Raising pH in Brackish Tank, "FW" Morays  7/11/06
Hi,
<Hi John, Pufferpunk here>
I am writing with a few questions for anyone who may have the time to answer them for me. All help is greatly appreciated.
<I can certainly try!>   
I have in my possession a "Freshwater" Moray Eel, about 14 inches in length. He is currently in a 55 gallon tank (48"x12"x18") with about 1/2" of gravel on bottom. I saw him for sale a while back and did some research on him before making the decision to purchase. The specific gravity of salt in the water is 1.008, according to my recently purchased hydrometer.
<I prefer refractometers--much more accurate--hydrometers can be off as much as .005.  You might want to compare the reading on your hydrometer, with a refractometer, to see if it's true.>
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels are all at zero. I believe the pH is a little low for him, ranging at just over 7.5. I've had him for just over two weeks now and am having problems. :(  
My first question is should I raise the ph level?
<I would, BW fish prefer a pH of around 8.>
He is a lone inhabitant, other than food (a few guppies ranging from very small to about an inch in length and a few ghost shrimp I put in yesterday). I'm not sure of the exact pH level he would be happiest in so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Second, would he be happier if I kept him on live or switched him to frozen? I bought some frozen krill for him but he isn't taking to
that very well. If it's better for him to be on frozen, what is the best way to switch him to frozen? One person I talked to said that I should not let him eat one day, then try frozen the next and if he doesn't take to it then give him some fresh and to just keep trying that making the gaps in-between feedings longer, until he breaks and eats the frozen krill.
<You will have to "train" him to eat frozen foods (hopefully you are defrosting before feeding).  You can spear the food with a wooden stick (like the ones they use for kabobs) or you can get a plastic one at your LFS.  I'd take away his live food for about 3 days before trying this.  Then you will have to entice him, by wiggling the food around by his face (preferably in the evening, during "regular" hunting hours).  You could also bounce the food off a thread (use a needle to go through the food) but don't tie a knot in the end.  I would try a variety of foods, including silversides, people shrimp & any other odds & ends you see for sale in your grocery/produce store.>
My other problem is with his breathing. He is breathing rapidly with the same symptoms of another eel I read about in one of the FAQ’s on your site but I don't believe that low salt is the problem. Like I said the salt level is at 1.008 SG. What else could possibly cause this breathing problem? He is not eating as much now as he used to. Is it because I'm trying to switch him to frozen or because he is sick? He is displaying no outward signs of any parasitic infestation or bacterial infection. Is there the possibility of internal infection?
<Heavy breathing can be a sign of ammonia/nitrite issues, affecting the 02 levels in the water and/or burning their gills.  How long has that tank been set up?  Are you doing regular weekly water changes?  You should be seeing some detectable nitrates in a cycled BW tank.  How was the tank cycled?  How quickly did you raise the SG?  It should be only raised by .002/weekly water changes so as not I'd test the water again.>
My last question is due to fact that he is a brackish water fish.
Could I put substrate at the bottom of his tank instead of the standard fish gravel that he is in now?
<This actually goes back to your pH question & how to raise it & keep it stable around 8.  It is recommended to use crushed coral or aragonite as substrate in a BW tank.  Since you only have 1/2" of gravel in there, you could just add another inch to that.  If your gravel is dark though, you may not like the look & want to change it out completely for the buffering substrate.>
He seems to be doing just fine with the gravel--he is burrowing down under some rock I have in his tank during the day.  Kind of like a natural rock structure that he swims through and sleeps under.
<Yes, they hang out in burrows during the day & hunt at night.>
I have some knowledge about aquariums but I don't know everything
<Ha, me either!>
and hopefully you guys can help me learn a little more about this guy. I've had him for just over three weeks now. Anything you guys can share is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and have a great day.
John R. Ayer
<Thanks John I will (today's water change day) & enjoy this interesting creature!  ~PP>

