Who Gives A Fish Forums

Re: Started to lower pH, all fish stopped eating.











I forgot that ammonia actually becomes less toxic at higher pH's so my initial line of thinking was off there anyway...
Sudden 0.4 pH change could put the discus off their food, but I don't think that would account for fin rot or burn. You have a veritable mystery there my european fellow!


Actually, I think it's the other way around - ammonia is more toxic at higher pH levels. When shipping fish in a bag, the pH drops and ammonia increases due to the fish's waste. When you open the bag to air, the pH rises, making the ammonia more toxic and causing fin damage.

Re: Started to lower pH, all fish stopped eating.

I'm not convinced Neutral Buffer is the way to go here - it's a phosphate buffer, and those don't last long in a tank. The bacteria consume the phosphate, which is a key part of DNA, so the buffering effect doesn't stick around. You add the buffer, pH changes, but it's short-lived. Phosphates get eaten up, and you're back to square one.

No issue keeping discus at 8.2, in my opinion. Regular water changes, and they'll be just fine.