> 6.0 ph help

He needs more water changes, definitely. Like, 3-4x 50% per week -minimum- changes in a tank that size. That's why his fins are degrading, high ammonia exposure makes fish prone to fin rot. It'll be ammonia from lack of adequate water changing, and not the ph, that's affecting his fins.

Don't mess with your ph. Test your tap water. If your tap water's at 6 or w/e, leave the tank alone. Bettas evolved in low ph water and can actually stand quite soft water. Sudden changes to ph are far worse for your fish than exposure to a certain level long-term.

That's why you need to test your tap water. If something, an ornament or the stones in the bottom, are drastically changing the pH level compared to the tap water, large water changes could shock him.

If that's the case (tap water being very different to tank water), I'd take everything out and put it all in separate plastic containers and test the pH of all those containers after a week.. that'll tell you what's lowering the pH, if it's not that way out of the tap.

(I'd make the water changes after removing the stones, etc, quite small and frequent over a few days, to help the fish get used to to the new water chemistry)

pingerau said:

Yes the tank is filtered and has some java fern and moss.
I change the water once a week. Approx 30% every time.
I'm worried his fins are burning as they are bad compared to when I first got him.

Should I get some crushed coral and add that tomorrow ?

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Ahhh, a high Ph is not going to cause fin rot which is what it sounds like, at least not that I've ever heard. Your Ph should be within the range of 7.4-8.4. A 30% water change weekly for a 1g tank is not enough. At the very least there should be a 100% water change once a week. Most people with a tank that small will do one 50% water change AND a 100% water change weekly. His health will GREATLY improve if you do water changes. While he is healing I would suggest doing at a 50% water change every other day with a 100% complete change once a week, at least for the next week or two. Once he's healed up you can cut back, but again at the very least he needs a weekly 100% water change. Clean water will do more to help him heal & keep him healthy than anything else. I would also suggest you look into getting him a minimum of a 5g tank, I prefer 10g but a 5 is much better than a 1g.

a very big thanks to everyones advice,

atm i wont be able to upgrade the tank, but it will be something ill look into in the next few months.

i do have a heater, the temp sits at approx 21degrees one of the marina c10 10w submersible heaters

what i will do is increase the frequency of water change and hope to see some improvement over the next month or so.

one last question. i was thinking of using aq salt to help him heal, but i have read aq salt maybe bad for the plants. is this true ?

Thanks again

As mentioned before- don't use anything to increase the pH, your betta will adjust to it just fine, and playing with it can easily cause harm and even death to your fish.

Aus said:

He needs more water changes, definitely. Like, 3-4x 50% per week -minimum- changes in a tank that size. That's why his fins are degrading, high ammonia exposure makes fish prone to fin rot. It'll be ammonia from lack of adequate water changing, and not the ph, that's affecting his fins.

(I'd make the water changes after removing the stones, etc, quite small and frequent over a few days, to help the fish get used to to the new water chemistry)

Click to expand...

With a live plant, you don't want to be doing so many water changes.. and not that many in a 1g with no live plants either.

Your tank can become too sterile, which in the long run will cause your fish to have a lowered immune system since they won't be exposed to everything a healthy fish should be exposed to.. among other reasons (not at home, so don't have all my files).

The plant needs the waste and to have the organisms in it to live healthy, so do the shrimp. Personally, even though shrimp give off little ammonia a 1g is quite small for them- the shrimp may not live as long, nor be as healthy in time because they do require a larger tank, and one that has some sort of cycle.

Have no ideal why you are using AQ salt, in fact, surprised your shrimp haven't died from it yet.. if it is just a torn fin, AQ salt can actually hamper the growth of it. Stop AQ salt right away unless he has an open wound, fungus or a bacteria infection such as fin rot- if that is the case you should remove the plants and shrimp, 1tsp of AQ salt, daily 100% water changes for no longer then 10 days. But if you aren't treating for any of what I had listed, then it is best to stop AQ salt, do a 100% to remove it and then start on the proper water change routine that is specific for your set up:

2 50% water changes a week, that is all. You can remove some of the waste with a turkey baster once a week or every other week (your plant will use the waste as fertilizer, so you don't want to remove it every time).
As long as you do suck up some of the waste as mentioned just now, then you can eliminate the need for a 100% because you have a live plant in the 1 gallon.. that plant is keeping your water cleaner and safer then if you didn't have it. People keep forgetting that bettas don't create a whole lot of ammonia themselves.

Again, don't mess with the pH, don't go crazy on the water changes, recommend to rehome the shrimp... have to keep in mind that every tank is different, and the water changes isn't cookie cutter same for every size tank. There is the basics and recommendated amount- but have to keep in mind if people have live plants and other animals in the tanks that it won't be the same as the next.
And regardless you don't want to over clean the tanks anyways... a 1 gallon unfiltered tank should be cleaned no more then 1 50% and 1 100% per week.. that is a tank with no live plants, no filter.

The species of plant also need to be considered - java fern isn't much of a nutrient sink, compared to say java moss, wisteria or hornwort. A small bunch of java fern makes very little impact compared to a bunch of any of those.

the OP did not mention having a tankmate in the initial post...

Shrimp do have a very low bioload but having both is a bit much, I agree, and if the little 1 gallon is never properly cleaned, there'll be a quick buildup of waste in the gravel. Not so much of a bother in a bigger tank, but in a small one, it inevitably will be.

If you won't consider a tank upgrade or rehoming the shrimp, consider a bunch of loose java moss as well as the fern - the shrimp will love it and have a great place to hide, and it will help cut down waste between changes (a little..).

I think more changes would be beneficial, especially as the betta has fin issues, but everybody has their own opinion/experience..