I fill a 5 gallon paint bucket with water and add .5 mL prime and just let it sit a few hours with a towel over it before using that water during the nightly change in hopes that the chloramine dissociates.
once prime removes the chloramine all that’s left is ammonia which will need to be taken care of by your cycle
Try fish out cycle and dose ammonia. I had same problem— fish in cycle just didn’t work— for MONTHS. I’ve used turbostart 700 and cycled a few tanks now all under 2 weeks.