Ph in the gutter... ideas?

[dr exum]

It’s a 150g - there was one pleco living in there for 3 weeks eating 1-2 massivore per day. I did maybe 1-2 little water changes, not my weekly 50% as there was just the pleco.

80deg

2 - fx6
2 - EMP 350’s

I usually don’t check ph, I was acclimating the black arrow in there and made the discovery...

The pic is water just now...

Tap ph far left - 7.6
Tank 5.0-6.4
Nitrate - 5.0-10.0 ppm

I have done two water changes one Monday before fish came 25% and one Tuesday 60% after discovering ph so low... before the 25% change there were 40-60ppm nitrate... is this a result of no water change festering nitrates?

Is it the Carib sea substrate? Or the PetSmart rock?

I’ve looked online and found no info.

I’ll be tearing down an fx6 tm...

 

[dr exum]

Edit - tank ph - 6.0-6.4

 

[Pterophyllum sp]

Northwest, as in Pacific Northwest....home to 10tds water from the tap that provides near zero buffering of pH?

 

[dr exum]

Northwest, as in Pacific Northwest....home to 10tds water from the tap that provides near zero buffering of pH?

Yes, Pacific Northwest

What is 10tds?

Tap is 7.6

 

[Pterophyllum sp]

Total Dissolved Solids.


Same boat here.

7.5 from the tap.

6.5 after it ages and absorbs some CO2

Very low TDS/kH (carbonate hardness) means a single oak leaf will crash my pH to the 5's. Simply not enough buffering from the carbonates to make any pH stable

 

[Jexnell]

Move down to Vancouver, our water is drawn from a limestone aquifer. Steady PH for years. 7.8 the first time I tested it, 7.8 everytime I have tested it since

TDS of 110 to 250

 

[dr exum]

So this tds is driving my ph down?

 

[Pterophyllum sp]

So this tds is driving my ph down?

No. Low TDS/carbonate hardness allows the things that go on in your tank to drag the pH down

 

[TheWolfman]

Maybe try adding some crushed coral to the filters to help buffer the tank.

 

[DN328]

I never check Ph but did so after reading this thread just out oc curiosity.

My Ph out of the tap is 8.4! I did a 75% WC yesterday and tested 7.8 today. I did it just to know and will do again ona couple days, but I likely won't do anything to change it.