Raising pH in Brackish Tank, "FW" Morays  7/11/06
Hi,
<Hi John, Pufferpunk here>
I am writing with a few questions for anyone who may have the time to answer them for me. All help is greatly appreciated.
<I can certainly try!>   
I have in my possession a "Freshwater" Moray Eel, about 14 inches in length. He is currently in a 55 gallon tank (48"x12"x18") with about 1/2" of gravel on bottom. I saw him for sale a while back and did some research on him before making the decision to purchase. The specific gravity of salt in the water is 1.008, according to my recently purchased hydrometer.
<I prefer refractometers--much more accurate--hydrometers can be off as much as .005.  You might want to compare the reading on your hydrometer, with a refractometer, to see if it's true.>
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels are all at zero. I believe the pH is a little low for him, ranging at just over 7.5. I've had him for just over two weeks now and am having problems. :(  
My first question is should I raise the ph level?
<I would, BW fish prefer a pH of around 8.>
He is a lone inhabitant, other than food (a few guppies ranging from very small to about an inch in length and a few ghost shrimp I put in yesterday). I'm not sure of the exact pH level he would be happiest in so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Second, would he be happier if I kept him on live or switched him to frozen? I bought some frozen krill for him but he isn't taking to
that very well. If it's better for him to be on frozen, what is the best way to switch him to frozen? One person I talked to said that I should not let him eat one day, then try frozen the next and if he doesn't take to it then give him some fresh and to just keep trying that making the gaps in-between feedings longer, until he breaks and eats the frozen krill.
<You will have to "train" him to eat frozen foods (hopefully you are defrosting before feeding).  You can spear the food with a wooden stick (like the ones they use for kabobs) or you can get a plastic one at your LFS.  I'd take away his live food for about 3 days before trying this.  Then you will have to entice him, by wiggling the food around by his face (preferably in the evening, during "regular" hunting hours).  You could also bounce the food off a thread (use a needle to go through the food) but don't tie a knot in the end.  I would try a variety of foods, including silversides, people shrimp & any other odds & ends you see for sale in your grocery/produce store.>
My other problem is with his breathing. He is breathing rapidly with the same symptoms of another eel I read about in one of the FAQ’s on your site but I don't believe that low salt is the problem. Like I said the salt level is at 1.008 SG. What else could possibly cause this breathing problem? He is not eating as much now as he used to. Is it because I'm trying to switch him to frozen or because he is sick? He is displaying no outward signs of any parasitic infestation or bacterial infection. Is there the possibility of internal infection?
<Heavy breathing can be a sign of ammonia/nitrite issues, affecting the 02 levels in the water and/or burning their gills.  How long has that tank been set up?  Are you doing regular weekly water changes?  You should be seeing some detectable nitrates in a cycled BW tank.  How was the tank cycled?  How quickly did you raise the SG?  It should be only raised by .002/weekly water changes so as not I'd test the water again.>
My last question is due to fact that he is a brackish water fish.
Could I put substrate at the bottom of his tank instead of the standard fish gravel that he is in now?
<This actually goes back to your pH question & how to raise it & keep it stable around 8.  It is recommended to use crushed coral or aragonite as substrate in a BW tank.  Since you only have 1/2" of gravel in there, you could just add another inch to that.  If your gravel is dark though, you may not like the look & want to change it out completely for the buffering substrate.>
He seems to be doing just fine with the gravel--he is burrowing down under some rock I have in his tank during the day.  Kind of like a natural rock structure that he swims through and sleeps under.
<Yes, they hang out in burrows during the day & hunt at night.>
I have some knowledge about aquariums but I don't know everything
<Ha, me either!>
and hopefully you guys can help me learn a little more about this guy. I've had him for just over three weeks now. Anything you guys can share is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and have a great day.
John R. Ayer
<Thanks John I will (today's water change day) & enjoy this interesting creature!  ~PP>

UGF and High pH II (03/01/04)
<Hi! Ananda here with some ideas...>
No....nothing new....yes I vacuum, nothing has changed, it was 6 for so
long and now 7.4-7.6 ....tried SeaChem acid buffer/alkaline buffer.....for a
few days and ph did not budge....I am clueless
<Do you, by chance, have kids? Is there a possibility that the kids sent something into the tank that you haven't seen? Or perhaps your municipality has changed the way it treats its water supply? Or have you recently started to use a different household cleaner? Are you using the same brand/type of pH test kit? Is it possible the test kit chemicals have expired, giving you an inaccurate result? Or did you recently get a new test kit, and your old test results may have been inaccurate? Also, if you've had the windows and such closed all winter, perhaps you've had a high level of ambient CO2 in the house, which would depress the pH. If  you've recently had a bout of spring weather and opened up the house, the pH could go up as the CO2 levels in the house drop. Hope this helps.... --Ananda>

Re: wood for aquascaping
First of all let me say I am very impressed not only with your site ( boy am I getting an education).  
Second, thank you for tour incredibly quick reply to my last question about velvet.  It remains to be seen whether my fish (scat) will make it.  Without your advice the chances would have been zilch.  
My question:  
I need to provide more cover/structure for my fish to get out of each other's way (especially my chromides).  I like the look of wood over rock.  However, the wood I am considering, labeled "Mopani wood", is indicated on the label to help soften the water.  My understanding from what I've gleaned from your articles & FAQ's is that brackish aquaria should be fairly hard water. ( I believe our local tap water is considered to be quite hard).
<I would test it for hardness>
"Wood" it be a mistake to use wood?
<I believe so. Look to types of rock (carbonate, tufa...) that impart alkaline earth materials (calcium, magnesium...), alkalinity to the water>
Also, in an effort to increase pH slightly (was about 7.6 - trying to get to 8.0 or so) I have started using baking soda (I'm cheap).  However some of the commercially available products apparently use a variety of bicarbonate salts and claim this is superior.  Is there a problem with adding only the sodium bicarb?
<No problem other than it will only raise pH to about 7.8>
Thanks a bunch (still crossing my fingers on the scat - he doesn't look too well at the moment)
<Hang in there. Bob Fenner>
Andreas