HELP! NastayNatron's tank

[Cal_stir]

ph 8.6 is high, sounds like too much alk, does he have a alk test kit?

[lo_yyc]

He does have an alk test kit - I just did it and it says the pH is 8.3, but I've never done the test before so I'm not 100% confident that I know how to do it.

[Cal_stir]

you mean 8.3 dkh? what kind of test kit is it, just follow the instructions, 8.3 dkh is not bad, maybe try the test again

[lo_yyc]

No, that's right - it's 8.3 dkH.

But..... now that I took out the dead fish it's actually looking like it's started to clear up a bit, I'm not sure if that's possible, but it sure is what it looks like.

And the fish are looking a little more active than when I first came home, so that's probably a good sign, right?

[Cal_stir]

yes, good sign.
make sure the return pump is running and all powerheads are on, do a water change if you can.
the high ph is a worry, what is it now?

[Cal_stir]

How is it going? is it clearing up?

[Lampshade]

One thing to make sure is that all the pumps are on and circulating water. Odd to lose fish from much more than the basics of water movement and temp/salinity. So as long as there isn't a pool of water on the ground, salinity should be the same. Temperature is easy to check, so just make sure there's lots of water turn over.

Did the skimmer cup overflow into the tank? that would cause it to be cloudy and also cause a nitrate spike, starving oxygen.

Did a pump fall off a mount and blast into the sand? that could release all kinds of nasty stuff into the tank.

[lo_yyc]

OK, so I tried some vinegar and so far nothing has happened, so I think I might just need to do a water change. the only problem there is that I don't really know how. I've seen Nathan do it a million times, but I don't know what I need to turn off and stuff before I do it. I'm also not sure if there's salt in the water downstairs, so I guess I might just need to mix it.

Would powerheads need to be turned off in order to do a water change?

[marie]

If you are unsure of how to do a water change then it is probably best to leave everything alone

[lo_yyc]

Thanks Marie, I wasn't sure how complicated it was and was worried to try. I appreciate it. I'll keep trying the vinegar for the pH. I think another fish might be missing, but I guess there's not much I can do about that now.

Thanks again all!

-L.