Do I Need To Take Action?

[CezzaXV]

Hello everyone,

I have an issue with my tank. My tap water has a pH of 7.2, and when I tested it some months ago now, it was super soft, though the numbers didn't really mean much to me. I've been testing my water a lot recently due to an ammonia issue which has now passed and I'm considering getting more fish. Anyway, my pH right at this minute is 6.0! This is as low as the API test goes, so it may be even lower. I have a diary where I write all of my test readings down and here's a sample from recent weeks:

28/2/12 - pH 6.8
2/3/12 - pH 7.8
7/3/12 - pH 6.4
9/3/12 - 6.0

As you can see, it fluctuates quite a bit! I really have no idea how my fish are still alive!

I have some very small shells inside one of my filter baskets as I was led to believe that they'll break down and make the water harder, though if my pH is able to drop that low after a maybe 60% water change only yesterday then I guess it's not working.

I don't really want to go down the RO route as I don't want to buy a unit and don't want to keep buying water from my LFS.

As I said I'm considering getting some new fish in the next week, and I'm guessing my LFS doesn't keep their fish in pH 6 water. I'm looking for a long term solution here. Any ideas?

 

[The Taffy Apple]

I use this ---> http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caribsea-Geo-Marine-Florida-Crushed-Coral-40lb-/370309369159?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item5638288d47

I have a handful in my tank and a small basket full of it in my Fluval. It, as you says, very slowly breaks down and gives my water a better buffering capacity, therefore always keeping my PH at a stable 7.2.
I don't have a bag as big as this and i certainly didn't pay £18 pounds for it..i did find it quite tricky to find stockists in the UK, but let me know if you would to know where i got it from, i can do a bit of homework and find out.

Terry.

 

[CezzaXV]

My LFS sells crushed coral as a substrate, though I had always believed it would make the pH 8. Don't know if that's true or whether I just dreamt it! If it is indeed 7.2 it sounds like it would be an ideal solution.

Of course, my cories and cardinals are suited to soft water and my guppies don't seem to care either! Just want to sort this out before it becomes a problem.

 

[KittyKat]

My LFS sells crushed coral as a substrate, though I had always believed it would make the pH 8. Don't know if that's true or whether I just dreamt it! If it is indeed 7.2 it sounds like it would be an ideal solution.

Of course, my cories and cardinals are suited to soft water and my guppies don't seem to care either! Just want to sort this out before it becomes a problem.

It buffers *towards* approx. 8.0, but a small handfull will not get you all the way there, it is likely to just raise the KH a bit

 

[CezzaXV]

Going to go LFS on Monday and hopefully get some. I know I've seen it before in there in own brand bags - I'm sure the guy buys it in massive sacks and then bags it up himself for additional profit. Now here's the question - if I ask him if he has any smaller amounts available because I want to put it in my filter, is he going to look at me like a complete loon like when I said I was fishless cycling?

My pH is up to 6.8 today. Not done any water changes or added anything that would change the pH. Hopefully the crushed coral will raise it and keep it more stable, but does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?

 

[Primous]

Nope!

Don't buy anything, add anything to the tank or filter, or attempt to adjust your ph in any way. A while back when researching a planted tank I came across quite an in depth thread on another forum regarding this. In fairness it started out as ph affecting plants but quickly moved to cover both fish and plants. In short, drastic ph swings will have an affect on your fish. A drop or increase of 5 in either direction and you're likely to be in trouble. Though with that said, a wc of of 30-50% is likely in keep your tanks ph somewhere between 6-8 which is ok because your fish will adjust to it.

In the wild, seasonal changes and any host of environmental factors can change the lake/rivers ph. Think several days of torrential rain or a mass amount of soil falling into the stream etc. Bottom line those ro water units, chemical balancers and such are a complete waste of money.

Hope that helps

 

[Xraymark]

Mt tap water after 24h is a ph 6.6. In my tank it dropped to 6 and possible under as the API kit doesn't test lower. I was getting ammonia spikes and I put it down to my filter bacteria stalling or going dormant.
I put about a half a cup full of coral chips in my filter and that has kept my ph stable close to my tap water.

 

[Rummynose]

Mt tap water after 24h is a ph 6.6. In my tank it dropped to 6 and possible under as the API kit doesn't test lower. I was getting ammonia spikes and I put it down to my filter bacteria stalling or going dormant.
I put about a half a cup full of coral chips in my filter and that has kept my ph stable close to my tap water.

Same here. Ph in tap water 6.5 (soft water), ph in tank had dropped to little over 5 (Nutrafin liquid test kit), lost some fish to this, added a small handful of crushed coral in a bag to my filter and have been able to maintain the same ph in my tank as my tap water for 2 months and counting!

 

[KittyKat]

Going to go LFS on Monday and hopefully get some. I know I've seen it before in there in own brand bags - I'm convinced the guy buys it in massive sacks and then bags it up himself for additional profit. Now here's the question - if I ask him if he has any smaller amounts available because I want to put it in my filter, is he going to look at me like a complete loon like when I said I was fishless cycling?

