I have a 150 gallon fish tank. I have an oscar and a jack dempsy in it. Used to have a convict and striped raphael, but they are recovering from injuries. A few weeks ago, I tested my pH and it was around 6.0. That day I tested it I did a 25% water change. I filled the tank with my tap water, which has a pH of 7.8. I then tested it after filling it up and the pH was still around 6.0. On Saturday, I tested my water and it was 6.0. I did about a 35%-45% water change filling it with my 7.8 pH tap water, and its still 6.0. After I did the water changes I added aquarium salk, NovAqua, and AmQuel. NovAqua is supposed to buffer the pH to 7.0. Shouldn't doing these water changes raise the pH? I ran out of pH up, so I can't add any in there. How come the pH isn't going up?
Wierd problem with pH
- Thread starter ConvictKid
- Start date
I don't have any driftwood in the tank. I try to do water changes once a month, but before the last two that I talked about it was a few months. I don't have any other test kits besides pH, but I plan to buy them sometime this week, hopefully.
Your lack of water changing is probably whats causing your problem. Over time, the nitrification process will eat away at the buffer in your tank. If you don't change your water often enough, pH will eventually drop as your tank's KH drops, and if KH drops low enough, your pH will bottom out.
My advice to you, change your water often... though right now, your tank's pH is very different from your tap's pH... over time, if done correctly, your tank's pH will hopefully match that of your taps. Start with 10% changes once a week, then slowly work your way up to a level of around 30-40% once a week.
HTH
-Richer
My advice to you, change your water often... though right now, your tank's pH is very different from your tap's pH... over time, if done correctly, your tank's pH will hopefully match that of your taps. Start with 10% changes once a week, then slowly work your way up to a level of around 30-40% once a week.
HTH
-Richer
And clean any substrate well while changing the water.
This is part of what is commonly known as OTS, old tank syndrome.
This is part of what is commonly known as OTS, old tank syndrome.
