pH a high everthing....

[peteypob]

Hi everyone,

My 55 gal tank has been cycling for a week and the readings were as follow: Day one.....pH 6, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Ammonia 0, GH 2
Today.........pH 7.6, Nitrite .25-.50, Nitrate a little less than 10, Ammonia 0, GH 5

Is the pH supposed to jump that high in that amount of time? I plan on keeping my pH a little lower than 7.6 but wont worry about it till the nitrogen cycle has completed.Also I want to add some tetras in there, would they react negativly because of the high nitrite levels?

[Carol_Roberts]

Your tank is nearly cycled if you are showing nitrIte and a little nitrAte.

Your pH could naturally go up if you tested the water straight from the tap and then CO2 naturally off gassed.

One thing I wonder is why your GH rose from 2 to 5. Do you have gravel or shells in the tank leaching carbonates? If yes, that will raise the pH too.

If your water is really GH2 your pH will naturally fall over time in your tank. You will have to watch for pH crashes. GH 5 is much safer. Just let the pH fall where it falls unless you are trying to breed wilds. Juveniles will do fine in pH 7.6