My pH is up to 6.8 today. Not done any water changes or added anything that would change the pH. Hopefully the crushed coral will raise it and keep it more stable, but does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?

It's not impossible for you to get "you're a loon" looks… he'll probably offer you some liquid buffer instead What is your KH? If it's under 2 degrees, that's probably what's causing it as there are many factors which vary throughout the day that can affect pH (like what various bacteria and plants are doing).

Nope! […] Don't buy anything, add anything to the tank or filter, or attempt to adjust your ph in any way. A while back when researching a planted tank I came across quite an in depth thread on another forum regarding this. In fairness it started out as ph affecting plants but quickly moved to cover both fish and plants. In short, drastic ph swings will have an affect on your fish. A drop or increase of 5 in either direction and you're likely to be in trouble. Though with that said, a wc of of 30-50% is likely in keep your tanks ph somewhere between 6-8 which is ok because your fish will adjust to it.

The problem here is that the pH (and probably water hardness) change quite a bit on a daily basis, so what is the downside to making it more stable? A water change will only make the water parameters as stable as the KH allows and if there is no KH, then no amount of water changes will make any difference. Also, fish that do best in harder water do not adjust very well to lower pHs (but the other way works in terms of purely ability to live in harder water).

 

[snazy]

If I were you I would start with getting a Kh test and also get the nitrAte readings of the tank and post them here for advice.

There is no reason why your Ph is fluctuating so much besides if the Kh is too low. Or if that's not the issue then you have a problem with either overstocking, dirty gravel, dirty filter pads, a lot of waiste, not enough water changes, etc..

The Ph can crash and I would start with a Kh test and a nitrAte test. Ph and ammonia are very closely connected and the abundance of one affects the other.

I would not try adjusting the Ph in any way using anything. It's highly unlikely you have such an acidic water coming out from the tap so the issue could be the tank itself.

 

[CezzaXV]

Don't buy anything, add anything to the tank or filter, or attempt to adjust your ph in any way. A while back when researching a planted tank I came across quite an in depth thread on another forum regarding this. In fairness it started out as ph affecting plants but quickly moved to cover both fish and plants. In short, drastic ph swings will have an affect on your fish. A drop or increase of 5 in either direction and you're likely to be in trouble. Though with that said, a wc of of 30-50% is likely in keep your tanks ph somewhere between 6-8 which is ok because your fish will adjust to it.

That's the thing though. I assume you mean .5 rather than 5, but my tank has seen a .8 increase (maybe more, since my tank tested at 6.0 yesterday but I can't test any lower than that) in just over 24 hours, and I haven't done anything to the tank that could have caused this. In the last two weeks my tank has had a pH range of 1.8. My water has no ability to hold a pH whatsoever.

 

[CezzaXV]

If I were you I would start with getting a Kh test and also get the nitrAte readings of the tank and post them here for advice.

There is no reason why your Ph is fluctuating so much besides if the Kh is too low. Or if that's not the issue then you have a problem with either overstocking, dirty gravel, dirty filter pads, a lot of waiste, not enough water changes, etc..

The Ph can crash and I would start with a Kh test and a nitrAte test. Ph and ammonia are very closely connected and the abundance of one affects the other.

I would not try adjusting the Ph in any way using anything. It's highly unlikely you have such an acidic water coming out from the tap so the issue could be the tank itself.

I did a kH test quite some time ago, though not recently. I forget the exact results and I'm unable to do a new test right now, but I seem to remember it was the lowest reading the test could give. I will do one of these soon.

Nitrate is currently approx 30ppm (redder than 20 but too orange for 40), and my tap water usually tests at 10-20ppm. I do water changes twice a week if possible, usually on Mondays and Thursdays. Up until now I've been doing quite large changes, but since I've been on a testing spree this week it's made me nervous to do such large changes. The last time I tested my tap water is had a pH of 7.2. Having said that, I'm using a different tap now (as my tank has moved) to the last time I tested so it might be worth testing again. I've also been testing ammonia and nitrite and they've both been consistently zero for some time now.

EDIT: Update. I've tested my tank water. The bathroom is engaged at the moment so I can't test the tap water there, but I can give you my tank readings. I'm using the API GH/KH test. With the KH test, the solution turns yellow after two drops, so I think 2 degrees if that means anything? The GH test tells you to measure how many drops it takes to change the water from green to orange. After only one drop the water is yellow, and a second drop makes it fully orange. No green at all. The instructions say this means 17.9ppm GH/KH, though that means nothing to me if I'm honest.

 

[KittyKat]

KH of 1 degree (35.8 ppm) and GH of 1-2 degrees is low enough that in itself it is not that great for most fish, and this is also where your problem lies. Your water has (in practice) no buffering capability and no hardness at all.

If you want a comparison, my KH and GH have been in the 10-20 degree range over the last few years, which gives a stable environment.

 

[balajake]

will abit of tuffa rock raise ph ?

 

[Carlos & Siran]

Do you have any swamp wood in your tank?