Need help raising pH

[bes2534]

I've come to realize that the pH of my tank is very acidic and I do not know why!? I have a tank of guppies and I read that they prefer more neutral-alkaline water. I only have a few fish in my tank and I vaccuum and pwc once a week. However, I did have a few plants that did not do so hot, could this be part of the reason? I discarded the plants a few days ago and cleaned up all the dead leaves.

I just bought pH UP today and used the suggested amount only to raise the pH just a bit. It seemed to work, then a few hours later I tested the water again and its back to 6.0!! I even tested the tap water and its by no means acidic.

What could be some of the reason why my water is so acidic and how can I neutralize it???

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

If you add crushed coral to your filter or substrate, this might naturally increase your ph. Do you have drift wood in your tank? This can also effect your ph.

 

[??SLEEPY??]

Yeah its probaly something in your tank that might be altering your PH.
How many guppies you have, and what aquarium size?

 

[killerfish]

trying to do the opposite my self but for your problem i would use crushed coral i think lime stone works better though

 

[Arachnar]

First thing the chemicals are temporary and are more detrimental for your fish since the ph will eventually fall back down. Honestly if your guppies are happy I wouldn't bother with adjusting the pH.

The reason your water is acidic is it's your water source or something in the tank. Your local tap water may be acidic so I would suggest you find out your local water chemistry, most water treatment plants have websites that support information on their water quality. Also you should be getting a yearly water quality report from the company so check if you have one, I got mine a couple weeks ago.

But yes i agree with the other posts, try crushed coral or any crushed rock like limestone.

 

[miss__kp]

Our tap water runs at a KH of 1 - 2 degrees, so it's impressively soft. I'd also suggest using crushed coral, limestone is good but it's reasonably heavier and also breaks down slower.

Also what I found helps is bumping up your aeration, the more dissolved oxygen you have the more stable your ph will become.

I struggled with this problem for weeks so I know how frustrating it can be

Hope that helps

 

[bes2534]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! My tap is about 7.2 so I know thats not the problem. But I think I'm going to try the crushed coral!