Ph

[geezer]

Hello My PH has dropped over the past 3 weeks from 7.8 to 6.6. I'm thinking maybe the plants had something to do it.

Is there anyway I can higher it without chemicals? I want it about 7ish if I could

 

[Torrean]

sounds like the PH from your tap is pretty high but when it gets into the tank it drops...am i right. If this is the case you probably need to increase your waters buffering capacity. This is tricky to do and a little dangerous for your fish if done incorrectly. So I advise you to instead perform regular weekly 20% water changes. This should prevent your PH from dropping so much.

 

[geezer]

thanks torrean! I never thought of at that, i'll keept the water changes regular. I'm going to test my tap water Ph now too

 

[Torrean]

let your water sit out for an hour or so before you test the PH from the tap. Temperature affects PH. Let it reach room temp and you will get a fairly accurate reading

 

[Snick]

if you ever need to keep your PH high (for cichlids and stuff) I recommend the usage of a special substrate, such as crushed coral and shells. This really helped me a whole lot. It elevated my PH from 7.5 to about 8, perfect for cichlids! Chemicals can be used, but the constant supply of them might deplete your wallet!