• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

uh oh 7.7

You could do a 20% water change and then add buffer (the kind that raises the pH) to the tank, a little at a time (as recommended).

Your pH registers very low - why don't you try your test on natural seawater and see what the results are. Your test kit may not be too accurate. And I find pH to be lower at night and higher as the day goes on. You should aim at 8.2, but some octo keepers recommend from 8.0 to 8.3.

Nancy
 
Nancy said:
You could do a 20% water change and then add buffer (the kind that raises the pH) to the tank, a little at a time (as recommended).

Your pH registers very low - why don't you try your test on natural seawater and see what the results are. Your test kit may not be too accurate. And I find pH to be lower at night and higher as the day goes on. You should aim at 8.2, but some octo keepers recommend from 8.0 to 8.3.

Nancy

I did a fifty percent water change and my PH is still only around 8.0 I did a test on sea water and it turned out to be around 8.3
Before the change my nitrate level was off the charts. And now its still at about 100! While the nitrates from sea water were around 0! I dont have a buffer but I understand that it is made from sodium bicarbonet. Is there some mixture of arm & hammer and somthing else that can be used as a buffer? Im in desperate need of help. While my octo seems better now I doubt it will last.
-Nick
 
You need to be doing partial water changes with fresh seawater every day, I'd think.

The problem is that you don't have a cycled tank, which helps take care of these problems. It's going to be a lot of work to keep changing out the seawater.

A pH of 8.0 is about as low as you'd want it to drop. Aim for 8.2. Octos tolerate nitrates better than nitrites or ammonia, but still you need to try to bring it down.

You may have have to release your octopus and work on building a stable tank to accomodate future octopuses. You want to give them a good place to live and I think you will need to turn to artificial salt water (through a salt mix) for this, since you can't contantly be pumping a large quantitiy of salt water through your tank or doing enormous water changes every day.

Nancy
 
Would a sump help? I really dont want to get rid of the octo. I probably wont see one again for several years. Im willing to try different things, but I cant afford to start all over again. Ive spent far to much time and money on this tank.
 
Nevermind your right. Its time for me to throw in the towel. I just did another PH test and it was 7.4 Its ridiculous! I just dont think aquarium keeping is the hobby for me. And now I have to go through all the hassle of dismantilling the tank and returing the fish to the wild. :sad:
 
Aquarium keeping can be the hobby for you, but you just have to plan your tank and have the patience to see it cycle. Then you can keep an octopus without all this trouble. You have access to many nice things to put into your tank and I'm sure you'll find another octopus. Don't give up yet - just say this was an experiment but the next time you're going to do it right.

Nancy
 
No doubt! Most of us are envious of the resources you have near you. Perhaps this isn't the time to own a ceph. Perhaps given some time and preparation you can bring another octopus home after you've had a chance to do some research on needs and getting the tank prepped.

Don't give up too quickly!
 
Well I just went throught the tank and overturned every single rock in search of detritus. I got rid of most of it and stirred up dead sand. Im about to change the filters. If this doesnt raise the PH then I will try a few more things. If none of it works then maybe I will switch to salt mix...
 
Is this a new tank? If so I wouldn't worry about the pH yet. Tanks need time to stabilize. Be cautious of number chasing because our test kits are really just nice general ideas of the conditions of the tank. Also your pH issue may simply be a 02 issue. Take a sample of the water, bubble water through it with an air pump for 10-20 minutes and then check the pH.
 
Is your octo still eating, behaving normally? You need to keep doing water changes. And if you still feel overwhelmed (you really jumped in with both feet...), maybe you could release the octopus, but keep the fish. They won't produce as much waste as the octopus and your tank would be more stable. Maybe you could donate the octopus to the Waikiki Aquarium? Hang in there...
 
You also have to remember that you are basically creating a microcosmic tide pool by keeping animals in a tank...and in nature, those tide pools get a 100% water change at least once a day.
By steadily cycling the tank, you can manipulate the filtering system to maintain an artificial balance...stick with the hobby, but just take it a little slower.
Patience is really the key to keeping a good reef or ceph tank.
greg
 

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