I NEED to bring my ph up, help?

[JKfish]

(because I have no bettas, and the tank concerned is for my harlequins, this is where it is... :P )

I don't know what happened, but my tank's water chemistry has decided to partially die on me. It went from Ph: 6.8, am:0 nitri: 0 nitra:5 to * ph: 6.0 ammonia: 2.5, nitri: 0, nitrA: greater than 0, less than 5. The changes occured really quickly, practically over night, and I don't have a freaking clue what the heck made it like that! (though I'm thinking the water from the water company is being stupid)

My tap water straight from the faucet is ph 7.4, ammonia 0, nitri 0, nitra: 0 .... go figure. even with water changes the tank's ph still remains at 6.0 if not less! the test doesn't go further than that, but I have a sneaky suspicion it is lower >.<

Does any one know a reliable product that will increase my ph for the time being? I hate putting things in my aquarium that messes with the chemistry, but I DON'T trust myself with an at home DIY fix, so the lesser of the two evils is to buy something :P (besides, how much more messed up could my water chemistry get?!)

[Jupiter]

I think calcium increases alkilinity, don't the have special rocks or gravel which have clacium in them? For cichlids and what not.

[JKfish]

thanks Jupiter, I'll have to look into those :)

[Oldfishlady]

I would do a pH test on the source water-to get an accurate reading- the water has to gas out for 24h
Pour a clean glass of water-do the pH test and write it down-now add an airstone and wait 24 hours and then re-test the pH and compare the numbers
You also may need to do a KH/GH test
How are the fish responding to the pH swings...any behavior changes?
You don't have a water softener on your tap
Crushed corral is usually what is used, however, if this is something new going on and the fish are fine you may want to wait.

[Adastra]

I would get your kH/gH tested to make sure your water has a decent buffering capacity. Sometimes water treatment plants strip a lot of minerals from the water, particularly in coastal areas, likely due to the salt content of the area. If your buffering capacity is low, you should consider using a chemical product like Seachem Equilibrium--it will not change pH, just help remineralize the water in order to keep the pH stable. I would be more inclined to use a chemical product in this case than coral, shells, limestone, etc, because you will get a more consistent mineral mixture if you simply add a bit of product with each water change, and it will not affect your pH like those other items may.

[JKfish]

I don't have a gh or kh tester, and I don't have an airstone either :( Could I just pour the water into a bucket and let it sit for a day?

Fish are alright ish, they're looking a bit pale, and acting a bit more irritable, but they're still active.

Adastra: that's for the recommendation, though I need to get my ph up as well, because it's incredibly low. :P

I'll try to get to the LFS on friday or saturday to pick up an airstone, gh and ph test, and maybe the equalibrium