pH dropped in tank... same out of tap - need your input ASAP

What is the KH of your tank?

-Richer

The KH (carbonate hardness) or Alkalinity of your tank refers to the amount of negative charge present, this normally meas bicarbonate (HCO3-) and carbonate (CO3--) but depending on your local tap water can include phosphates and borates. GH (general hardness) and refers to positive charges from things like calcium and magnesium.

KH measures the buffer strength of your aquarium. A high KH means a strong buffer and your pH should remain stable. So yeah, what Tando said...

As for the drop in pH with an increase in ammonia, that's curious. Normally the opposite should prevail, ammonia being basic. Except, I think that the nitrification process may also consume bicarbonate, which would decrease pH, so that may be it. So if your cycle was boosting up, you may be seeing a spike in nitrifying bacteria consuming the new ammonia and bicarbonate as well.

One way to verify this would be to see if you saw a drop in KH along with the drop in pH.

Test the pH of the tap water after aging overnight in an open shallow bowl, and test the KH of the tap and tank.

You cannot "guess" why the pH in the tank is lower without knowing the baseline of the tap.

Don't attempt doing water modifications blindly - that is asking for disaster.

Your tank is cycling and you do need to do water changes to keep the the ammonia and and nitrites barely detectable.

Your tank is not cycled as there is still both ammonia and nitite in the tank. The pH is not killing the fish, the metabolites (ammonia and nitrite) are. You need to do enough water changes to get both ammonia and nitrite down to barely detectable levels and keep them there by waters changes as required.

You water has little or no buffering capacity, so it will not support normal fish stocking levels without wide fluctuations in pH due to normal nitrification (once that is established, which it is not right now).

I'd suggest some aragonite or crushed coral in a mesh bag to slowly buffer the water up to supportable levels. This will not have much effect while you are having to do frequent water changes to reduce ammonia and nitrite, but the frequent water changes will be replenishing the smaall amount of buffering your water has in it. Once you are cycled, you would be best with KH of 50-70ppm.

The ammonia media may help reduce toxicity temporarily, but will do nothing, repeat nothing, to establish a normal nitrification colony in your tank. Water changes are much better.

Is this a new tank, or was something done to it that could have destroyed the bacterial colonies?

HTH

Skip the baking soda. The idea is on the right track, but our tap water in Halifax is way too soft, you'll spend your whole life testing and tweaking your water. Get some crushed coral put it in a mesh bag and stick it in your filter.

Your tank isn't cycled, or the colony crashed. Okay, so, everything RTR said. Whether or not your tank is new, you've got some problems with ammonia and nitrite. Lose the ammonia media, it's just a stopgap for a more fundamental problem. Actually, in the end it'll probably do more harm than good. It will just deprive your nitrifiers of ammonia, decreasing the colony size. Once the media is used up, ammonia will spike and your nitrifiers will be undercapacity to handle it.

Until you've stabilized your nitrifiers, any adjustments you try to make will only create a fluctuation as you try to pull your tank one way while it tries to go the other.

hi everyone....listen....i know the whole cycling system and ammonia nitrate ph and so on....but i have no idea wuts going on with water hardness and the other trace elements....i was wondering if someone could send me some articles on it....by the way....i don t ususally type like i havn't finished 5th grade but im in a rush....im at school and i need to get to class in 5 mins....hehe....thanks everyone