Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

i have a ph of about 8/ 8.2 is this a problem and if so how do i drop it with out killing my gold fish

small ap system 22L
about 5 days old
2 comet goldfish

Sit on hands and wait. In time you will be wanting to put shell grit into your system to buffer the ph up

all ready have that in it as we beleve that the water was low ph

it want up set the bacteri setting up

Im not sure I understand the question sorry

Just wait, once the system cycles correctly the PH will drop. when the ammonia takes a nose dive so will the PH levels and then your shellgrit will buffer it back up.

so high ph will not affect the cyclesing of the system

Your PH is fine for the moment zane, it wont effect the nitrification process.

good to know thanks so how may days am i to expect the cyclesing to start

What was the pH of your source water before starting, before adding the shell grit?

The bacteria prefer a higher pH, so don't panic. The plants prefer it below 7.5 but they will be alright for a while.

I doubt the pH will drop at all while there is shell grit in there, any acid produced by the nitrification process (once your system starts cycling) will consume the carbonates in the shell grit as soon as it's produced and therefore dissipate. You will need to remove the shell grit to see a drop in pH.

I would remove the shell grit, then once the system has cycled the pH should start to drop soon after, let it get down to the high 6's, about 6.7-6.8, which is more ideal for good plant growth, then put the shell grit back in the system and it will normally balance itself around the high 6's or low 7's.

Cycling can take anywhere from 2 weeks to two months, mostly dependent on temperature and availability of Ammonia... but don't over-do the Ammonia, if there are fish in the system already don't add any "supplementary" Ammonia to try and speed the process up... let the fish do it naturally!

ph of source is 8/ 8.2
there r 2 comet goldfish in 22L tank the Ammonia id at .50 at the moment

thanks

My ph has never been below 8 and my plants are doing great. I am hoping it drops eventually though.

thanks helomech

Yea a friend of mine has had a PH of <8 for years and it has seen many bumper crops and fish. You can get some nutrient lock out with PH extremes but the point to remember with PH is that its the sudden change or swings that do the damage... more so to the fish.

good to know
thats one reson why i have started with good fish if i kill them it dose nit matter that much