PH problems. PLEASE help

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kayvaughan

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 4, 2009
70
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lynchburg VA
Guys i have a 55 gallon with 14 africans. mostly rocks and shell substrate. the fish are healthy and eat like pigs, but i have been having a terrible time keeping the PH up. I like to keep it around 8.1, but i have lately been buffering it and then finding that a day later it is back down to 7.8.. I figured it could be carbon build up so i took the top off the tank, but still having the same problem. The only thing i can think of is that there is a large piece of drift wood in there... could that be causing the problem? or is there anything else you could think of to help me with this issue?

thanks for any help
 
Wood will do it. 7.8 is ok for malawi cichlids too, just so you know

Also go ahead and put the top of the tank back on. That won't help anything except for heat loss and evaporation
 
Yup. Just rocks. Don't use the wood.

I've never heard of atmospheric carbon dioxide building up in someones aquarium due to it being covered. If it were that simple, people with planted tanks wouldn't go through the trouble of complicated and expensive co2 gas injectors in their tanks.
 
well its been a few days now without the wood in the tank. Still im having the same problem with the PH falling from 8.2 to about 7.9 overnight. Does anyone have any idea what the isse could be any information at all would be helpful.
thanks
 
Tap water ph will drop after it sits. Get tap water in a glass and test it. Then let it sit over night, and test it again... Most likely your tap water will drop as well.
 
Whats the pH of your tap water? Have you got coral sand? limestone buffers the pH as well.
 
i have coral sand and no limestone. I am unable to test the tapwater because i only have a high ph test kit. Although i am raising the ph everytime i do a waterchange so it is possibly the tap. any other suggestions?
 
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