PH ?

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C

catsish33

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2010
44
0
0
Airzona
Just wondering what would cause my ph to lower it's self i have 3 tanks 10gl,85gl,240gl
and my tap water PH is 7.6. My 10gl and 85gl are at 7.6 and my PH keeps droping after water changes on my 240gl from 7.2 to 6.4 in a week :confused: any ideas ?
 
Typically this is from "old tank syndrome" which is where debris accumulates in your gravel, and counteracts the buffers in the water causing the tank's pH to be unstable. Normally this is measured in hardness (GH and KH). What I would do, is test the GH and KH of the tap water, and then of your tank. I use API liquid testers for this, as they are really reliable.

If either or both are low (usually less than 3) from the tap, usually I would recommend adding some kind of buffers to keep the pH stable.

Most of the time, the problem is in the tank. Many times people with UG filters let debris accumulate below the filter plate. Also, debris in filters and just in the gravel in general can cause problems. If your GH and KH is lower than that in your tap, then the problem lies in a dirty tank.

How often do you normally gravel vacuum? Is it solid black, or only cloudy when you gravel vacuum?
 
Do you have drift wood?
 
gh doesn't really matter in this discussion. kh is what's important for ph. kh is the measure of your aquarium's water to absorb and neutralize acid, AKA alkalinity. An old school technique to raise your kh and stabilize your ph is to just throw a small bag of crushed coral (or similar substance) in your filter. I do this on all my CA tanks.
 
IMHO adding crushed coral is a science and doing it for the first time, I would add little by little its always easier to it baby steps. Crushed coral can be a life saver when stabilizing your tank.. or a world ender if your reckless.
 
Industrial said:
Typically this is from "old tank syndrome" which is where debris accumulates in your gravel, and counteracts the buffers in the water causing the tank's pH to be unstable. Normally this is measured in hardness (GH and KH). What I would do, is test the GH and KH of the tap water, and then of your tank. I use API liquid testers for this, as they are really reliable.

If either or both are low (usually less than 3) from the tap, usually I would recommend adding some kind of buffers to keep the pH stable.

Most of the time, the problem is in the tank. Many times people with UG filters let debris accumulate below the filter plate. Also, debris in filters and just in the gravel in general can cause problems. If your GH and KH is lower than that in your tap, then the problem lies in a dirty tank.

How often do you normally gravel vacuum? Is it solid black, or only cloudy when you gravel vacuum?
Click to expand...


I vac once a month and some spots black. I gess I should vac every other week ?
 
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