Low Ph

[Flower1982]

I tested my water in both of my tanks this morning. They both have low ph.
How can I raise the Ph? I know I could use Ph up but I was wondering if their was any other way to raise the Ph. My water was ok other than the low ph and my nirates were up. I did a partial water change in both tanks also. So that should have taken care of the nirates. The nirates weren't that bad. The nirates were between 40 and 80. The Ph was 6.2 which is bad I know. I have a 10 gallon tank and a 30 gallon tank. What causes the ph to get low? I treated the 10 gallon tank with correct ph. I only have enough correct ph to treat 20 gallons would that help at all? Any advice would be appreciated.

[jwddboy]

I really wouldnt worry about your pH. A lot of hardy fish will be able to live in a much larger range of pH than the books/websites say. The basic rule is to introduce fish slowly to your tank and aclimatise them as best you can. The worst thing you can go and try is to alter your pH if you are a beginner. A pH swing can be fatal and can easily happen from you putting anything new or even you hand in the tank after attempting to change it. Why not just get some bogwood. This is usually a great pH buffer for your tank. Lastly... wait until those nitrates go down until adding anything new.

[mykidsmylife]

Well...bogwood is only a temporary fix. As the tannins leach they dissapear over time. Not only that bogwood or driftwood will LOWER PH. Not a good ideal if its already on the low side.

Jwd. is right. about consistant ph is better than trying to mess with it. I say as long as it's stable, and your fish and other water perameters are good. Don't worry about it.

[Flower1982]

Thanks for the advice mykidsmylife and jwddboy. What fish don't do well in low ph? The reason I asked is because two of my fish in my community tank died. Which is why I tested the water. As soon as I get the nirates down I plan on getting one or two more fish for that tank. How do you recommend to aclimatise a new fish to a tank? Do you think I need to do anything about the nirates or do you think it will be ok since I've done a partial water change? Again thanks for the advice. :D

[mykidsmylife]

First I would keep doing daily water changes and get your nitrates down below 10ppm. I would watch it for a week or so and make sure it stays stable. What type of maintenance schedule do you keep (ie...when do you do water changes, how often, vacuum from gravel? etc) Your ph may improve once you get your water parameters in check. When was your last water change prior to this? Weekly 30%+ water changes are ideal. If it's been quite a while since you did any water changes it could be OTS (Old Tank Syndrome) which can cause a crash in everything...ph included.

What type of fish are currently in the tank and what did you lose? I really would hold off on adding any other fish until you get this in check.

[jwddboy]

ditto on the above

[patoloco]

Ph can also br reduced by a clogged filter. Make sure your filters are working and tha filter media is clean. In case you realize it's too dirty, take some of the tank water and rinse it.

Don''t discard the filter media nor rinse it with tap water.

Using chemichal to alter your pH will normnally cause more damage then good. Save your money for something else.

And, please, post your water change schedule, filter used and your current stock.

[Roan Art]

I think the question that needs to be asked is: what is the pH out of your tap?

It sounds to me, since you've indicated that you have a high nitrates (40-80)problem, that it is possible you may be "behind" in your water changes. How often have you been changing the water and how much at a time?

Tanks that do not get frequent enough water changes will generally experience a drop in pH, especially if they have a low KH to begin with.

Roan

[daveedka]

Also set a shallow bowl or plate of tap water out overnight and test the pH on your tap water. Don't bother testing it fresh from tap as the numbers are almost always off. If you can get ahold of a KH test kit that would be ideal.

The natural processes in our tanks consume KH, When KH drops pH drops. As long as you have adequate KH in your tap water then water changes are your best answer as they will replenish what is used up. If you have little or no KH in the tap water then you will want to add something to buffer the tank.

Either way before going to the step of what to add next, Get the Tap pH and if possible get a KH reading. It is never good to monkey with things without a base line or an ability to test.

The high nitrates and the drop in pH do go hand in hand. The same process that creates the nitrates is the one that consumes the KH.

Dave

[Flower1982]

Ok I try to do a partial water change once a month. When I do a partial water change I usually gravel vac the same time. I have to admit I haven't been keeping up with doing partial water changes as often as I should.
In my 10 gallon tank I've got a male guppy, a female betta, a red wag platy and a few small snails.
I lost a black molly and a swordtail.
In my 30 gallon I've got a small goldfish, three zebra danios, and a few snails.
I did have two bigger goldfish in the 30 gallon tank but they are in my 80 gallon contanier pond for the summer right not.
I'll have to try and test my tap water tomorrow.

[Flower1982]

I forgot to mention I usually do a 10% water change.

[Rbishop]

IMO, it would be better if you were doing weekly changes.

[Roan Art]

If you are only doing 10% partials once a month, then yes your pH is going to drop via natural processes in the tanks. To keep your pH up and your water as close to your source as possible, you should do larger water changes weekly.

Your pH drops because the KH, which keeps your pH stable, is being used up. Your biofilter needs the KH to survive. Without it, it will die off. The drop in pH is your signal that you really need to increase the number of water changes you do.

Roan

[Flower1982]

Ok this morning I did a partial water change and added baking soda to both my tanks. This evening I retested the ph in my tanks and the results are much better.
The 10 gallon is between 6.6 and 6.8. The 30 gallon is between 7.0 to 7.2.
Now all I have to do is get my nitrates down. Will that do down after I do another water change? I plan on doing another partial water change and adding more baking soda in a few days. Probably Thursday.
I heard that adding baking soda to the tank will bring up the Ph and it's worked so far. I did buy a ph up product but I think I'll stick with the baking soda for now. I plan on getting new filter cartridges tomorrow. I forgot to get them tonight when I was at the store.

[daveedka]

What Is your Tap pH after it has sat out overnight ????????

The baking soda can be effective to add Kh but probably isn't necessary. 10% changes monthly would explain every problem you have mentioned here. Do several small volumewater changes (10-20%) on a daily basis until your nitrates are down and your pH matches tap. Then figure out a routine to maintain that condition. for me it's 50% or more weekly (I feed heavily to promote snail production).

The tap water test will tell us if you have enoughKH (Roughly). 6.8 is still extremely low and the tank stands a good chance of rebounding back to the previous situation.

Dave