Tony Trapz said:
Guys what the heck is raising my ph so high? The LFS gave me the powder to lower it. I removed the Live rock and have nothing but fake ornaments, fake plants, a piece of slate and a shell in the tank. I lowered the ph to around 7. And than a few hours later it's high again? What's going on. And I checked my tap water again today and it's around 7 now. Keep in mind this is the SAME test kit I got 6 with last week at the tap. It's not expired or anything and I fill it to the line and add 3 drops so I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm getting awfully confused. Here's a pic of my tank and the latest ph.
Why are you trying to lower your pH in the first place? Those pH down products will destroy your carbonate alkalinity and your entire tank. You need to get the API Master Freshwater Test Kit. It has a high range and low range pH test kit. You only have the low range. Some people have water above 8.8 ... places in Lake Tanganyika are above 9.2 .
Start saying to yourself, 'pH doesn't matter.' Because it really doesn't. It matters in relation to other tests, E.g., You might measure pH to see how toxic your ammonia level is, but 1) you need the test kit to measure your ammonia first and 2) there's nothing you can do to change your pH anyway. Trust me on this. You can raise your pH but you can't lower it. Not without killing your fish. Altering water chemistry is done in an aging tank not in the fish tank anyway.
I wish you understood just how unimportant your pH reading was.
I mentioned that your pH rises because of CO2 in an earlier post. Some rocks do release alkalinity but that's not why your pH starts at 6.0. lol If you put your water strait from the tap into a plastic cup or bucket it will read the same pH initially and then after 24-48 hrs. This is because your water from the tap has a high level of dissolved CO2 gas. CO2 lowers pH. Once your water exits the tap and hits the air the CO2 begins to vent with the atmosphere and pH starts increasing. Within 6-48 hrs ... it depends on the anount of aeration/surface agitation .. after CO2 has finished venting out of the water then pH stops increasing and the water reaches it's 'natural pH'. That value is mostly dependent on the total alkalinity of the water.
Other water, like mine, declines in pH after it exits the tap. My water exits the tap around 8.6 and settles at 7.45 within 24 hours in an aging tank. I won't get into why but it's for similar reason.
In a fish tank there are other processes moving pH in addition to the CO2 and other gasses and chemicals still venting from the underground distribution system. Crushed coral or aragonite and calciferous rocks raise alkalinity/KH and as a result pH increases. At the same time, you have things like tannic acids from driftwood and the nitrification process which erode alkalinity/KH and result in a decrease in pH. So there can be a few things going on at one time moving pH in different directions.
When you add a product like pH Down you're adding an acid to the water. This erodes the alkalinity/KH which releases CO2 into the water like when you mix vinegar and baking soda (just not as much). The CO2 is what lowers pH. Like your water from the tap, you know this is temporary and pH will increase again. The alkalinity/KH is eroded somewhat however and if enough is added pH and KH will eventually crash (KH~0º, pH ~4.5-5.2). This product should
never be used in a fish tank.
