High ph in my tank

Question
I have a 75 gallon tank that I recently set up with a canister filter and about  2 inches of gravel. I bought a dip strip test kit to test the water as I have lost many fish. My ph is off the scale. Greater then 8.4 and the total alkalinity greater than 300. I have lost Neon Tetras, Dwarf Gouramis, as well as a Columbian Shark. My Mollies, Platys, and Guppies seem to be doing fine. I have been trying to lower the ph with a ph down kit but it is such a slow process going down no more the .2 in 24 hours. Can you suggest any fist that might like the higher ph so I can stop trying to lower it? I have been told that African Cichlids will not do well with my other fish. THANK YOU!!!  

Answer
Hi George

No, African Cichlids will not work with your current fish. That high of pH is rarely found in aquariums. Make sure you don't have gravel or rocks like crushed coral, cichlid sand etc, in the tank that are raising the pH. In reading an article recently, I learned of the vinegar fizz test. Take a tbsp of vinegar and pour it on the rock. Look closely, and if it fizzes, that rock will raise the pH.

You should also check your tap water for pH. Make sure to add a water conditioner to the tap water or the test will not be accurate. Using chemicals to lower the pH is never recommended. The chemicals will do more harm than the high pH. If your tap water test shows a high pH, then you are best to stick with fish that can do well in that high of pH. The Mollies, Guppies and Platys are all livebearers that will be fine in the higher pH. Some people say to use aquarium driftwood to lower the pH, but the effects don't last forever.

I'm also a little concerned that you may have severely overstocked your tank. I don't know how old the tank is, you said "recently" Does that mean last week, 2 weeks ago, last month? Even if the tank has completed the cycle process, which takes 4-8 weeks, the fish have to be added a few at a time. Usually 2-3 per week in larger tanks. You should not add more than 1" of fish per gallon of water.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard