Helpppp! 7 months and tank isn't cycled?!
- Thread starter Jay335
- Start date
pH can drop from the presence of organics (food) and BB processing organic waste especially if the buffering capacity is low. Water changes can offset that, but it starts again once there's feeding.
What is your PH out of the tap and tank temperature? Here is a link to a pretty good article about ammonia toxicity and its relationship to PH and temperature. Since your bio filter has probably been greatly inhibited by prolonged exposure to acidic conditions you should probably monitor temp as well while trying to stabilize your PH.
https://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/ammonia-toxicity.html
https://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/ammonia-toxicity.html
Tap PH is 7 0 ammonia
Tank temp is at 77-78
What about water changes? Do you think that affects it? Direct tap to tank in a hose and then I dose it with prime before refilling tank.
So solution now is to switch my scrubbers to ceramic media? And up the PH with crushed corals.
Tank temp is at 77-78
What about water changes? Do you think that affects it? Direct tap to tank in a hose and then I dose it with prime before refilling tank.
So solution now is to switch my scrubbers to ceramic media? And up the PH with crushed corals.
Does your pH kit only go down to 6.0? Does your tank water match the lowest color on that chart (ph 6.0)? In other words, could it be lower thsn 6.0?
I think what I would do is start doing daily small water changes to gradually raise the PH to >6.5 which is the point at which the nitrifying bacteria should begin to proliferate. As
tarheel96
pointed out your actual PH may be less than 6.0 so mixing 7.0 tap in small amounts may not register an increase in your test until you are actually over 6. According to the chart in the article I posted the percent of un ionized (toxic) ammonia will triple from PH6.5 to PH7.0 which would be great for the bacteria but bad for the fish. Once you get to slightly over 6.5 hopefully you will gradually see a rise in nitrate and a decrease in ammonia. I think gradually adding crushed coral at this point would be your best bet since you really only want to buffer your PH not increase it beyond your tap 7.0.
tarheel96
pointed out your actual PH may be less than 6.0 so mixing 7.0 tap in small amounts may not register an increase in your test until you are actually over 6. According to the chart in the article I posted the percent of un ionized (toxic) ammonia will triple from PH6.5 to PH7.0 which would be great for the bacteria but bad for the fish. Once you get to slightly over 6.5 hopefully you will gradually see a rise in nitrate and a decrease in ammonia. I think gradually adding crushed coral at this point would be your best bet since you really only want to buffer your PH not increase it beyond your tap 7.0.
I agree. Sometimes immediate and drastic changes are required, but this, imo, isn't that.
I think that since your fish are alive and eating, you can afford baby steps. Small water changes and testing for kH and pH. Once you know what you have for buffers, adding small amounts of crushed coral might be called for, but not necessarily before the BB has begun expanding and your ammonia reduced to zero.
There's no reason to just dump in a lot of coral before you have a good idea what a little bit will do, since If you overshoot and send the pH rocketing past 7, it's not a negative.
I think that since your fish are alive and eating, you can afford baby steps. Small water changes and testing for kH and pH. Once you know what you have for buffers, adding small amounts of crushed coral might be called for, but not necessarily before the BB has begun expanding and your ammonia reduced to zero.
There's no reason to just dump in a lot of coral before you have a good idea what a little bit will do, since If you overshoot and send the pH rocketing past 7, it's not a negative.
I still say if you have an lfs that tests water get your tank water tested before you go changing things around. For your ph to drop that drastically you have to have a huge organic debris issue or as stated before your test or testing procedure is faulty. As for the bacteria not being able to convert ammonia in lower ph aquariums I don't know a lot, I do know this. I had a blackwater biotope with a ph I kept at 5.8-6.1 no issues with my levels ammonia tested 0 once cycled, didn't take overly long to cycle the tank 2-3 weeks, I had that tank running for 3 years rams, corys, tetras. My other thought on your aquarium is you are saying ammonia and 0 nitrite but you have nitrates. Nitrates can come from outside sources, but and I guess at that low a level it might just be that. I still say get your water tested elsewhere "get a second opinion" It sounds strange. I'm going to have to do some more research on bb not being able to convert ammonia at 6.0 seems strange that my tank cycled and was working fine at the low ph and high temps I kept it at.
I had a similar issue with one of my tanks where the ammonia was reading 0.5, nitrite 0 and nitrate about 5ppm.
Unless your tap water has a source of nitrate in it (have you tested tap water for nitrate?) your nitrate is going up so there is obviously nitrite being produced somewhere, even if it doesn't show on your test kit.
Maybe (I'm no scientist so don't hold me to this) the nitrite consuming bacteria are converting the nitrite to nitrate quicker than the ammonia consuming bacteria are converting the ammonia to nitrite?
Just a theory.
