Ph problem

[Catfish mad]

Hi everyone. Im having a problem with my ph . the ph of my tap water is about 7.5 however the ph in both my tanks is below 6 . Both of the tanks are planted and contain driftwood (soaked and boiled before been added to the tanks) all other water peramaters are fine and the tempratures of the tanks are both 26C. The ideal ph for these tanks would be about 6.7 however both of the ph levels are below 6 and i am having to use a ph up chemical to increase the ph. The ph up stuff says to increase the ph by no more than 0.2 a day to avoid damaging the fish. However after raising the ph (by 0.2) i go back to add more of the stuff the next day and the ph is back below 6 again . has anyone got any idea why my ph is so low? and how i can increase it steadly and keep it steady?
any help would be appricated as its dring me mad

 

[The-Wolf]

The only thing i can think of to increase ph is crushed seashells,
I'd normaly say this is a no no for tropical f/w tanks, but in your case it would seem to be the solution. you could also add a limestone rock but that may increase it too much.

 

[Dubby]

Tannin from driftwood is acidic, so could cause your PH to shift. I second Wolf's suggestion.

 

[karrihug]

test your kh and gh. if your kh is very low it will be hard to maintain a steady ph. my kh is 0 and i have to keep crushed coral in my filter to bring that up which stabilizes my ph.

 

[Catfish mad]

first thanks for all your replies! Iv just tested my kh and its low dont know exactaly how low coz of cheap unacurate test kits but about 10 - 20ppm. how will crushed coral help to keep a stable ph? if i add crushed coral will it alow me to increase the ph? also will adding crushed coral have any negative effects?

also how much coral do you keep in your filter karrihug?

 

[Bangin]

You can also add baking soda to raise the kH (& pH slightly). One teaspoon of baking soda per 13 gallons will raise the kH by 4°. I'd add a little at a time and measure the kH for verification.

 

[Catfish mad]

thanks bangin! can i do this with fish present in the tank? and will it keep the kh stable or will i have to add the baking soda daily/weekly?

 

[Bangin]

It's fine to add baking soda to the tank with fish present. You may want to mix it with some water before putting chunks of it in the tank. Just in case they get hungry! You will only have to add more baking soda with water changes.

 

[karrihug]

i add about 1 cup of crushed coral to my filter on my 55. it slowly raises my kh which in turn keeps my ph from becoming unstable. careful with baking soda, it will raise your ph quickly and will have to be done accuratly with each water change.

 

[Catfish mad]

ok thaks for all your help . im going to the lfs tomorow to see if i can get some crushed coral and if not im going to experiment with baking soda! Hopefully this will resolve my problem! thanks for all your help! il keep you all upto date with the situation!

 

[yhbae]

Personally, I wouldn't add baking soda. How big is your wood? If it isn't too large, I'd boil and soke it more to get those tanning out.

I did mine for few weeks and all tanning has come off and it doesn't affect pH of the tank at all. I don't like messing with pH and if your tap water is already suitable for your fishes, there shouldn't be any reason to add any chemicals.

 

[Da_Oz]

If you add crushed seashells or coral. I would not add anything else to raise it. Just keep doing your normal PWC's and it will come up on it's own. But if me I would take out like a cup of tank water and let set for 24 then test PH on it. If higher than tank then there is other things you need to do.

 

[Catfish mad]

Hi all! problem solved! thanks every1 ! iv added crushed coral 2 both of my filters which has increased the ph and the kh of my water! thanks alot! my ph in both tanks is about 6.8 which is perfect!

oh and yhbae tanks for your advice on boling the driftwood. I already boiled it several times to ensure that all the tannis were out before i added it to the tanks but ino that some people arent aware of this. thanks anyway !

 

[yhbae]

Hi all! problem solved! thanks every1 ! iv added crushed coral 2 both of my filters which has increased the ph and the kh of my water! thanks alot! my ph in both tanks is about 6.8 which is perfect!

oh and yhbae tanks for your advice on boling the driftwood. I already boiled it several times to ensure that all the tannis were out before i added it to the tanks but ino that some people arent aware of this. thanks anyway !

Just one commnet on this - once driftwood stops leaking tannin, crushed coral will slowly increase the pH of your water to the level above your tap water - this is why I don't like to add anything that alters pH (unless done intentionally - African tanks as an example)...

Just keep track on your pH...