sudden high ph!!

[orphansparrow]

so, was just about to do water change on my guy's tank, and decided to test the ph, because i hadn't done so in a couple days.

every time i make new water for him, i test the ph, and it is always at 7.0!

i just tested it, and it is at least 7.6 (my test sheet doesn't show higher than that)

i'm guessing it could be the rocks i've decorated his tank with. though i did the vinegar test and none of them fizzed. i also tested his water the day after i added the rocks, and it was still 7.0.

i also recently started mixing his food up a bit and feeding him a different kind of pellet along with his old kind.

i have also noticed recently that the color on his head (a white peachy color) seems to be receding. i'm not totally sure though. but it seems like it wasn't so much like that before.

=((

should i worry? oh, here's my info:

Housing
What size is your tank? 2 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78ish
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? i put in his air stone about once a day for 5 - 10 minutes
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? hikari betta bio gold and aquarian color enhancing bits
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 pellets twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? one 100%, one 50%, and usually one 20%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: usually 7.0 - RIGHT NOW 7.6 at least!
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? i think the peachy/white color on his head looks like it's receded a bit. i'm not positive.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? nope! seems happy and inquisitive.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? a few days ago? but the high PH, just today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? no
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? i don't know. i got him may 11th (couple weeks ago)



SO, should i remove the rocks? or, i could add more filtered water than usual (i do a combo of filtered plus tap to get the ph at 7.0), if i added more filtered water i could possibly keep the rocks...hm.

what do you think?

here's a photo of the rocks in his tank. i'll try to get one of the color of his head:

[orphansparrow]

okay, here's a photo of his head. when i first got him, he did have something on his head that i thought was just coloration. in one spot it looked like he had a little nic to his head, it was red in color, and then he had a little patch of what looked like "baldness". but i don't think it was this bad!

what do you think? is it the sudden high ph? or normal?

[vaygirl]

That peach color thing on his head? I have a fish colored just about the same. That's normal. I'll post a pic of Logan at the end.

For changing PH, it's possible it came from the rocks. Fish can adapt to a slowly changing ph. It's sudden shocks that harm them. If you had the rock in for a few days and it gradually affected the ph, it's probably not a big deal. Where did they come from?

If you want to know for sure, remove them and put them in a bucket of water. Test the ph before and then a couple days later. But if he's acting fine and eating fine, I wouldn't worry. One of my tanks has a ph of 8.3 and Kilo is just fine.

Here's Logan's peachy head. He changes colors all the time:


Edit: Honestly, that looks like coloring to me because it's the same hue as his other red coloring. Just keep an eye and if it starts to look like it's a sore or a hole then I'd worry.

[orphansparrow]

Originally Posted by vaygirl

That peach color thing on his head? I have a fish colored just about the same. That's normal. I'll post a pic of Logan at the end.

For changing PH, it's possible it came from the rocks. Fish can adapt to a slowly changing ph. It's sudden shocks that harm them. If you had the rock in for a few days and it gradually affected the ph, it's probably not a big deal. Where did they come from?

If you want to know for sure, remove them and put them in a bucket of water. Test the ph before and then a couple days later. But if he's acting fine and eating fine, I wouldn't worry. One of my tanks has a ph of 8.3 and Kilo is just fine.

Here's Logan's peachy head. He changes colors all the time:

Edit: Honestly, that looks like coloring to me because it's the same hue as his other red coloring. Just keep an eye and if it starts to look like it's a sore or a hole then I'd worry.

ah, very smart about quarantining the rocks! i will do that. for now, i just cleaned his tank and removed the rocks.

oh, and i found this photo of him from just about a week ago:


see how different it looked? see what i mean about the "nic" and the "bald spot"? he always had those two little marks, but it seems like it changed so rapidly!

but, for now i'll try not to worry.

thanks again!

[vaygirl]

Oh yeah, I see what you mean. Most of my fish that are light colored and marble-y had that 'bald' spot on the top. They can change color literally overnight. I had a fish that had black eyes wake up with blue ones. But if it looks like a wound, like bloody, then I'd start worrying. It's hard to tell because he's got red pigment to begin with. Keep updated pictures of him from the side and that way you can also see if he's changing color elsewhere. That helps.