ph levels and fish

Question
I have lost a couple of fish due to the ich , couple weeks back and since then , i have done a 50% chance and just can't seem to get my pH on track! I'm wondering about these levels because don't know much bout pH ! Here they are

Chlorine-0
Nitrate- 3.0
Hardness- 250
pH- 6.8  

Would you recommend getting another fish with these levels , my tank is a 55 gall, just has been so empty for weeks with only two fish in it for weeks! help!  

Answer
Hi Jennifer,
It's best to not worry about your pH. Because fortunately most all captive-raised aquarium fish have adapted to thrive in a wide range of pH levels and trying to adjust your pH often does more harm than good. When you add chemicals, they tend to only work for a short time, and in no time the pH will be back to where it use to be. This results in pH fluctuations and this stresses fish badly and makes them very susceptible to many illnesses and shock.

It's much better that fish have a stable, not specific, water chemistry with a stable pH level. Water of proper temperature and plenty of frequent water changes are far more vital for good fish health.

Have you tested your straight tap water's pH yet? Sometimes it can be vastly different from your aquarium's. Many times in aquariums if the water isn't changed often enough, natural organic compounds in clogged gravel beds and such release tannins that can lower the pH of your aquarium. Sometimes several water changes will bring the pH back to it's normal level and thereafter, regular maintenance water changes will keep it consistently stable. Driftwood will also lower the pH of your aquarium, it also tends to release tannins into the tank which can turn your water a tea-color, this is harmless and can easily be removed with carbon in your filter and several partial water changes.

It appears that you have good readings for your tank. 0 Chlorine is what you -always- want of course. Your Nitrate is exceptionally low likely due to such a low stocking level, but it's good to keep nitrates as low as possible.
Your Hardness reading refers to the amount of dissolved minerals and salts in your water. Water chemistry it very complicated and most people don't ever completely understand it but don't worry, it's not all that important.

Your pH level would be fine for most fish. And many aquarists would love to have such a low pH like yours because sometimes the beautiful delicate Amazonian fish like Cardinal Tetras or Discus and extremely delicate Asian fish such as Chocolate Gouramis won't thrive in high pH waters.
But then there are many fish who won't do well in low pH waters such as African cichlids and sometimes livebearers.

Before attempting to change your pH, I would ask your local petstore what pH they keep their fish tanks at. If it happens to match yours, I wouldn't worry about anything. The fish have already adapted to that range of pH.

I would just try to control  the ph by doing regular frequent water changes at least once a week and remove at least 1/3 of the water.

I would think you should be able to add fish-- just do it slowly which is always better on your biological bacteria. Add a few and wait a week or two. That gives your system time to adjust to the new waste load.

Best of luck!
Hope this has helped,
Karen