Water Problems

[all_waze]

Not sure if this is the right forum but.....I have been away from home for a few months. Been back a few days and am perplexed on how to remedy the situation. I have several 55g 60g, 50g, 40g, 30g, 20g, and 10s and 5 1/2 g. Some have sandbox sand, some gravel, some bare bottoms, some live plants, some no plants. Most all have HOB filters, all heated and with lights. All tanks are crystal clear, no fish casualties, all breeding and doing their thing. I have various angelfish types, various cories, various botia, clown loaches, swords, platys, rams, kribs, tilapia snyderae, porthole cats, flagtail cats, siamese cats, synodontis eupterus, bettas, various tetras, and maybe a few more that I can't remember. There are some community tanks, grow outs, species, breeders.
I use county tap water which has the following stats: 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, 7.8 to 8.0 PH, 75 GH, KH 120. None of the tanks are over stocked, feeding is 2x day some flake, some frozen, some live. While I was gone there wasn't any water changes. Wife just replaced evaporated water.
The PH in all the tanks, regardless of their set ups, have the following readings. 3.8 to 5.3 PH, <4 GH, KH virtually non existent., and terribly high nitrates. I have used cheater tabs to raise the PH but if it even does anything, usually lasts a few hours to maybe a day before the PH starts dropping down to where it was. Have done up to 50% water changes with virtually the same effect. I have Seachems "Neutral Regulator" for 7.0 but am not exactly sure how to use it and if it will indeed cure the problem. I also have a large bag of crushed coral but not sure how it all works together.
So any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

JIM

 

[dant1875]

From what I understand, it's the really high nitrates that will be driving your pH down (Ihad the same effect during my fishless cycle), other than doing loads of water changes I can't think of any other way to reduce them? I believe crushed coral should be added to the actual filter at a rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon (I'm sure one or two of the more knowledgeable members will correct me if that's wrong) & is one of the cheapest & best ways of raising your pH.

 

[Colin_T]

The pH has dropped due to lack of water changes and lots of food going into the tanks.
Doing daily partial water changes will lower the nitrates and raise the pH. I wouldn't change too much water to start with as the tap water pH could raise the tank water pH suddenly and cause the fish to freak out and die. I would do 10-20% daily water changes until the pH was back up to where it should be. Then do bigger water changes after that.

Limestone, shell, coral rubble or any calcium based rock can be used to buffer the pH. You can either have it in the filter or just put it in the tank. Over time the calcium leaches out of the shell, limestone, etc and neutralises some of the acids, thus helping to prevent the pH drop.

Adding a small amount of sodium bicarbonate each day will also raise the pH and KH. Sodium bicarbonate is available from any supermarket and is sold as baking soda. Baking soda is different to baking powder, which has more in it than just sodium bicarbonate.

 

[rabbut]

These are test strips yes? If so, ask the wife to make up some random numbers for you next time. It's cheaper and just as accurate , though the results are in line (for a change) with what you'd expect from neglected tanks You have OTS, or Old Tank Symdrome in your systems due to the lack or regular waterchanges

I'd start off with Daily waterchanges of about 10%. Nitrate is high and driving down the pH. If you pull Nitrate down too fast you toxic shock your fish, and that's not good Remember that readucing the levels of toxins in a tank quickly is just as bad, if not worse, than increasing said toxins equally as fast. pH changes are not too much of an issue IME. A large swing in KH will be though... With pH swings usualy comes a KH swing and that is what nackers your fish.

After a week or two of daily 10%'s, review the situation and if things aren't getting towards normal, increase the volume of waterchanges. You want to aim to bring the Nitrate down and the pH and (but more relivantly) the KH up again

All the best
Rabbut

 

[all_waze]

DANT1875, COLIN_T, RABBUT................................Thnx for the input. I use 2 digital PH meters, Hospital lab strips for GH and KH, and seachem strips for nitrite/nitrate tests. Have started doing 10% water changes. But for my own information.....if I understand things correctly, once the water changes get the PH/Nitrate problem resolved, then regular water changes should maintain proper PH/Hardness parameters. Can I use coral gravel and a PH regulator to maintain the parameters and if so how much coral to the gallon should I use? Should it go in 1st and then the regulator or what?
I have never had this situation before and up to the time I had to go out of country, never had any problem to speak of, so am not familiar with using cheaters. Anyways, thnx again and if you have any suggestions, et., by all means let me know.

 

[rabbut]

Correct, once Nitrate and hardness are back to normal, normal service may resume. Once the stats are back to normal, you will not need the buffers to maintain them. I would not use any buffer to correct the stats either, as it could raise the hardness too quick, and they will realy harm the fish

In short, you have hard water if the strips can be believed (they usualy can't) so no additional buffer or "cheats" need to be used, as they will foul up your water quality rather than making it better

All the best
Rabbut