LOW PH please help
- Thread starter yzf450motoxrider
- Start date
Hey justonemoretank i have a 125 gallon aquarium. how can i add that solution to my tank? i dont want to do 13 trips to the sink with a 5 gallon bucket. the article says not to add the mix to the aquarium directly.
thanks in advance
thanks in advance
Well, when you're first adding it, remove the water for your water change as usual. Take a bucket and add all of the mix to treat 25% of the tank to that one bucket. Then add water, and dechlorinator, and add it to the tank. Then refill the tank as usual. The next time you do a water change, do the same thing, and so on, until you've got something close to 100% of the water "treated" with the mix. You'll be able to monitor KH and pH during these times so that you can see what's happening.
If you get to where you want to be before you get to the 4th water change, just don't keep adding the mix. Have you only treated half of the water with the recipe suggested? Then base your further additions off of that.
So take whatever you end up with and are happy with, and then use it to determine how much you're adding during regular water changes (when all of the water is treated to your liking). If you do 25% water changes, and your tank is a 125, then you're going to come up with the numbers to treat 30 or so gallons. So, if you're doing the 1/1/1 per 10 gallons, because that's what you decided worked, then you'll be doing 1.5 teaspoons of salt mix and baking soda, and 1.5 tablespoons of Epsom salt for that particular water change (replenishing what you're removing). Then you add that the same way -- add it to only one bucket of the new water, stir, add dechlorinator, and put it in the tank, completing the rest of the water change as normal. You'll do this every time you do a water change in order to keep those KH and pH levels stable.
In case this only makes sense in my own head, basically what I'm saying is that you add gradually until you get to where you want to be, but keep up with what you're doing so that you know how much to dose to keep the levels steady. And you only have to use one bucket of water add to the tank -- just enough to dissolve the mixture before you refill the tank. This is how we do it and it works really well, so I hope it works for you!
If you get to where you want to be before you get to the 4th water change, just don't keep adding the mix. Have you only treated half of the water with the recipe suggested? Then base your further additions off of that.
So take whatever you end up with and are happy with, and then use it to determine how much you're adding during regular water changes (when all of the water is treated to your liking). If you do 25% water changes, and your tank is a 125, then you're going to come up with the numbers to treat 30 or so gallons. So, if you're doing the 1/1/1 per 10 gallons, because that's what you decided worked, then you'll be doing 1.5 teaspoons of salt mix and baking soda, and 1.5 tablespoons of Epsom salt for that particular water change (replenishing what you're removing). Then you add that the same way -- add it to only one bucket of the new water, stir, add dechlorinator, and put it in the tank, completing the rest of the water change as normal. You'll do this every time you do a water change in order to keep those KH and pH levels stable.
In case this only makes sense in my own head, basically what I'm saying is that you add gradually until you get to where you want to be, but keep up with what you're doing so that you know how much to dose to keep the levels steady. And you only have to use one bucket of water add to the tank -- just enough to dissolve the mixture before you refill the tank. This is how we do it and it works really well, so I hope it works for you!
hey i was also wondering if i add the hardening formula to my tank will carbon take it out of the water
Hmmmm I'm not sure, because I don't run carbon on a regular basis! I don't think it would, but I really don't know.
125 gallon tank and 1 xp3 filter at around 170gph = a little over 1 turn over per hour.
I would be willing to bet that this Ph problem is from the build up of decayed debris or mulm. There is alot of pollutants that rotting food, and poop put into your water. And there isn't a test kit out there for these.
I would guess this tank has a substrate in it. And that substrate is littered with mulm. Which is rotting, rotting organics release gases and these gases can cause the PH to crash as well.
I would do a 95% water change on the tank and wash the substrate, decorations, etc. And then at least triple your filtration.
A nice upgrade would be a FX5 canister or a couple of large HOB's like emperor 400's or even ac110's.
I would be willing to bet that this Ph problem is from the build up of decayed debris or mulm. There is alot of pollutants that rotting food, and poop put into your water. And there isn't a test kit out there for these.
I would guess this tank has a substrate in it. And that substrate is littered with mulm. Which is rotting, rotting organics release gases and these gases can cause the PH to crash as well.
I would do a 95% water change on the tank and wash the substrate, decorations, etc. And then at least triple your filtration.
A nice upgrade would be a FX5 canister or a couple of large HOB's like emperor 400's or even ac110's.
hybrid theory. the substrate is sand and yes there is a large biuld up of debris on the sand. but my amonia and nitrite are zero so i dont see how it would make a difference if it were on the sand or in a filter.
-thanks dom
-thanks dom
If it were in a filter it would be removed on a regular basis during cleanings.
The problem with the build up of debris anywhere in the system is that as it breaks down it releases gases. Its just part of the decomposition process. And these gases will cause PH problems.
I would definetely clean all that out of there as soon as possible. Because as the fish grow it will only get worse. As they have out grown there current conditions now.
Also if upgrading the filtration is out of the question. You may be able to help the situation by adding a large or larger amount of aireation. And more frequent larger water changes with heavy debris removeal.
Hope this helps.
The problem with the build up of debris anywhere in the system is that as it breaks down it releases gases. Its just part of the decomposition process. And these gases will cause PH problems.
I would definetely clean all that out of there as soon as possible. Because as the fish grow it will only get worse. As they have out grown there current conditions now.
Also if upgrading the filtration is out of the question. You may be able to help the situation by adding a large or larger amount of aireation. And more frequent larger water changes with heavy debris removeal.
Hope this helps.
Driftwood will bring the pH down in a hurry meanwhile crushed coral/shells will raise the pH. I am having the exact opisite of your problem, pH out of the tap here is 8.0 or so, no problem, i threw some driftwood in, 2 weeks later, 2 water changes later, the pH is 7.4. I want it at about 7.0. Becareful though, low pH is ammonium instead of ammonia, this doesn't feed the good bacteria rendering the beneficial bacteria useless, if the beneficial bacteria doesn't have any ammonia to consume than it doesn't have any nitrite to consume, so for those very reasons, the bacteria will die, and by the time you get your pH up, you will have to restart your cycle process. But this is at very low pH levels ( 6.0 and lower )
i dont think the bacteria is dieing because the nitrates are still rising.
Im trying to get a fx5 off of ebay right now.
I dont understand how a 9inch pbass 7inch oscar and a 6inch pbass can overload a 125gallon tank. There are alot of people on here who have a much higher bioload than what i just mentioned. HOW DO THEY DO IT! lol
Im trying to get a fx5 off of ebay right now.
I dont understand how a 9inch pbass 7inch oscar and a 6inch pbass can overload a 125gallon tank. There are alot of people on here who have a much higher bioload than what i just mentioned. HOW DO THEY DO IT! lol
