PH problem

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Merbeast

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 17, 2007
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Sacramento, CA
www.thinking-man.net
55 gallon tank. 2x Fluval 205s, 250watt heater and CO2 diffuser. I HAD 6 dwarf gouramis, 2 gouramis, 8 clown loaches (still small), 2 bumblebee cats and a bristlenose pleco. I also have lots of Java Fern and Amazon Swords.

The problem begins... I purchased a very nice piece of "malaysian drift wood" from the lfs yesterday (13 pound piece). It is awesome, with nooks, crannies, a tunnel and it barely fits in my 55 gallon tank. I cleaned it while I was doing a water change on the tank. I do water changes AT LEAST once a week. I tested my PH before and after the water change, and it was around 6.8. I added a little PH up and checked again, 7.0. Perfect. After the water change, the fish were doing just fine, so I watched them for a while and went to bed.

I got home from work today and everything was dead in the tank except for the two gouramis and one dwarf gourami (who is staging a valiant comeback). I immediately did a water change (accompanied by liberal swearing). I saved some of the water (pre-change). No ammonia (great considering lots of dead fish for who knows how long), but the PH was below what the tester could check. I even added LOTS of PH up to the glass of saved water and it took a considerable amount to make the old water register anywhere near 6.2. So I am pretty sure PH killed my fish.

NOW comes the questions:
1) Will the stupid log (I assume the log is the culprit) stabilize PH-wise?
2) I was thinking of adding crushed coral in a bag in one of the filters to stabilize the PH. What do you think? (NO, I will not put shells or anything else gaudy in my tank)
3) Any other suggestions you may have or answers to questions I should have asked would be appreciated. Thanks!
I put it in, arranged some java fern on it just so, stared at my pretty tank for an hour or so and went to bed.
 
The crap that they sell us usually isn't drift wood. With such a drastic effect in only a day, I guarantee you that it was never in water before. The pretty stuff with lots of color is usually roots that were dug up, pressure washed, wire brushed,and then sold.
 
Crushed coral works great. We have it in all our tanks but I question if just a bag of it in the filter will work. Your probubly right about the wood causing the problem. VERY VERY little of whats sold is really seasoned driftwood.
 
Merbeast;1138855; said:
So crushed coral would work, but not just a small amount. How much would be needed for a 55 gallon tank?

Also, will the logs ph stabilize, and if so, how long will it take?
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I'm sorry to hear that...that sucks.:(

Bicarbonates in the water are also very important because they are able to bind with excess acids or bases, which prevents major pH fluctuations.

You can also make your water more alkaline by adding limestone, coral sand or sodium bicarbonate to the water. This will also increase the water hardness, but it probably won't change enough to negatively affect the fish if done properly.

You will be able to get the pH to stabilize, but any pH changes must be conducted slowly, over a period of several days to avoid stressing the fish.

Another note...change the pH outside of the aquarium (except when material is added to the filter) to avoid any sudden fluctuations.

I hope this helps.
 
Did you add Melafix to the tank? I've noticed that Melafix dropped my ph off the charts! I haven't heard anyone mention this happening & you would think you would being so many people are using it.

Oh,,, it's not just a bad batch,, This is my second bottle and it's doing the same thing.
 
I have been using pH UP to raise the alkalinity. Will the Sodium Bicarbonate add all the bicarbonates I need to prevent major pH swings? Is it safe for use with the plants?

Maybe I should just remove the log... but I hate to do that as it was EXPENSIVE and is very pretty.
 
JoelR;1138953;1138953 said:
Did you add Melafix to the tank? I've noticed that Melafix dropped my ph off the charts! I haven't heard anyone mention this happening & you would think you would being so many people are using it.

Oh,,, it's not just a bad batch,, This is my second bottle and it's doing the same thing.
Click to expand...
I have not used any medications.
 
I don't really have anything to back me up on this but I'm personally convinced that the Melafix is not altering the PH so much as it's altering the test results.
 
I have had this happen once, thing i found out is that my tap water is 7.4 PH but if you sit there for a day and test the watter its 5.8 they use a PH buffer to keep the pipes from corroding. I keep a stocking full of crushed coral about a pound or so in my filter and a i have some mixed in with my gravel. I have a big skull in the tank so the crushed coral with the black gravel looks cool.
 
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