i need some insight on ph problems. im currently way overstcocked on a 55 with s. American cichlids and C. american ciclids. they arent huge at the moment but im housing 17 chiclids in a 55. ive had to hold on to some fish for a couple of people ones moving and one needs a bigger tank. my prob is my ph is only stable at 6.8-7.0 for 2 or 3 days at tops. after that you blink and its at 5.0 !!!!! or at least thats as low as the kit goes. im currently using an old school aquasupreme by danner. the fish arent showing any signs of stress or breathing heavy and their colors are beautifull when feeding. i feed them a wide variety or food. theres a little tail tagging now and then but nothing extreme right now. my other water levels are fine. my question is, can an over stocked tank drastically affect the ph like ive mentioned. i do routine water changes 10 gallons every week and grav vac the substrate. ive kept fish for about a year now and ive been fine for the last 7 or 8 months no deaths stable water levels nice growth except for this tank now,my other tanks are sweet. would more filtration help keep a ph of 6.8 - 7.0 which it is after water changes or should i perform bi weekly changes. to be honest it looks like a few of the fish i got from a friend wont be leaving my tank soon as he still hasnt bought a bigger tank. an old timer at a mom and pop fish store said the ph could be dropping from excessive"****" for lack of a better word. more fish more **** lower ph those were his words. i know an "unsuitable but stable ph" is better then a yoyo ph. i have 4 tanks already im not buying any more unless i start charging admission at the door and im well aware of the use of buffers being a temporary fix not a solution. if need be id by an extra filter if thatll work im not sure however. what should i do?
PHishing for an answer
- Thread starter cnote
- Start date
What are you using for water? R/O? What's the GH, KH? Get that information and I'll bet RTR can tell ya whats up. 
Defenitly a water problem. More crap and overstocking doesn't mean a major ph crash. If that were the case I'd have that problem all the time.
Defenitly a water problem. More crap and overstocking doesn't mean a major ph crash. If that were the case I'd have that problem all the time.Yup, bet on KH problems. Depending on the KH and how fast it falls, you can do larger water changes (10% is pretty small for a tank full of Cichlids - I'd do 1/3 to 1/2 weekly). You can also use sodium bicarbonate to boost the KH, but you have to do very small additions - too much too fast and you will overshoot - pH rollercoasters are not good for fish.
Check the nitrate titer as well.
In effect, you friend is correct. Nitrification eats KH, more fish, more ammonia, less KH (which is your natural buffer in most water).
Check the nitrate titer as well.
In effect, you friend is correct. Nitrification eats KH, more fish, more ammonia, less KH (which is your natural buffer in most water).
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its tap water treated with stress coat in 5 gallon intervals the gh and kh range from 3 - 6 i guess being i live a big apartment building and theyre always messing with the boilers. the levels out the tap are exceptable i check them regularly cant be too safe. i use plastic plants and have a piece of drift wood... which i know the wood can lower ph but i havent had this prolem for months until the new additions. the plastic plants naturally i hate but they uproot everything & beat on them so i have no choice. i rather plastic then nothing at all. i thought it might be the food in general but i learned after about 30 fish and 2 months in the beginning of what "fully cycled" is and proper feeding. they eat krill flakes pellets crickets dried blood worms you name it. i noticed the color differetials with different food. so i try and provide them with a wide variety. i dont windex my tanks cuz my wife use too and i lost plenty of fish that way she would spray near the tank and the same day soemthing would go haywire. im lost. unless the gh and kh arent good between 3-6 what could it be?
i just missed that last post before i replied i dont have a i nitrate tester. i bought the "freshwater master test kit" doesnt have nitrate testing. get it? then how do i monitor it? what to look for and how often. warning signs etc
