high alkalinty

Question
hello,
my fish tank is testing high alkalinty
i was woundering if thers drops for that because the guy at the pet store sold me some water softener and he said that would lower it is that true? the sofener is called a pillow and its good up to 4 use's i rater have drop's..and also my fish is sick again heres a list of all the things i use 4 him and maybe you can tell me what i am doing wrong all testing is fine but the hardness and alkalinty
i do a 20% water change like the vet told me to do
i use 8 hours of light
i use aqua safe
stress coat
prime 4 the nitite n nitate
accu-clear
i let the water sit 24 hours befor i add it to his tank. the fish is a goldfish...he is always sick with the same thing white patch never in the same place but now he has that and a blister behind his eye...20% water change once a week like every 2 mouths he gets sick...HELP

Answer
Hello,

The chemicals and light you use for your fish are good. However, it will greatly improve the quality of your aquarium water if you change 10% every week instead of 20% every two. This prevents wastes from building up to extreme levels. Also make sure you syphon your gravel.

Softener does not help alkalinity. Water hardness is different then pH, and alkalinity is a component of pH. The pH scale ranges from 0-14. 0-6.9 is acidic, 7 is neutral and 7.1- 14 is alkaline. Unless your water exceeds about 8.3 in pH then it is not too alkaline. It is best not to tamper with pH because even slight changes can cause drastic consequences for your fish. If it is too alkaline, but a pH lowering product (they come in drops) and add a little bit each day so as to slowly bring down the pH.

You may also want to add an antibacterial to your tank when your fish gets sick. Melafix is a good one.

I hope this helps.

Best of luck,
From Stephanie