My PH is always low!

[tonkatruck]

I know to use the PH increaser, but it hasn't helped my tank.. i've put it in several times, and nothing...

someone told me to turn one of my filters off, and that'll help.. so i did, and it did work for about a day.. then it goes back down! HELP..

What can I do?

 

[kmurph]

What exactly is your ph at?

 

[Doggfather]

have you got a lot of bogwood?

 

[tonkatruck]

its at 6.0.. the yellow color on the chart..

i have all fake plants.. a picture of it is on my file.. click on my username..

not sure what bogwood is..?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

driftwood... basically real aquarium wood.

unless real wood has been soaked for a long time it leeches out acids and lowers the pH

Also, what is the pH of your tap water? There might not be something in the tank thats lowering it, you might just have acidic tap water.

 

[jh1987]

make ph higer then put ph buffer then it will be ok

 

[Bol]

First, I would offer that turning off your filter is a Bad Thing To Do.

Next, I would suggest that working with chemicals should be a last resort. It would be better, in my opinion, to find the cause first, and then decide on a "treatment".

What water do you fill your tank with? Tap water or distilled/RO? If it's tap water, is it "conditioned" or "softened"?

If it's tap water, get pH and KH (carbonate hardness) readings from your tap water -- you might want to take a sample and let it sit in an uncovered container for a day first (to let CO2 dissolve, which will affect your pH).

Get a KH reading of your tank.

List everything you add into your tank. What (and how much) water, dechlorinator, food, fertilizer, chemicals, etc. Plus, anything that you may use to clean in/outside/around the tank.

Do you run an airstone?

 

[Rudy2860]

i definately agree with Bol, chemicals are the last thing you want to put in there, its real easy to disturb the whole thing

 

[thecichlidaddict]

The problem with chemicals is that they may raise the PH temporarily, but it will sink back down again as the elments that are/are not in the water that is causing the lo ph in the first place are still there/not there. This means that it will sink, you will need to add more chemical, and you will have a yo-yo effect and eventually sick fish.

Let us know your answers on everything mentioned already, it's better to nail the source of the problem rather then use band-aid solutions.

 

[Shizat]

Post your nitrates because often people dont realize that their nitrates are high which will lower your ph a lot. Yesterday a guy came in saying he lost a lot of fish and I checked his water and his ph was that of a coke and his nitrates were off the scale.

 

[tonkatruck]

What water do you fill your tank with? Tap water or distilled/RO? If it's tap water, is it "conditioned" or "softened"?
tap water, and the PH level of that is 7.0


Do you run an airstone?
nope.. but i have a long bubble curtain in the back..

another thing.. i've described this to other ppl around town, and they all say i must have gotten a fish w/ a disease and it gave it to all my fish..

a day or two before they started dying, i did get 6 danios, 5 guppies, 4 mollies, and an african butterflyfish.. (30 bucks and 15 lives down the drain ) the funny thing is, the LFS told me to get this African Butterflyfish and it won't aggressive and wouldn't harm my fish.. well after i got home i researched this fish, and he is aggressive and will eat small fish.. so i called her and told her i was bringing him back, which will be in 3 days.. he is now in a net breeder..

AND ALSO THE ONLY FISH THAT DID NOT GET WHITE AND DIE!! hes still living right now.....
i'm thinking this fish is the cause of it all....

had about 50 or more fish total and now 3... just 3! and a stupid butterflyfish