Ph Up Ph DOWN??????

[pitchblack]

hey all, due to my recent drama ive changed 80% tank water and all is fine. Only one thing here goes the details

tank is 4x2x2
running a fluval 404 mechancial filtration at the moment
gh 4gd or 90 ppm
kh 1dh or 18 ppm
ammonia 0
nitrate and nitrite 0
iron 0.25

but the problem lies in the ph. I did the usual water change this week ph at 7.3 added ph down and it dropped to 6.5 im happy. Checked again today its at 7.5. Whats going on I dont have a clue????

any suggestions

[Mattzilla]

don't muck with you ph...it's better to leave it at 7.3 and have it at a constant rather than muck with it so that it is going up and down. 7.3 is perfectly fine to keep discus at. you will ony cause stress to your discus with a fluctuating ph

[pitchblack]

thanks for that the only thing im worried about is whats causing the ph to rise. and will it rise any more than 7.3

[Fishpimpin73]

Products like that which chemically alter your PH create instabilites within the water chem.

There could be a dozen contributing factors to the upswing.

Your better off with keeping it stable at whatever is normal.

If you want to keep your discus in a lower PH.........
An R.O. Unit is the best way to go.

Unless you just happen to have a 50 gallon tub full of driftwood that you can age your water in :wink:

[DR.V]

Maybe the problems is on the gravel. Some gravel can rises pH level. Check your gravel with your local aquarium shop, if they do rises your pH then you have to change the gravel. I have done this before, and i know what to do when you have to change the gravel :D hope this helps

[pitchblack]

No sorry guys the gravel isnt the problem. Ive had the same gravel for the past 1.5 yrs never any oh rise. Ive just checked it again and its gone up from 6.3 to 7.3 in 6 hrs ????? getting a bit worried if it continues water change is mabey in order

[Trebs]

Gravel won't be the issue.

As I understand it, this is what happens:
PH Down is an acid. While the added acid is in the tank it forces the PH down. The hardness or buffering capacity of your water will use up the added acid until it's gone. Once the acid is used up the ph will come back up (trying to use acids to lower the ph of a tank where the hardness is greater than 4 is futile). Adding ph down or acids will have this bouncing effect until the hardness gets down to 2-3 degrees or lower. There is not enough buffering capacity and the PH will drop like a stone and stay there. Either way not a good result. Get your tank fully cycled at 7.3 and keep it there, that will give you the best results in my opinion.