Getting Majorly Low Ph Readings. Why?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I'm not sure if you understood (respectfully), my 75g tank is the one with problems (125g is cycling and has no issues). The 75g has been fully cycled for close to a year now, I also know that high ph makes ammonia toxic (that's why I did small daily water changes rather than large fast ones to slowly lower ammonia and raise Ph while I colonized more good bacteria), the ammonia is no longer an issue. My test results came out solid as far as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ph is the main issue, I also somewhat agree that ph doesn't have too much effect on fish. I was just concerned because it was basically bottoming out on my test kit (6.0 at it's lowest point). Could you explain TDS? All I really know about it is that it means total distilled solids right? And this may be out of left field but would a UV sterilizer help me in any of this or is that just nonsense?
 
I'm reading your last two posts now, and np I can't see your avatar either.
Thanks for all the help by the way.
 
So if I understand this correctly, if I add crushed coral enough to raise the ph to the mid 7 area it shouldn't swing much during water changes because the coral is keeping it from dropping too low initially and keeps it high enough where tap water won't raise it considerably? I know every tank and solution is going to be somewhat different but the concept would be a great start in the right direction.
 
Yes, I think you're headed in the right direction as far as actual water chemistry goes, but I think your main factor in this ph drop is your high bioload. So what I would really recommend trying is what I mentioned with the 25% (or even possibly more!) daily water changes for a week and then seeing where you're at. I use a buffer in my situation because I know my tap water and I keep fish that prefer the ph/kh a bit higher. If I kept wild caught discus or something, they would love my plain old tap water! I just tend to break up my water changes instead of doing a huge one at once with my one SA tank that I don't buffer. :)
 
Very cool, I'll check in sometime tomorrow with some kh and possibly gh results and go from there. It's funny every time I think I'm getting ahead in keeping fish something new arises that I can improve on, never gets old :)
And thanks a ton for all the help so far, it's been very helpful. And I somewhat agree on the bioload, hopefully everything will be distributed properly and I'll be relatively issue free.
 
Gage Zamrzla said:
I'm not sure if you understood (respectfully), my 75g tank is the one with problems (125g is cycling and has no issues). The 75g has been fully cycled for close to a year now, I also know that high ph makes ammonia toxic (that's why I did small daily water changes rather than large fast ones to slowly lower ammonia and raise Ph while I colonized more good bacteria), the ammonia is no longer an issue. My test results came out solid as far as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ph is the main issue, I also somewhat agree that ph doesn't have too much effect on fish. I was just concerned because it was basically bottoming out on my test kit (6.0 at it's lowest point). Could you explain TDS? All I really know about it is that it means total distilled solids right? And this may be out of left field but would a UV sterilizer help me in any of this or is that just nonsense?
Click to expand...

Honestly, there's some very good articles you can find if you google that will explain better than I can. I'm not an expert, and even the experts disagree on some subjects. If you consistently have this low ph deal after all your other parameters are in check, I would consider adding a light buffer. Out of all fish, I probably know the least about datnoids. I don't know their preferences as far as water chemistry. Most fish do fine at a variety of ph, but when you have low kh IMO you could consider a buffer.
I haven't tried it myself, but I hear crushed oyster shell is the best buffer. I'm currently using some aragonite sand and a bit of crushed coral, but you do have to replace it every now and then.
 
Gage Zamrzla said:
Very cool, I'll check in sometime tomorrow with some kh and possibly gh results and go from there. It's funny every time I think I'm getting ahead in keeping fish something new arises that I can improve on, never gets old :)
And thanks a ton for all the help so far, it's been very helpful. And I somewhat agree on the bioload, hopefully everything will be distributed properly and I'll be relatively issue free.
Click to expand...

Story of my life. :D
Gh isn't a huge concern IMO but might as well check it out while you're at it.

There are some people just totally against altering your tap under any circumstances, but IMO it has its place. There's the whole argument "stability is best! Don't mess with your water!" but what if your kh is low and inherently unstable? :confused:

I don't think you're even having a real "issue" right now as long as your fish appear normal and healthy. I just wanted to answer your question and shed some light on the situation. There was a big thread on a planted tank forum a while back about ph and CO2 injection (CO2 will usually lower your ph). Some argued that the ph itself didn't even affect fish. Very long thread, maybe you can find it if you search.
 
So I used the API Gh/Kh test kit and my tap waters Kh took 7 drops to turn yellow which would make the Kh 125.3 according to the readings sheet. My tank water turned yellow in 2 drops giving it a Kh of 35.8. Obviously the tap water isn't the issue, it's something with my tank. Basically my tank was depleted of something (coworker told me but I forgot the name) and that's lowering the Kh which is then lowering my Ph. I tested my tank last night and got a Ph reading of 6.8 and again this morning and the Ph is unchanged. I think my tank just needed some replenishing to get the Kh back up a bit. During this whole situation my Ph would drop back to 6.0 within two days after a water change (no matter how high the change would increase it). As of today the Ph is a steady 6.8 for almost two days. I think I'm going to sit back and see how it does, whether it will change at all for a few days and go from there. I think it won't decrease so dramatically if at all now and I'm pretty close to my desired parameter range so I'll just leave it be. I think I'm starting to get the more fine details of water parameters and how they actually work. What do you think based on the new info?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom