How vulnerable are Dwarf Gourami's to high PH levels

C

chval

AC Members
Jan 26, 2007
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In January I set up a 55 gallon tank equipped with a Penguin 350, heater & light. In it I have 2 - black skirt tetras, 3 - phantom tetras, 6 - guppies, 2 - cory cats, 1 - pleco & 2 - chinese algae (I think).

Here's my problem. On June 11th I brought home two Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami's. I bought them in a town 125 miles away from home. They packaged each fish separate since I had a two hour drive home. Once I got home, I floated the bags to equalize the temperatures and then I opened the bags and started adding some of my tank water to each bag. One fish died within 3 hours and the other within 24. I had done a partial water change two days prior to this and when the first fish started acting weird I checked my water parameters (just in case) and my ammonia was not zero but may have been closer to 5(or whatever the next color was) so I decided to do another partial change. Whenever I do a water change, I add stress coat & stress zyme. I had decided that these fish had become stressed on the two- hour ride home or else it had to do with my water PH.

My LFS uses the exact same water source that I do and they do not adjust for PH. So I decided to check them out and lo and behold they had the same gourami's so last Monday (18th) I brought home two more. They seemed to be fine. One kind of hid a lot of the time but the other was swimming around and eating fine. Well, yesterday I pulled out the one that hid and this morning I pulled out the other one. Now I'm ready to pull out my hair!

So at noon today I test the parameters on my tank and these are the readings: (API Freshwater Master Test Kit)

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 8.2

I know that there are ways to adjust the water PH but is there a form of neutralizer that you can add as I am doing a water change with my Python system.

Do you think the PH is the problem?

Sure could use some good advice.

Thanks,

Connie H
 
Well you're showing 0 nitrates... and that's a puzzling parameter for a cycled tank. Is it possible it's not cycled? Are there plants?

Unfortunately it's known that dwarf gouramis are not tough specimens - but to have them die that quickly, they'd either have to be sickly from the store, or there is something else going on.

It is true that they are found in more acidic water, but mine's been as high as 7.6 and I've never seen issues with my dwarf and pH changing.
 
No, it had cycled. Awhile back I remember getting a higher reading for the nitrates - maybe I'll check that one again when I get home from work.

The fish looked fine when I bought them.
 
I originally purchased 4 Dwarfs, before I was fully cycled or knew anything at all. I lost the two Red Dwarfs within days, but that's was got me here to learn. The thng that I credit the 2 remaining Neon Blues' survival to is the advice to do constant large water chages until Ammonia is at zero. My Ph ranges from 6.6 to 7.2 between water changes (tap s 6.6).

Do you use Prime or another detoxifier? What size tank? What other inhabitants? How long has it been set up?
 
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