PH level keeps on going down Please HELP

[redmelon]

HI all,

I have problem with my tank PH it keeps on going down every 2days, i keep atleast 6 to 6.5 between that range but every 2nd day i check the PH it goes down to about 5 to 5.5 or sometimes 4.9... i add the PH Up to put back to 6 atleast...

i have some plants, driftwood, gravel, mini-reef... bio-balls

[Merrilyn]

Hi Redmelon. I've answered you in a PM, but I'll put the information here as it may help others with the same problem.

What state do you live in. If you're Melbourne, then our water is very soft and has almost no buffering capacity. In other words, there is very little calcium in the water, and that's one of the things that helps to keep your pH stable.

You can add calcium to your water quite easily by adding some shellgrit to your tank. I use it in all my grow out tanks and display tanks. The only time I don't use it, is in the breeding tanks, where I want the water very soft.

No hard and fast rules about how much you use. Around a handful seems to work in a 3 foot tank. YOu can buy it from the pet shop, or even the supermarket now, in the birdseed section. They feed it to cage birds to help digest their food. It's very cheap, less than a dollar for a bag.

Other things you can use, are the Seachem range of chemicals. They have one called "Stability" and it holds the pH at 7 exactly till the next water change. I think the new online store APW carry that.

Things that cause your pH to drop, are waste from the fish, and waste from any uneaten food. Driftwood also softens the water and causes an eventual drop in pH. You can either do waterchanges every second day to control this, or add the shellgrit or a chemical.

Hope that helps.

[redmelon]

thanks for the help... i will try your advice...

[Bill T.]

I've reverted to kH generator to stabilise pH. A couple of teaspoons and your pH will stay consistent just above 7.0. Purists will say this is too high for discus, but mine are quite happy with it & it gives me some margin for error.
Of course, nothing takes the place of regular water changes!

[redmelon]

thanks bill...

is there a PH stabiliser?

[mcloughlin2]

redmelon,

I agree with ladyred...add some shellgrit to the tank, or some argonite or crushed coral...

If that doesnt work, try some kh buffers as bill said...i had a problem with ph dropping in one of my tanks and added some buffer and havnt had any major problems since....

If worse comes to worse u may have to remove all driftwood, peatmoss etc from your tank as these lower the ph and soften the water...

HTH. :wink:

[redmelon]

thanks guys for all the advice...