Help my ph won’t drop!

[Cmba]

I recently made my own backgrounds using styrofoam and concrete so I know that’s what’s causing the increased ph I’m just trying to figure out how to drop it at least into around 7.5 and stay there I’ve done multiple water changes which instantly read 8.2 or higher and if I use ph down within an hour it climbs back to the high 8s or higher it’s been doing this about a week now. I learned from a video how to make them and used the same concrete they suggested that would stop raising the ph after about 3 days if you have any experience or knowledge on concrete backgrounds and how to lower the ph and get it to stay low please let me know thank you. Also it’s a 29 gallon if that’s any help

 

[Magnus_Bane]

I recently made my own backgrounds using styrofoam and concrete so I know that’s what’s causing the increased ph I’m just trying to figure out how to drop it at least into around 7.5 and stay there I’ve done multiple water changes which instantly read 8.2 or higher and if I use ph down within an hour it climbs back to the high 8s or higher it’s been doing this about a week now. I learned from a video how to make them and used the same concrete they suggested that would stop raising the ph after about 3 days if you have any experience or knowledge on concrete backgrounds and how to lower the ph and get it to stay low please let me know thank you. Also it’s a 29 gallon if that’s any help

View attachment 1440156

If the ph is stable I wouldn't worry about chasing after a specific ph. I find that it's often better to have a stable ph rather then trying to adjust to all the time.

 

[deeda]

I found when I made my cement and inert rocks background that I needed to soak/submerge the BG in fresh water with something to agitate the water like a power head and change the water every 3 days for about 2 weeks or so. It may be a shorter or longer wait depending on how much cement you used and how long it takes to leach out.

 

[Cmba]

I found when I made my cement and inert rocks background that I needed to soak/submerge the BG in fresh water with something to agitate the water like a power head and change the water every 3 days for about 2 weeks or so. It may be a shorter or longer wait depending on how much cement you used and how long it takes to leach out.

Thanks for the advice I just put one in.

 

[twentyleagues]

I found when I made my cement and inert rocks background that I needed to soak/submerge the BG in fresh water with something to agitate the water like a power head and change the water every 3 days for about 2 weeks or so. It may be a shorter or longer wait depending on how much cement you used and how long it takes to leach out.

This.
Maybe even do daily changes if it starts to level sooner in the to high zone.

 

[jjohnwm]

I've used some concrete items in the past...never as much in one tank as you have there, mind you...and I always soaked the concrete chunks in a bucket of fresh water with a couple cups of vinegar. A few weeks of soaking, changing this solution every couple of days, seemed to neutralize the alkalinity of the concrete to the point where it did not alter my pH to any extent.

Your concrete is freshly mixed (mine was old) so this might or might not work, or might take much longer if it does work. The old stuff I was using raised my pH a bit before treating, but I would assume that brand-new concrete will have much more of an effect and will require much more "neutralization". Just something to consider, no guarantees.

 

[twentyleagues]

I made alot of reef rocks using concrete. I washed mine in muratic acid and soaked it for up to a month before putting into use. I also have made backgrounds for tanks such as yours and did the same. Now I coat them in epoxy.